BodybuildingPro.com 
Training Database Cardio Articles Does Aerobics Make You Lose Muscle?
Yes, it's
true. It's a scientifically proven fact that muscle proteins are
broken down and used for energy during aerobic exercise. But don't
worry, you are constantly breaking down and re building muscle
tissue anyway. This process is called "protein turnover." Your body
is constantly alternating back and forth between anabolic
(building) and catabolic (breaking down) cycles. That's just a
normal part of life. Your goal is simply to tip the scales slightly
in favor of increasing the anabolic side and reducing the catabolic
side just enough so you stay on the anabolic side and you gain or
at least maintain muscle.
This fact
of human physiology has often been taken out of context and used to
scare people into not doing cardiovascular exercise for fear of
losing muscle. When you fast overnight as you sleep, you lose
muscle too, but that doesn't mean you should stop
sleeping!
Sure, it's
possible for you to lose muscle from doing too much cardio, but
it's highly unlikely. Shying away from cardio completely because
you think you'll lose muscle is a huge mistake. Only excessive
amounts of cardio would cause you to lose muscle because
over-training tips the scale towards the catabolic side. It's
difficult to generalize and pinpoint one specific amount as too
much, but I think it's safe to assume that just about anyone could
do up to 45 -60 minutes of cardio a day, 6 to 7 days a week without
losing any muscle - as long as the proper nutritional support is
provided.
Trainer
John Parillo has always been an advocate of lots of aerobics, even
for his bodybuilder clients who are trying to gain muscle
mass.
"Aerobics
can enhance your recovery from weight training by promoting blood
flow and oxygen transport to your muscles," says Parillo. "Aerobics
forces oxygen through your body, increasing the number and size of
your blood vessels. Blood vessels are the 'supply routes' that
transport oxygen and nutrients to body tissues, including muscles,
and carry waste products away for muscular growth, repair and
recovery. The expansion of this circulatory network is called
'cardiovascular density.'"
So,
according to Parillo, aerobics can actually enhance recovery from
weight training and increase muscular growth by developing the
circulatory pathways that provide nourishment to the muscles.
Cardiovascular training is important for fat burning, for good
health and for muscle-building.
Losing
muscle has more to do with inadequate diet than with excessive
aerobics. If you suspect you are losing muscle there are four
likely causes:
1. You
are not eating enough protein. Protein is the only nutrient
that is actually used to build muscle. To stay anabolic you must
eat five to six protein containing meals. Each meal should be
spaced out approximately three hours apart. Research has proven
that if you are physically active, you need a minimum of .8 grams
to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
2. Your
carbohydrates are too low. Low carb diets are often used for
fat loss, but it is a mistake to cut your carbs too drastically.
Carbohydrates are protein-sparing, so even if you are eating large
amounts of protein, you can still lose muscle if you your carbs are
too low.
3. You
are not eating enough calories to support muscle growth. This
is the most common cause of muscle loss. When your calories are too
low, your body goes into "starvation mode." Your metabolism slows
down and your body actually burns muscle tissue to conserve energy.
Muscle is metabolically active tissue, requiring a great deal of
caloric energy just to maintain it. That's why your body will shed
muscle if it thinks you are starving.
4. You
are not training with weights. It is a common misconception
that if you want to lose weight, you should start with cardio only
and add the weights later - another big mistake! It is the weight
training that keeps you from losing muscle while you are
dieting.
You are
much more likely to lose muscle from not eating enough than you are
from doing too much cardio. All too often, people are afraid to eat
a lot and do a lot of cardio at the same time. It doesn't
seem to make sense. Logically, it seems like the two would cancel
each other out - but the opposite is true. Many people believe they
must "starve" the fat by drastically lowering calories.
Unfortunately, this approach can cause you to lose muscle along
with the fat. The only way to maintain your lean mass while losing
fat is to feed the muscles with plenty of nutritious calories
and at the same time, burn the fat off with
cardio.
Whether
your goal is muscle development, fat loss or both, you should
always include some form of cardiovascular activity as part of your
training program. Unless you're doing some kind of ultra-endurance
regimen, AEROBICS DOES NOT CAUSE MUSCLE LOSS, in fact it supports
the pathways that help you build it!
Go to: Fat Loss For Beginners - 8 Tips For Getting
Started
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder,
personal trainer, gym owner, freelance writer and author of "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle" (BFFM): Fat Burning Secrets of the
World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has written over
140 articles and has been featured in IRONMAN magazine, Natural
Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Muscle-Zine, Exercise for Men
and Men’s Exercise. Tom is the Fat Loss Expert for
Global-Fitness.com and the nutrition editor for Femalemuscle.com
and his articles are regularly featured worldwide on literally
dozens of other websites.
Learn the Truth About Diets, Weight Loss Programs And
Fat Burning Supplements
To get the FACTS on exactly how, what & when to
eat and how to train to achieve maximum fat loss, without losing
muscle or slowing down your metabolism... AND to discover the
shocking truth about the diet, weight loss and supplement
industries, Check out Tom’s e-book online here: www.burnthefat.com
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