How To ACTUALLY Build Muscle Doing Cardio

[00:00] What if you can build muscle by towing cardio? And not just any cardio, but the slow, steady state stuff. It's generally believed that this is not possible, until now. And it's all thanks to these things.

[00:13] But let's dig a bit deeper into the science and see if this is truly something worth trying. Now, let me be cool to see the greatest marathon runners of all time, also be the greatest bodybuilders of all time.

[00:26] What the fact is, steady state cardio just isn't the best exercise for building muscle. So then, what's this whole band's around our limbs all about? Well, it's for a training strategy known as blood flow restriction.

[00:38] If you've never heard of BFR, don't worry, that just means you're normal. If you have, then you probably googled how to build muscle a bit more than most. And yes, it is just as it sounds. The goal is to restrict blood flow to our active muscles during exercise.

[00:53] Now, this might seem counterintuitive, but the mechanisms behind it are pretty interesting. We won't go too deep into all of it today, but basically, it's about creating a more stressful muscle environment.

[01:05] Less blood in means less oxygen in, less blood out means less metabolites out, which causes muscle swelling. The muscle also fatigues faster, so all your muscle fibers activate at a much faster rate. In a way, it's almost like we're tricking the body into thinking we're more physically stressed

[01:21] than we actually are, kind of like when I'm eating kale. Well, technically, these conditions do put the muscles in greater stress. But the greater stress comes with greater physiological responses, which then come with greater muscle and strength, which comes with great responsibility.

[01:37] And this is supported by the scientific literature. We have evidence for it, but it's mostly for BFR plus lifting weights. So the question is, do we also see gains by pairing BFR with low intensity cardio?

[01:52] Well, after coming through all the available evidence, researchers in a 2024 systematic review attempted to answer this question. And what they found was that, first, unsurprisingly, cardio without BFR did not improve gains.

[02:06] Cardio plus BFR, however, did lead to significantly greater muscle and strength gains. And we're talking about cardio exercises like cycling at only 30% effort.

[02:18] In one trial, people even cut stronger by just walking with straps on their legs for 15 minutes a day. The researchers then concluded that cardio plus BFR can be an effective strategy for muscle and strength.

[02:31] Given its track record, it's actually not too surprising to see positive outcomes with BFR these days. But again, that's usually when it's paired with lifting weights or maybe high intensity cardio.

[02:43] So I did not expect this with steady state cardio. It's actually quite a shock. That said, we probably want to restrict our reactions a bit before we all start restricting our blood flow. As always, science is great, but the results here are not guaranteed for everyone.

[02:59] And the thing is, the researchers only found seven studies with somewhat questionable quality, worth analyzing for this review. And in the one study that actually compared BFR plus cardio versus lifting weights,

[03:12] both achieved similar growth but lifting was far superior for strength. In other words, sure, the results here are promising, but we can definitely use more to draw a better conclusion. Beyond the data, there is still the biggest issue with BFR in general,

[03:26] and that's actually properly using it. There is a bit more to it than just tightly yanking an elastic band you got off the internet around your limbs. Professionals actually use a kind of fitness version of what your doctor uses to measure blood pressure,

[03:39] which allows them to apply very specific levels of pressure. And right now, there is no one-size-fit-all protocol for using BFR. Like researchers too, don't fully agree on exactly what level of pressure,

[03:51] duration, or even band size is best. Us with our basic rubber bands aren't going to fare much better. And then there is also the matter of safety, which is still heavily debated within the scientific community. Personally, as someone with a family history of high blood pressure,

[04:06] if you ask me if I would use BFR for cardio or really anything right now, my answer would be no. Sure, the benefits look great, and there's even evidence of it improving blood flow overall. Call me overly protective, but I'm cool with waiting until the dust settles a bit more

[04:22] before I literally mess with my blood flow. And although I do recommend you do the same, the choice is ultimately yours. If you are using it right now, then please let me know how it's going for you in the comments.

[04:34] Maybe one day, I'll strap up my buys and quads right beside you. If you enjoyed this video, then please give it a restricted thumbs up and share it with your blood flow loving friends. Subscribe for more, and let me know what you think in the comments.

[04:47] As always, thank you for watching, and don't forget to get your protein.