Cardio & bulking

[Oh, not again, but this with details].

I'm trying to bulk, but I don't want to give up cardio completely as I'm afraid of bodyfat (I'm currently at 6-7% BF, although Tanita scale shows 4.2-4.6% ), but it looks like cardio prevents me from getting any new muscle...

My cardio routine -

I'm walking/running on treadmill 4 times a week (on non-weight training days) for 46-48 minutes (this includes 4 min warmup and 4 minutes cooldown).
Two days - approx. half time I walk at 4 mph, incline 3-5 (out of 10), half time - run at 6 mph, incline 3-5 (incline increases during the workout).
Two days - 1 minute run at 7 mph, incline 3-5 and 8 mph, incline 3-5 - 12 runs in total separated by 1 minute 4 mph walks.
Calorie expenditure per workout as shown by the treadmill is around 680 cals, which translates into about 500 cals for me if I reduce 680 proportionally for my weight.

After cardio I'm doing abs and stretching (1.5 hours in total (with cardio)).

This sounds like a moderate cardio. I'm wondering if it can significantly affect muscle building or not.

Thank you

This is my first post, but I've been training a while. I'm bulking as well, but not nearly as much cardio. Cardio twice a week, usually walking at a steep incline and then I'll hit abs. I only do about 15-30 minutes at a time, however, and I still feel it is hindering my size gains. I'm going to continue for a few more weeks, and if I still think i'm growing less because of it, I'm going to cut back even further. I'd say just try cutting back a little bit(under 30 mins) and see what happens. You might actually lose more body fat with the added muscle you'll gain from less cardio. I'm sure others can give more specific advice.

Cardio can certainly hinder the addition of new muscle mass. Try doing some HIIT cardio. Supposedly this is beneficial for weight lifters because of the shorter duration of the sessions. I also enjoy it, because it is not quite as boring as standard cardio. I have to use some level of mental focus to get me through the workout.

I like the idea behind HIIT too but if I were in your shoes I would wait to impelement it until you have established an effective bulking routine that is producing real world results in terms of strength and size. With HIIT you need to know ahead of time how to adjust your training acccordingly since it is so demanding.

Include those fundamental things that allow for anabolism to occur and avoid those things that could possibly compromise the results until you have an effective routine.

Incline walking is also my preference, for about 15-20 minutes a couple of times a week. Just taking a 30-40 minute walk in addition to this a few times a week is fine too. You don't have to work either idea around your training. Can do most anytime without thought. If you can't recover from that, it isn't the cardio that is your problem but more likely inadequate caloric intake or overtraining or some other factor.

Also, since you seem to be really interested in limiting fat gain on a bulk, consider taking more calories from protien and less from the other macronutrients since protein is roughly 25% thermic compared to only 6% or so for carbs and measly 3% for dietary fat.

Does 15-20 mins include warmup/cooldown time ?

Currently my actual macro ratio is around 43%P/43%C/14%F (with more than 2g of protein per lb).

I'm 113 lb, 5'7" and my current calorie intake is around 2100 (i.e. very close to (18-20)*bodyweight suggested for bulking).

Dude, you're 113 lbs. at 5' 7" and you're doing cardio 4 times a week? Start eating everything in sight. Bulking means exactly that - BULKING! Don't be concerned with adding body fat. You are going to add bodyfat along with your muscle, and then cut down later to get rid of it. However, you need to gain about 40 lbs. before you should even think about that. Right now you're burning precious calories that could be contributing towards your muscle mass and increasing your strength. Get that done first, and cut down later. Take advantage of the hormones that are shooting through your system right now and BULK BULK BULK if that's what you want.

ponyboy said:

Right now you're burning precious calories that could be contributing towards your muscle mass and increasing your strength. Get that done first, and cut down later. Take advantage of the hormones that are shooting through your system right now and BULK BULK BULK if that's what you want.

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Right on the money! So many of us wish that when we were a bit younger we had the good sense to spend as much time as possible in an anabolic state and as little time as possible cutting. Gains came so easy back then and consistently. You can build a formidable physique and astounding strength base that could pretty much last a lifetime. You will be way ahead of the game. You'll also have muscle memory to aid you when you need it.