Does cardio stunt muscle growth?
There is a claim in the fitness world that doing cardio/aerobic exercise somehow stunts muscle growth. For most of us, this is largely a myth.
Could aerobic condition actually lead to improvements in muscle growth? A recent study showed improvements in muscle hypertrophy (growth) after 6 weeks of aerobic exercises. I will link the abstract of the article if you’re interested in finding out more. The proposed mechanism of improvement in muscle size is through improvements in muscle capillarization. Capillarization refers to the density of capillaries (the smallest unit of blood vessel). Of course, this has direct effects on delivery of oxygen, nutrients, and growth factors to the muscle, as well as the export of waste materials away from the muscle.
In short, aerobic exercise before or in conjunction improves muscle growth. We recommend a combination of the 2 for optimal health.