does cardio kill gains or is that a myth?

[liftinheavy]

I’ve been avoiding cardio because I thought it eats into my muscle. But my stamina sucks and I get winded between sets on legs. How much cardio can I do without messing up my progress? Is zone 2 a few times a week fine?

 

[justinr84]

Cardio wont kill your gains bro. Start with 20–30 mins of zone 2 a few times a week and make sure you're eating enough to recover.

 

[mikefromgym]

Running right before or after squats is what actually wrecks my leg days. I keep cardio on upper body days or separate it by a few hours.

 

[jaylifts]

mostly a myth tbh. it only hurts if you’re not eating enough to cover it or you’re doing hours of it. i do 20 min of incline walking after lifting and my lifts never dropped. do you run or walk?

 

[crunchtime247]

Honestly, cardio isn't the gains killer people make it out to be. The real problem is when you're doing so much that your legs never recover or you can't eat enough to grow. Just my two cents, but a bit of cardio fits fine in any phase if you keep it in check.

 

[Paulr_91]

Zone 2 a few times a week is fine. Start slow and stay consistent.

 

[liftinheavy]

Cardio wont kill your gains bro. Start with 20–30 mins of zone 2 a few times a week and make sure you're eating enough to recover.

Haha good to know, thanks!

 

[liftinheavy]

Running right before or after squats is what actually wrecks my leg days. I keep cardio on upper body days or separate it by a few hours.

Ahh that’s a good point, I was planning to run on leg days. Moving cardio to upper body days instead. Thanks!

 

[liftinheavy]

mostly a myth tbh. it only hurts if you’re not eating enough to cover it or you’re doing hours of it. i do 20 min of incline walking after lifting and my lifts never dropped. do you run or walk?

Nice, that sounds doable. I was leaning toward walking since running feels like too much right now. Do you do it at a steady incline or mix it up?

 

[liftinheavy]

Honestly, cardio isn't the gains killer people make it out to be. The real problem is when you're doing so much that your legs never recover or you can't eat enough to grow. Just my two cents, but a bit of cardio fits fine in any phase if you keep it in check.

Makes sense. I think I was overthinking it. Appreciate it!

 

[liftinheavy]

Zone 2 a few times a week is fine. Start slow and stay consistent.

Thanks!

 

[bigdave]

yeah zone 2 a few times a week is totally fine, mine is 2 to 3 sessions of 20 to 30 min and my lifts never dropped. just eat enough to cover it and keep it away from leg day if you can