Short answer? after these messages. lol. But honestly, the short answer is, it depends. Let me explain. In fitness we have extremes, and on each end of these extremes, the adaptations made as well as the mechanisms used differ dramatically. It is for this reason that we have such massive differences in body types in the fitness space. A powerlifter is strong and generally stocky and a long-distance runner is usually very slim. Even in the same sport, you can have such huge differences because of this. A marathon runner looks drastically different from a sprinter.
For the gamer out there, you have probably been presented with the option to spend exp points and build certain attributes when building your character, whether it be strength, dexterity, magic, etc. This is the same with human beings and our training.
The main reason for this is a concept known as "interference". This is when one training style creates adaptations that prevent growth in another area. A solid example is running. This builds type 1 slow twitch muscle fibers but does very little or even destroys type 2 muscle fibers. On the other hand, lifting grows type 2 (fast twitch) muscle fibers but does very little and close to nothing for type 1.
A study showed that interference shows up even in hybrid training. CrossFit is an excellent example of hybrid training, however, because of interference, the vo2max scores of elite CrossFit athletes is not much higher than the average. In the beginner phase, you can make great strides in cardiovascular as well as strength gains training concurrently, but after a while, you reach a ceiling where specialization is the next logical step. A good place to insert the saying "jack of all trades master of none". To make some progress in one area, you would need to dedicate more time to that specific training style.
So what does this mean for gainz? short answer, do your cardio on a different day. Another study has shown that if you do both training styles together you hamper growth in both especially when you are intermediate to advanced in either. However, this study showed that when you allow for 6 plus hours between cardio and strength training you reduce the amount of interference you experience.
Another finding is that cardio with high impact (running and jumping) can increase the amount of interference that occurs. To reduce this low impact exercises such as rowing and cycling are recommended as these showed to have the most effect in reducing the effects of interference.
I do not know about you but working out twice a day is not very feasible for most. In that case, I advise that you do your strength training sessions on a different day and your cardio on another. If you are strapped for time and would still like to group workouts, you can train your larger muscle groups alone on strength days and your smaller muscles (biceps, triceps, rear delts, calves, etc) on the same day as your cardio day.
If you must keep doing your cardio on the same days, choose low-impact cardio exercises.
REFERENCES
Thomas ACQ, Brown A, Hatt AA, Manta K, Costa-Parke A, Kamal M, Joanisse S, McGlory C, Phillips SM, Kumbhare D, Parise G. Short-term aerobic conditioning prior to resistance training augments muscle hypertrophy and satellite cell content in healthy young men and women. FASEB J. 2022 Sep;36(9):e22500. doi: 10.1096/fj.202200398RR. PMID: 35971745.
Physiological Profiles of Male and Female CrossFit® Athletes
Deni Hodžić, Gommaar D’Hulst, Rahel Leuenberger, Janik Arnet, Elena Westerhuis, Ralf Roth, Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Raphael Knaier, Jonathan Wagner
bioRxiv 2023.10.11.561828; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.11.561828
Lundberg TR, Feuerbacher JF, Sünkeler M, Schumann M. The Effects of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training on Muscle Fiber Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2022 Oct;52(10):2391-2403. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01688-x. Epub 2022 Apr 27. PMID: 35476184; PMCID: PMC9474354.
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