Hi everyone, I’m Jeffrey Rollins and I’d like to share my views about the all important cardio vs muscle building exercises dilemma and can they really help each other. How should you spend your time exercising and does cardio fitness really help to improve muscle gain and tone?

Well, IMHO there’s a strict connection between aerobics and the way your muscles look. I’ll try and explain why in this article. It’s no secret that if you place all your efforts in running, swimming, tennis, basketball or any other cardio induced workout your body will get slimmer and look more fit. The real question is: “how do you increase your muscle mass while keeping a tight and fit physic?”.

Muscles build up on proteins. So eating a lot of proteins is mandatory when you are trying to build up muscles. However, no matter how hard you workout at the gym, no matter how many reps you do, your body will store some of the proteins it needs as fat because it does not burn as much calories when performing anaerobic exercises as it does when performing aerobic exercises.

But, if you combine a lot of aerobic exercises in your routine, you will burn a lot of calories and your body will turn to proteins as a source of energy. The same proteins you need to build up your muscles, or worse the same proteins which are already in your muscles which will now be broken down and will deter your muscle’s growth.

Note – Fat is the last source of energy the body turns to when looking for calories to burn. So after carbohydrates, your proteins are at risk.

So how can you gain muscle, while not looking fat, having great muscle tone and bulk up further? The answer is to keep a mediate cardio routine with an extensive anaerobic bodybuilding program. And yes, then cardio and aerobics actually can help in putting on extra muscle and gaining weight the right way. Why? because cardio workouts actually elevate your heart rate and increase blood flow. Your blood being the conduit of food and energy to your body simply performs better, allowing for required energy and proteins to reach their final destination faster and better.

Yes – Cardio can help you gain muscle faster, but it’s important to find the right balance between cardio and anaerobic workouts.

It’s important to note!!! Every body, your literal body, acts differently to working out. It’s crucial to consult your fitness instructor and your family doctor about any significant lifestyle changes you are about to make.