Tom Morley, who lifts weights regularly, decided to add some cardio in the form of a 5k to his daily routine.
The addition of cardio is not something that is linked to bodybuilding. This is because of the thought that it helps lose weight and muscle overall. YouTuber Tom Morley decided to take on a cardio challenge to see what it would do to his body. Morley committed to running a 5k everyday for 30 days and track his progress.
Morley is an avid weightlifter that works out multiple times a week but does not implement cardio into his plan. He admitted to doing little to no cardio weekly so a challenge such as this would be starting from the bottom. Morley wanted to run a 5k, which is 3.1 miles in distance, each day to track his time and weight.
READ MORE: Best Cardio For Bodybuilders Without Losing Muscle
“I know it’s going to be a hard challenge, and I know I’m gonna want to quit at times, but if I can give it my all, if I can throw everything into this, I really think I can do it.”
Morley continued to explain that he will take measurements of his arms, chest, legs, and waist at the beginning and end of the challenge to see how they all reacted to the cardio level that significantly increased.
The idea of cardio in bodybuilding is frowned upon because how people believe that it helps lose weight and overall size. Instead, cardio burns away excess fat and speeds up your metabolism. With a diet plan of a bodybuilder, this would not impact muscle gains at all. Cardio also lowers blood pressure and strengthens the immune system. Whether cutting or bulking, cardio is beneficial.
Tom Morley Takes On 30-Day Challenge
Tom Morley began the challenge and was unhappy with his first time of 33 minutes. For the first few days, Morley’s time continued to increase because of the Ian in his body.
“Unfortunately, getting a bit slower each day was the pattern for about a week. The pain just got so bad in my calves and my knees obviously because I hadn’t been doing this level of intensity interns of cardio probably ever. My legs were starting to struggle with that.”
As the days rolled on, Morley’s body began getting used to the added pressure of the runs. He continued on and was motivated to finish the goal. In his third week, Morley set a new PR of 28:02.
READ MORE: Does Cardio Kill Gains For Bodybuilders Seeking Growth?
Unfortunately, Morley had to skip out on the end due to a broken leg.
“It’s just so annoying when you try so hard and put so much time and so much energy into something and then something like this happens and it completely kills it.”
Tom Morley shared his results after 22 days. He lost a total of nine pounds and improved his time by nearly five minutes. He will continue to heal from his injury and added that he will attempt the challenge once healthy and looks forward to completing it.
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