Do muscles really affect your cardio?

[Millennium Man**]

I've been incorporating powerlifting (weight training on certain months), plyometrics and outdoor running with my boxing training. however, i've noticed that i gas sooner than i used to since last year, and i was thinking maybe joe rogan was right about muscles affecting your cardio. since then, i've abandoned weight training and powerlifting, and i tried training strictly boxing and running only. for some reason, it even got worse, so i'm not sure if i'm either getting older, or just overtrained.

i box 5 times a week, plyometrics twice a week, and run 1 mile before training, and another mile after training. i used to put powerlifting before boxing.

 

[Twisted Elbow**]

I wouldn't abounding weight training. It's true muscles require more oxygen. Sounds like you may not be recovering from your training. You may have two much on your plate. How many days are out for cardio? Box 5 times, plyo 1, weight training 2 days, cardio done on days your not lifting, a week. Mix your cardio with long distance runs and sprints. I could be wrong, but somebody will correct me and and give you better advice. If anything friendly bump.

 

[Fenderson]

I put on a lot of muscle by eating properly and starting a s&c routine. I never felt any hinderance by the added muscle when it came to cardio/mma.

 

[Millennium Man**]

exactly, i've been doing better with weight training... now not so much, so i was wondering if it really is true that the bigger your muscles are, the more your cardio suffer.

also, i'm down to 173 from 181 2 weeks ago, mostly due to lack of weight trianing.

 

[mmathurbator]

I used to weight train and if I didn't increase my cardio, it would suffer. I put on about 20 lbs of muscle and my cardio went way down. So for me it was true, I don't know about everyone. After that I let up a little on the weights, and increased cardio/muscular endurance training.

 

[Tosa]

Your plan for conditioning is next to non-existant, and you dropped 8lbs in two weeks. Your problem has nothing to do with strength training.

And unrelated entirely to your question, but what are you doing for plyometrics? Because there's a very good chance that most of that time would be better spent doing the strength training.

 

[cheez whiz]

I've seen some pretty muscular people who have excellent cardio. At some point, though, the pursuit of explosive power or muscularity leads to less emphasis on training cardio (comparatively) so that person's cardio conditioning may be lacking.

I don't think, to a point, that someone having more muscle on them means that they have inferior cardio.

If someone *trains* without emphasis on cardio, their cardio will be what it is; the cardio of a person who doesn't train for cardio.

 

[Cygnus-X]

Do muscles really affect your cardio?

Yes. Although probably in a positive way.

 

[apizur**]

Thank god fight sports are divided by weight classes...

 

[JRT6]

If I ever want to see how much weighing 260 (my old weight) was too my cardio I only have to try running with a 40lb vest on.

 

[Brock2026]

Being bulkier requires more energy. So yes it does effect your cardiovascular ability. But it seems that is not the reason your having trouble. Could be over-training or a list of other things, I would have to know more.

 

[tkdyo]

It sounds to me more like you are over training as has been suggested.

Personally I think Ive seen an increase in my cardio with my weight training. At the very least I recover between rounds of sparring faster than I use to.

 

[squat]

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/conditioning_is_a_sham

I think that answers TS question

 

[Pearse Shields]

Yes, hypertrophy-based strength training can have a negative on cardiovascular ability due to things such as decreased capillary density in muscles, as well as the fact that more mass takes a greater amount of fuel to move, which is particularly demanding during aerobic efforts.

However, TS, I would suspect that your problem stems from problems in other areas of your training or recovery.

 

[SunNovaGun]

TS is going to have to run for more than a mile at a time to fix that conditioning.

According to Rip it should only take a couple of weeks though, probably less if he lifts for 1rm instead.

facepalm.jpg

 

[Fighting Sprite]

Yes, hypertrophy-based strength training can have a negative on cardiovascular ability due to things such as decreased capillary density in muscles, as well as the fact that more mass takes a greater amount of fuel to move, which is particularly demanding during aerobic efforts.

However, TS, I would suspect that your problem stems from problems in other areas of your training or recovery.

Yes, you have more weight to move, but you should also have more muscle that can produce force, so it would be more or less a wash, no? The first part makes perfect sense.

 

[miaou]

Adding more muscle will reduce your aerobic capacity, and achieving and maintaining the same aerobic endurance level will be harder if you carry more muscle than if you carry less.

 

[CRZA]

TS got banned?

 

[Jitsu Sniper]

You ever notice how Bob Sapp, Overeem and most heavyweights get winded after the first round? It's like a 4 cylinder runnin a semi truck. Muscles need oxygen, the heart sends oxygen enriched blood to your muscles. It's common sense bro.

 

[peytonlucy]

Cardio starts at the big toe and goes upward from there.