Whether you want to build muscle during your cardio workout or strictly focus on boosting muscle mass, these workouts are sure to help. After all, if you just purchased one of the new San Diego townhouses, or a home anywhere else, you’re going to need some strength for all that moving.
The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn without doing much of anything at all, making it far easier to lose weight or maintain the great body you already have. As WebMD notes, when you’re resting, 10 pounds of muscle will burn 50 calories, while 10 pounds of fat will burn just 20.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
One of the best ways to burn lots of calories, getting a cardio and strength training workout, is HIIT. It can be used to target any muscle group depending on the exercise you select, and has been proven to preserve the muscle you have while building muscle too. It includes short bursts of intense work followed by brief rest periods. HIIT has been shown to raise the metabolism, increase anaerobic capacity and burn more fat after exercise than would be burned after a strictly cardio workout. There are lots of ways to do it, for example, if you’re a runner you might warmup with a slow 10-minute jog followed by running fast for four minutes and then walking for four minutes, repeating the whole thing four times.
Five-by-Five Program
This program has become very popular with those who are looking to gain a high amount of muscle mass and strength. It involves performing three main exercises that target the major muscle groups, including both upper and lower body, with five sets of five repetitions. As you’re stimulating so many muscle fibers it promotes a significant degree of increased muscle mass. You’ll alternate two different programs, with a day of rest in between.
Program one includes:
- Barbell squats – 5 sets, 5 reps
- Barbell bench press – 5 sets, 5 reps
- Bent over barbell row – 5 sets, 5 reps
- Pullups – 2 sets, 8 reps
- Side lateral raise – 2 sets, 8 reps
- Sit-ups – 2 sets, 15 reps
Program two includes:
- Front barbell squats – 5 sets, 5 reps
- Seated barbell military press – 5 sets, 5 reps
- Barbell deadlift – 5 sets, 5 reps
- Barbell curl – 2 sets, 8 reps
- Seated triceps press – 2 sets, 8 reps
Building Lean Muscle Through Cardio
If you hope to build lean muscle while getting a good cardio workout at the same time, you may want to turn to the treadmill. Walking uphill on a treadmill is a great way to maintain or build lean muscle mass while giving your glutes, calves and hamstrings a fantastic workout. Spend a few minutes at an easy walking pace to warmup first and then raise the incline until you feel like it’s challenging your legs, glutes and heart. Maintaining an incline throughout the workout by alternating from lower levels like a 2 or 3 percent grade switching to as high as 15 percent will really do the trick.