Cardio in combination with bulking - good idea or not?

Bulking is a phase that many athletes go through, mainly during the winter months. This is mainly done to build more muscle mass. During this period you will see that most athletes eat as much as possible and avoid cardio like the plague at the same time. Yet there are plenty of people who claim that cardio is a good addition to the exercise routine even during bulking. So, cardio in combination with bulking – good idea or not?

What exactly is bulking?

First of all, it is useful to know what bulking exactly means and what it is all about. Bulking is about trying to increase your muscle mass through strength training and more calories. As you probably already know, you need food for energy and during bulking athletes experience a lot more energy. This is because they consume many more calories than before. By creating a calorie surplus (that is, taking in more calories than you burn), your body can also produce more muscle mass than normal.

Bulking is therefore the opposite of cutting (or dry training), where you want to consume fewer calories than you burn, which will reduce the fat percentage. Many athletes will cut in the run-up to the summer months to look as toned as possible, while bulking is mainly done in the winter months, because an extra layer of fat does not matter that much.

Difference between lean bulk and dirty bulk

There is also a difference between a so-called lean bulk and a dirty bulk. With a lean bulk you want to create a calorie surplus, but at the same time great care is taken to ensure that you do not consume too many fats. In this way, the calorie surplus could ensure that you mainly gain muscle mass and not so much fat mass. With a dirty bulk, athletes eat almost anything they feel like and it doesn't matter much if they consume a lot of fat. With a lean bulk, people will pay a lot of attention to the number of fats in certain foods and based on this they will choose exactly what they will eat to gain weight.

Why should you do cardio during bulking?

Now what it's all about in the end; is cardio a good idea during bulking? The biggest advantage of cardio while bulking is actually that you ensure that you still maintain good condition. By doing cardio regularly, you can ensure that your cardiovascular fitness remains good. This way you won't get out of breath quickly when you walk up a number of stairs, for example. However, this is often the result of a good bulk, because you gain weight due to the calorie surplus and you can generally get out of breath more quickly. Cardio once a week can be a good compensation for this and ensure that you still feel fit. In addition, you create a calorie surplus by eating more, and banning cardio from your routine is theoretically unnecessary. As a result, it can still be nice to continue doing cardio during your bulk.

Why do you prefer to avoid cardio while bulking?

However, there are of course also reasons that it is better to avoid cardio during a bulk. When you do cardio, you naturally burn valuable calories that you need to gain muscle mass. This is why people usually avoid cardio during bulking. It can be quite difficult to have a large enough calorie surplus to actually gain muscle mass. If you then start doing cardio, this task will only become more difficult. In addition, it is of course also nice that you have to exert a little less effort during bulking. Of course, you still do your strength training at a high intensity in order to grow your muscle mass, but after that you are done!

Try Weight Gainer to get the most out of your bulk!

Are you bulking, but do you notice that you find it difficult to be in a calorie surplus? Or do you want to start bulking, but you don't know how to go about it? Then try the Weight Gainer from GT Nutrition! This makes it very easy to make a shake, just like with whey protein, for example, so you still get a lot of calories in a simple and quick way. With our delicious Weight Gainer Vanilla you get no less than 219 calories with 1 scoop! This may not seem like much at first, but if you use this in a bulk shake or use it several times a day, it really adds up. In addition, 1 scoop contains no less than 43 grams of carbohydrates, which are also very important when bulking, and almost 10 grams of protein, which allows your muscles to grow optimally! The Weight Gainer is especially useful if you notice that you find it difficult to eat enough every day to be in a calorie surplus. In any case, Weight Gainer can always make bulking a lot easier for you!

Cardio during the bulk – to do or not to do?

So, cardio during the bulk – do or don't? This mainly depends on personal preferences. If you think it is important to maintain good fitness, it is best to do a little cardio once a week. The calories you burn with this are ultimately not too bad compared to the number of extra calories you consume every week. But if you are currently finding it difficult to bulk and consistently be in a calorie surplus without cardio, you may be better off not doing cardio. You may sacrifice some of your fitness, but this way you at least ensure that you consistently remain in a calorie surplus. Whether or not you want to do cardio during the bulk ultimately depends entirely on your personal situation and what you want most. So you can certainly do cardio during your bulk to maintain your fitness level or you can skip this for an (even) larger calorie surplus. The choice is yours!