How Much Cardio When Cutting or Bulking?

How much cardio when cutting

On a cut, the job of cardio is to help create the calorie deficit. But exercise alone is a slow way to do that. In its 2009 position stand on physical activity and weight loss, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) found that:

• 150 to 250 minutes a week of moderate activity helps prevent weight gain but gives only modest weight loss on its own.
• More than 250 minutes a week was linked to clinically meaningful weight loss.
• 150 to 250 minutes a week did improve weight loss when combined with moderate calorie restriction.

That is why the order matters:

1. Food first. Set a sensible deficit with your diet. If you do not know where to start, the free calorie and macro calculator gives you a starting target.
2. Steps second. A daily step target adds a steady amount of extra burn and stops your everyday movement quietly dropping as you diet. See how many steps a day for fat loss.
3. Cardio sessions third. When your weekly average weight has stalled for two to three weeks despite good adherence, adding cardio is one of the options, alongside a small cut in calories.

Because interference rises with how often and how long you do cardio (the Wilson finding above), a 2015 review of natural contest prep by Helms, Fitschen, Aragon, Cronin and Schoenfeld (Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness) recommends "the lowest frequency and duration possible while achieving sufficient fat loss". In other words, use the least cardio that still keeps fat loss moving. Start low and increase it only when the numbers say you need to, so you still have room to add more later.

Steps versus cardio sessions

Both burn energy. They do different jobs.

	Daily steps	Cardio sessions
Recovery cost	Very low	Low to high, depending on intensity
Effect on lifting	Little or none	Can interfere if long, frequent or hard
Time	Spread through the day	A set block in your week
Best for	A steady base, every day	Extra burn when progress stalls
Easy to track	Yes, your phone counts it	Yes, by time or distance

The NHS counts brisk walking as moderate activity: you can still talk, but not sing. A brisk walk of a little over 20 minutes every day adds up to the 150 minutes a week the guideline asks for. Running, fast cycling or cycling on hills, skipping and walking up stairs count as vigorous: you cannot say more than a few words without pausing for breath.

For most lifters on a cut, steps do the heavy lifting and sessions are the top-up. High-intensity intervals take less time, but they are hard work. They fit best around your weights when you do few of them and keep them away from your hardest leg sessions.

How much cardio when bulking

When you are trying to gain muscle, cardio is not part of the muscle-building equation. Its jobs on a bulk are health and fitness.

• Aim for the health guideline. The NHS recommends adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus strengthening activities on at least 2 days. Your weights cover the second part. A daily walk and a couple of easy bike sessions cover the first.
• It will not cost you your gains. In the Schumann meta-analysis, cardio did not reduce muscle growth on average. Keep it moderate and favour cycling or walking, and there is little to worry about.
• Eat for it. Cardio burns calories, so your surplus has to cover it. If you add or drop a lot of cardio mid-bulk, your rate of gain will change. Keep the amount steady and let your weekly average weight guide your calories. See lean bulk: how fast should you gain weight?
• Keep your fitness. Staying active on a bulk means you do not start your next cut from zero, so there is a base to build on when you need extra burn.

How to add cardio without losing muscle

Muscle on a cut is kept mainly by lifting heavy and eating enough protein (see how to lose fat without losing muscle). Cardio done badly can eat into the first. Done well, it barely touches it.

• Lift first, or split them up. In a 2018 meta-analysis in the Journal of Sports Sciences, Murlasits and colleagues found lower-body strength gains were greater when weights came before cardio in the same session. Better still, separate them: in the Schumann meta-analysis, explosive strength suffered more when both were done in the same session than when they were at least 3 hours apart.
• Choose low-impact options. Cycling, incline walking, rowing and cross-trainers are easier on your legs than long runs. Both the Wilson and Lundberg meta-analyses found more interference from running than cycling.
• Keep hard intervals away from leg day. Sprints or hard intervals the day before squats or deadlifts can cost you performance where it matters most.
• Add in small steps. Change one thing at a time, then give it two weeks before judging. If you add cardio and drop calories in the same week, you will not know which one worked.
• Do not worry about fasted cardio. In a 2014 study by Schoenfeld and colleagues in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 20 young women on a calorie deficit did an hour of steady cardio three times a week for 4 weeks, either fasted or after a shake. Both groups lost similar amounts of fat. Do it at whatever time you will stick to.
• Watch your lifts. If your strength falls steadily as cardio goes up, you are doing too much, too hard or too close to your weights sessions.

If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, diabetes, a joint injury or another health condition, speak to your doctor before adding new or harder exercise.

Where coaching helps

The hard part is not knowing cardio exists. It is deciding when to add it, how much, and whether a stall needs more cardio, fewer calories or simply more patience.

With one-to-one coaching from CoachAk, your step target and any cardio sit in the app next to your training program and calorie and macro targets. Each week you send a check-in covering your weight, training and nutrition adherence, steps, sleep, energy, hunger and stress. Your coach replies with written feedback explaining what changes next week and why, so cardio goes up only when the numbers say it should, and your lifting stays the priority.

If you want a plan that balances cardio and muscle for you, apply for coaching.