Analysis Version
v1
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causal
Analysis v1
Contested

Engaging in cardiovascular exercise along with resistance training can lead to an increase in muscle mass in humans.

46
Pro
55
Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (3)

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Community contributions welcome

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EFFECTS OF CARDIO VS. CARDIO AND RESISTANCE TRAINING IN PEOPLE WITH OBESITY

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human

When people with obesity did only cardio, they lost weight and fat, but didn’t get stronger. When they added weight training to their cardio, they got significantly stronger — which usually means their muscles grew. So yes, cardio alone won’t build muscle, but cardio plus weight training will.

38

Cycle exercise training and muscle mass: A preliminary investigation of 17 lower limb muscles in older men

Cross-Sectional Study
Human
2023 Aug

This study found that riding a bike regularly made some leg muscles bigger in older men, even without lifting weights. So yes, cardio exercise can help build muscle in some cases.

37

Effects of moderate-intensity combination exercise on increase adiponectin levels, muscle mass, and decrease fat mass in obese women

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human

This study showed that when obese women did both cardio (like walking or cycling) and strength training together for four weeks, they gained muscle mass. So yes, cardio can help build muscle when done with weight exercises.

Contradicting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Aerobic Exercise Preconditioning Does Not Augment Muscle Hypertrophy During Subsequent Resistance Exercise Training in Healthy Older Adults

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2025 Sep

This study found that doing cardio before weight training didn’t help people build more muscle than just doing weight training alone. So, cardio doesn’t seem to help you get bigger muscles when you’re already lifting weights.

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Similar Assertions

In adults with obesity, doing both cardio and strength training for ten weeks leads to a measurable increase in muscle strength, while doing only cardio does not produce the same increase.

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0
73%

If healthy adult men do resistance training for more than two weeks, they will reliably gain about 1.5 kilograms of muscle. This shows that lifting weights is a very effective way to build muscle overall, no matter how you measure it.

54
0
72%

When you lift weights over time, the main reason your body becomes leaner and more muscular is because your muscles grow bigger—not because you're losing fat or anything else.

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0
70%

In young women with higher body mass index, participating in supervised aerobic exercise three times a week for twelve weeks is associated with an increase in the proportion of muscle mass in the body.

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49
70%