Recently I've been asked a question which I found very curious. I was asked whether cardio workouts make you gain weight. I was surprised because cardio is known as a way to lose weight not gain it.
At first I thought that my answer need not be longer than a single line long but then I thought that there may be more to this question and it deserves some clarification.
First, let's talk about the workout itself. It's true that some form of exercising can make you gain weight. This can be true for weight training where you build lean muscle tissue. As you add more muscle to your body your weight may increase even though your body fat may decrease. As most of us care about fat and not just weight, this is usually OK.
Cardio isn't a good way to add muscle to your body. So, you won't be gaining weight by doing cardio in that respect.
Second, there is simply no way that the actual cardio workout that you're doing will make you gain weight. As you're working out, you are burning more calories than usual. Since weight gain requires you to consume more calories than you burn you can see that cardio makes it harder for you to gain weight.
But this isn't the whole story and there is an indirect way in which you may gain weight which relates to cardio. It isn't due to the workout itself but to what happens afterward.
What may happen, and is probably why I was asked that question in the first place, is that a lot of people tend to erase their accomplishments from the workout by consuming too many calories following it. They either feel very hungry after completing their workout session or that they psychologically feel entitled to eat more than they should. This is called post workout compensation and it may be big enough to actually undo all of the calories that you burned during the workout itself.
In some cases you may eat so much that you're actually consuming more calories than you burned during the workout. If you consider that, than cardio may indeed make you fat. However, this is true for all workouts. You need to make sure that you're also eating correctly and in moderation to get the results you're looking for. You won't lose weight otherwise.
So, cardio does not make you gain weight. Your eating habits may.
At first I thought that my answer need not be longer than a single line long but then I thought that there may be more to this question and it deserves some clarification.
First, let's talk about the workout itself. It's true that some form of exercising can make you gain weight. This can be true for weight training where you build lean muscle tissue. As you add more muscle to your body your weight may increase even though your body fat may decrease. As most of us care about fat and not just weight, this is usually OK.
Cardio isn't a good way to add muscle to your body. So, you won't be gaining weight by doing cardio in that respect.
Second, there is simply no way that the actual cardio workout that you're doing will make you gain weight. As you're working out, you are burning more calories than usual. Since weight gain requires you to consume more calories than you burn you can see that cardio makes it harder for you to gain weight.
But this isn't the whole story and there is an indirect way in which you may gain weight which relates to cardio. It isn't due to the workout itself but to what happens afterward.
What may happen, and is probably why I was asked that question in the first place, is that a lot of people tend to erase their accomplishments from the workout by consuming too many calories following it. They either feel very hungry after completing their workout session or that they psychologically feel entitled to eat more than they should. This is called post workout compensation and it may be big enough to actually undo all of the calories that you burned during the workout itself.
In some cases you may eat so much that you're actually consuming more calories than you burned during the workout. If you consider that, than cardio may indeed make you fat. However, this is true for all workouts. You need to make sure that you're also eating correctly and in moderation to get the results you're looking for. You won't lose weight otherwise.
So, cardio does not make you gain weight. Your eating habits may.
To avoid undoing your workouts visit Avoid Post Workout Compensation.
For more tips on how to do cardio right for weight loss visit Cardio Workouts That Burn Fat
Jonathan Dunsky lost over 30 pounds through proper nutrition and exercise. He now writes on health and fitness issues.
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For more tips on how to do cardio right for weight loss visit Cardio Workouts That Burn Fat
Jonathan Dunsky lost over 30 pounds through proper nutrition and exercise. He now writes on health and fitness issues.
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