Can Cardio Exercises Build Muscle?

For years, the debate has raged on between weightlifting and cardio exercises, with strong supporters on both sides. While cardio is often hailed as the number one health-improvement tool, weightlifting is generally regarded as more focused on visual and functional development. However, a common question still lingers—Can cardio exercises build muscle?

In this article, we'll dive deeper into the subject to uncover the truth.

What Is Cardio?

Cardio exercises, or cardiovascular activities, typically refer to low-intensity activities performed for extended periods, such as:

1. Jogging

2. Skipping

3. Swimming

4. Rowing

5. Cycling

Aerobic activities

These activities primarily engage the heart and lungs, improving the efficiency of energy transportation throughout the body. This leads to increased endurance, allowing the individual to sustain the activity for longer durations.

However, prolonged low-intensity activities mainly engage slow-twitch muscle fibres, which have limited potential for muscle growth (hypertrophy). So, can cardio exercises build muscle? The answer isn't simple, but there are ways cardio can be used for muscle development.

Can Cardio Exercises Build Muscle? The Answer Is... Sprints!

As mentioned, traditional, prolonged cardio exercises mainly work slow-twitch fibres, which are not ideal for muscle growth.

However, altering the way you perform cardio can shift the focus to muscle-building.

Sprints, for example, are one of the most powerful tools you can include in your training program, particularly for lower body development. By definition, sprints involve short, powerful bursts of effort, which engage fast-twitch muscle fibres—key to muscle growth.

Sprints can be applied to various forms of cardio, such as running, swimming, cycling, and skipping. Just ensure you don’t perform sprints immediately before or after leg day, as they place significant stress on the lower body and will require proper recovery time afterwards.

Sample Sprint Run Workout

Just like any other workout, before diving into sprints, it’s essential to go through a proper warm-up routine to prepare your body for the high exertion levels required. The goal of the warm-up is to activate the muscles, increase blood flow, and elevate the heart rate and body temperature slightly.

Here’s an effective sprint run warm-up:

1. Light jogging

2. Dynamic stretching

3. Squat jumps

4. Power breathing

5. 
   

Once you feel adequately warmed up, follow the sprinting guidelines below:

Run #	Distance	Rest Times
#1	Warm-up run, 60-70% exertion	30m
#2	Warm-up run, 70-80% exertion	40m

Conclusion: Can Cardio Exercises Build Muscle?

So, can cardio exercises build muscle? While traditional cardio may not be the best for muscle development, incorporating high-intensity cardio exercises, like sprints, can significantly enhance muscle growth. The key is adjusting your cardio routine to target the fast-twitch muscle fibres, which are responsible for building strength and size.