Mass Building Cardio Fitness Plan

Building muscle mass should be done over time to allow the body to remain symmetrical and prevent injury to the spine and joints, and from creating muscle imbalances that can occur from rapid increases in bulk.
Do sports and exercises that tax the heart, lungs and major muscle groups: chest, arms, legs, back and abs.
Examples are running stairs, hiking with a pack, lifting weights in supersets without resting in between and adding cardio work in between.

  1. Add appropriate weight to add challenge

    • To build muscular bulk, the largest muscles of the chest, back, arms, legs and the abs must be worked. To boost the work, add appropriate weights.
      Think of doing a 10-mile hike with an ergonomically placed pack on your upper back and waist strap. Do not wear weights strapped to the wrists or ankles as that will damage the ankle, knee. elbow and shoulder joints.
      Hiking with a small child on your shoulders also counts!
      In the gym, doing lunges while holding 10-pound barbells in each hand and simultaneously doing hammer curls will increase endurance, bulk and strengthen the heart and lungs (cardio fitness).

    Combine short bouts of cardio in the gym

    • In the gym, combine two or three or more cardio workouts. For example, walk for five minutes on a treadmill at a level incline and add hill elevations every five minutes for another 20 minutes.
      Immediately without rest, hop on a stationary bike and spin for 10 minutes smoothly and easily as your transition, then bump it up for intensity every 10 minutes for 20 minutes. Next, without resting (but hydrating throughout), step on a VersaClimber machine that works both the legs and the arms---it is a kind of vertical cross-country skiing machine. Warm up for five minutes before challenging yourself by increasing the intensity every five minutes for 15 minutes. Take the last 10 minutes to cool down.

    Keep training table

    • To add bulk and increase cardio fitness, eat a diet that is about 30 percent protein, 40 percent complex carbohydrates and 30 percent fat. While athletes want to "cut" and have very defined muscle, not eating enough non-saturated fats can interfere with hormone production (as in women who stop menstruating) or interfere with nutrient assimilation (fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin E are stored in body fat).
      Greatly reduce fats that are solid at room temperature or frying foods (French fries are out). Instead, favor olive, flax seed, hemp seed, safflower and coconut oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but contains heart-healthy medium chain fatty acids.