How To Reconcile Bodybuilding And Endurance Sports?
Can we combine bodybuilding and endurance sports? And if it is possible, how can they be combined so that the effects of one do not trample those of the other? Indeed, numerous theories relate to the fact that bodybuilding and endurance sport are two disciplines and therefore two objectives that should not be combined. And some bodybuilding practitioners categorically refuse to practice endurance exercises for fear of reducing their muscle mass. There are also practitioners who prefer to add endurance sessions to their bodybuilding program to improve their performance. Discover how to reconcile bodybuilding and endurance sports?
Bodybuilding And Endurance Sport
Strength training is an anaerobic physical activity. Its main objective is to grow muscles through muscle contractions. It must be practiced regularly to have concrete results. In bodybuilding, we seek to develop muscle mass as quickly as possible, by increasing protein synthesis. The more bodybuilding exercises we perform, the more the muscles get used to the practice; just like the nervous system.
For its part, endurance sport is a physical exercise which aims to work and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Endurance is defined as a person’s ability to maintain an effort of a certain intensity for an extended period of time.
Bodybuilding and endurance sports differ in the duration of the workouts. In order not to damage the muscles, bodybuilding exercises are performed over a shorter period of time, with a very high work intensity. As for endurance sport, it must last long enough to be able to improve the athlete’s endurance and tone. The longer the endurance work lasts, the higher the cortisol production. However, cortisol is an element harmful to mass gain. This is the reason why some bodybuilding practitioners hesitate to do endurance sports.
Bodybuilding and endurance sports also differ in the type of fibers used during exercise. For muscle contractions to affect deep muscles, the body must use fast muscles. Endurance exercises, for their part, require the use of slow fibers. Slow fibers and fast fibers do not occur at the same time. When the body makes a physical effort, it uses slow fibers first. When the intensity of efforts increases, the slow fibers are tired, so the body must use the fast fibers. The use of slow fibers does not allow any development of muscle mass. However, an endurance sport will never require the use of fast fibers. To this end, it will allow the muscles to develop properly.
Bodybuilding In Endurance Sports
Even though bodybuilding and endurance sports are completely different, these two disciplines can be practiced together. But for this to work, the athlete must set well-defined objectives. Does he want to work on endurance or does he want to build muscle.
If athletes want to improve their performance and endurance, they must prioritize exercises related to endurance sports. Bodybuilding sessions should therefore be used as a complementary sport. As such, bodybuilding will help the athlete to tone their muscles, so that they can hold and not flex during endurance sessions. By strengthening the muscles, it will allow the athlete to reduce the risk of accidents during exercise sessions or high-level competitions. For a fan of combat sports, for example, bodybuilding is necessary to improve the athlete’s performance. Significant muscular development is essential in this discipline, in order to better withstand blows and counterattack afterwards.
This is also the case for athletics. Good speed requires strengthened and well-toned muscles. The athletes’ training program will then contain moderate weight training sessions, which should not interfere with endurance exercises.
Most practitioners seek to gain mass in bodybuilding. This is not to say that we do not need endurance in this discipline. Endurance sport has ties with bodybuilding in that it works the endurance of the muscles to be able to withstand heavy loads for a certain time. To build muscle mass, you should perform each strength training exercise slowly and precisely. Which requires strength and endurance from the muscle or muscle group you are working. Also, repeating series of bodybuilding exercises also requires endurance.
How To Reconcile Bodybuilding And Endurance Sports?
In several sporting disciplines, it is necessary to combine bodybuilding and endurance sport. We can very well benefit from the combination of these two disciplines. But for this to work, the practitioner must focus on their goals.
If the athlete’s priority is to grow his muscles, he must prioritize bodybuilding exercises, using endurance sports to improve his muscular endurance and to have better cardiovascular health. As such, you should practice endurance sport two or three sessions per week and no more. Also, you should not perform on the same day as bodybuilding exercises in order to allow the fast fibers to work well. For a beginner, it is advisable to strengthen your endurance and tone with endurance exercises. This is to help the muscles to more easily support the exercises they will have to perform and the loads to carry.
If the practitioner’s objective is to improve their endurance and tone, they must prioritize endurance exercises. These must occupy the majority of his time. Bodybuilding exercises will help the practitioner to strengthen only the muscles, without making them excessively large. It is therefore a question of building muscle in order to have a body that can support endurance sport. The muscles and joints strengthening, the practitioner will be able to avoid possible muscular and joint accidents. It is therefore important to make a choice and set goals so as not to waste time and energy for nothing.
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