Cardio and strength training: how to do both without losing gains

Cardio has a reputation for eating muscle. The truth is gentler: a sensible amount of cardio barely affects strength or muscle gains, and it makes your heart, your recovery between sets and your general health better. The trouble only starts with a lot of it, done at the wrong time.

Does cardio kill gains?

Research on doing both (often called concurrent training; see the review by Schumann and colleagues, 2022) found that adding cardio didn't reduce muscle growth or maximal strength for most people. Explosive power took a small hit, mostly with running. If you're not a powerlifter peaking for a meet, you can do both.

How much is enough

• Two or three sessions a week, 20 to 40 minutes, mostly at a pace where you can still talk.
• One harder session a week if you like it: intervals on a bike or a rower.
• Walking counts. A daily brisk walk is the easiest cardio there is, and it barely touches your recovery.

• Incline walkGlutes, Calves
• Stationary bikeQuads
• Rowing machineUpper back, Quads
• RunQuads, Calves
• Cross trainerQuads, Glutes
• Ski machineLats, Abs

Before or after lifting?

1. Lift first when strength is the goal, then do your cardio, or do cardio on another day.
2. Keep hard leg cardio away from leg day. Intervals the day before heavy squats cost you reps.
3. Pick low-impact options (bike, rower, incline walk) if your legs are sore or recovering. See how long muscles take to recover.

Track it like a lift

Cardio progress is time and distance: going the same distance faster, or further in the same time. In Liftsmith, cardio exercises log time and, for runs, walks, rides, rows and sleds, distance too, both pre-filled from last time so logging stays one tap. Strength plans stay strength plans; you add cardio to a routine or a workout when you want it, and pair a heart rate monitor to see how hard each session was.