Is cardio important for weight gain?

Is cardio important for weight gain or is it not needed at all is a question frequently question asked by hard gainers (ectomorphs). The truth is cardio is important for everyone as it trains the heart which is a muscle itself, the heart weakens it can come with a lot of negative health issues. Now to core question should it be done or not, I would suggest doing a minimum amount of cardio required for general cardiovascular health. This is because an ectomorph is already burning calories at a fast pace, burning even more with cardio is not an efficient way to pack on any substantial mass.

The ectomorph looking to maintain cardiovascular fitness for general health and longevity should only do cardio at a moderate pace for 30 minutes three times per week. Any more than this is going to be detrimental to the goal of gaining weight.

For one cardio day, it is OK to substitute 15 minutes of HIIT or circuit training depending on one’s training preferences.