cardio before or after weights?

[rowdy26]

Wanted to know if it was best to do cardio before or after weights.

[meat12]

Here's a good link to a related question, hopefully it's helpful :

http://www.intensityxtrememuscle.com...ghlight=cardio

[bonebreaker]

Originally posted by rowdy26
Wanted to know if it was best to do cardio before or after weights.

Many people say to do cardio first to loosen up and get the juices flowing. I personally do them after I lift. If I do cardio first, and do it long enough to be beneficial, I can't lift as well. Just my 2 cc's. BB

[BBAddict]

If you're trying to gain mass, the answer would be neither. You don't want to tire yourself out before you lift and compromise your workout and you also need to rest your muscles and get food to them immediately after working out.
If you're trying to cut, the answer would be after. You still want to get a good workout and then you can do your cardio after lifting. I think it is best to do them separately if you can--lifting in the morning and cardio at night.

[NYCmitch25]

Its a prefrnce thing... Should raise core temp. before getting started on lifting. I agree with Bone. I dont always do it though...=) 10-20 just to get warmed up. I do actual cardio 40mins separate.

[Stonecold54]

a 5 minute warmup is a good idea before any workout....and for actual cardio benefits you must also realize that you don't need to be on a machine forever to reap these benefits...if you train in an interval fashion for just 10 minutes you will achieve what many want to in their hours of cardio...Do 30 seconds all out on your choice of cardio equipment and then 1:00 minute of low intensity and repeat that cycle for 5-10 minutes and let me know how it goes.

[beefcake]

I like to workout first so that my glucose gets used up from that and then do cardio afterwards hoping that i'll dip into my fat storages for energy from there.

[JUICE]

Originally posted by stonecold54
a 5 minute warmup is a good idea before any workout....and for actual cardio benefits you must also realize that you don't need to be on a machine forever to reap these benefits...if you train in an interval fashion for just 10 minutes you will achieve what many want to in their hours of cardio...Do 30 seconds all out on your choice of cardio equipment and then 1:00 minute of low intensity and repeat that cycle for 5-10 minutes and let me know how it goes.

thats what i do before working out. I just walk it up on the treadmill for like 5 minutes and boom hit het weights.

[redneck99]

same shit I do

[tireflipper]

Yeah Cardi is shit so you have to make the most of it. 5 before and my wife does 20 min of interval. I shun a lot of cardio

[hornblowr]

heck-ya gotta warm up so might as well go twenty minutes light duty cardio type stuff.stretch. lift.stretch.lift. etc. go home, eat or drink a bunch of protein and crash. do cardio next day, or next year

[Taylor]

i've asked this question before and i get about 10 different answers


i like working out with weights in the middle of the day...and then i do my cardio at night

right now i'm lifting weights push 1 day, pull the next day, then i rest on the 3rd day, i usually run on that 3rd day but i prefer running at night bc i run outside and i just like the atmosphere more, its relaxing

[meat12]

Originally posted by stonecold54
a 5 minute warmup is a good idea before any workout....and for actual cardio benefits you must also realize that you don't need to be on a machine forever to reap these benefits...if you train in an interval fashion for just 10 minutes you will achieve what many want to in their hours of cardio...Do 30 seconds all out on your choice of cardio equipment and then 1:00 minute of low intensity and repeat that cycle for 5-10 minutes and let me know how it goes.

I'm gonna have to try that out

[bigggunn]

I do my heavy cardio twice a week, right before I work my legs. I do 30 minutes treadmill and burn 400+ calories. On my arm/chest days, I do light cardio after, about 15 minutes. Works good for me that way.

[shortz]

I do the same too. I hit aboyut 45 seconds worth if high intensity and 2 minutes of low as a cycle. When i am done, sure I have built up a sweat, but I don't feel too tired to lift. not to mention, your lifting won't suffer long. Once your body gets used to the cardio, especially if you are doing it every day, you should have plenty of energy to lift. If not, then you are out of shape.

[shortz]

BTW, the rule of thumb to fat burning/cardio is that if you can talk to the person next to you, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. Cardio and fat burning is no different than weight lifting. If you slack at it or do very low intensity all of the time, you will get no where. 15 minutes TOPS is more than enough. If you are going for longer, you might as well just not to any at all.

[Jordan]

Originally posted by shortz
BTW, the rule of thumb to fat burning/cardio is that if you can talk to the person next to you, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. Cardio and fat burning is no different than weight lifting. If you slack at it or do very low intensity all of the time, you will get no where. 15 minutes TOPS is more than enough. If you are going for longer, you might as well just not to any at all.

dude, you have it backwards... the 'talk test' rule, is that if you cant easily hold a conversation without gasps for air interupting your speach, your going too hard... you cant really make one rule for both cardio and fat-burn... they're two totally different things. unless your doing interval training, as stonecold decribed, your supposed to keep your heartrate down to burn fat, or else your just burning calories floating around in your stomach

[Jordan]

ill also add that if your doing cardio first (traditional, not interval training), you only start expending calories from fat after twenty minutes

[shortz]

Originally posted by Jordan
dude, you have it backwards... the 'talk test' rule, is that if you cant easily hold a conversation without gasps for air interupting your speach, your going too hard... you cant really make one rule for both cardio and fat-burn... they're two totally different things. unless your doing interval training, as stonecold decribed, your supposed to keep your heartrate down to burn fat, or else your just burning calories floating around in your stomach

It's the old school way of thinking that the heart rate needs to stay down for burning fat. HIC calls for high heart rates and all out sprinting and it's effects of calorie burning has been shown to last up to 24 hours, where as the low intensity cardio has only been shown to do so for about 3-4 hours after you have stopped.

[Jordan]

my bad- i didnt know you were reffering to interval training

[F1ERCE]

Its really a toss up because theres arguments for both sides: #1 lift before you run for the purposes of fat building and optimal performance while lifting. It maximizes muscle glycogen stores during your training and maximizes fat burning during cardio. Argument #2 run before you lift because after lifting cortisol levels will be high and running will interfere with that further.

So is what I usually do: I'll workout during the middle of the day and run later at night after I take in a protein shake and some refined carbs. It generally does the trick.



- F1ERCE

[shortz]

Originally posted by F1ERCE
I'll workout during the middle of the day and run later at night after I take in a protein shake and some refined carbs. It generally does the trick.



- F1ERCE

This is generally the best way to do it, but, unless you have time to run and lift at seperate times, it may not be possible. I think the original topic is based off of the typical person that only makes it to the gym once.

I do know that alot of old school stregnth guys weight train, then do cardio because they like to be strong, but, who knows what the hell is better anymore? I think I have seen studies that indicate either can be beter or worse.

[ski]

An article I wrote for www.atozfitness.com

Just my opinion........but doing cardio before training,especially on leg day = a less than optimal workout with the weights !!

My Approach To Doing Cardio For Optimal Results
by Tim Wescott

Most bodybuilder`s, fitness enthusiasts, and personal trainer`s, will tell you that the best time to do cardio is early in the morning, on an empy stomach. For some reason, which most of them don`t know the answer to, they will tell you this is the perfect time to facilitate fat burning. I`m here to say they are off base in this approach to losing bodyfat, and I will tell you why. As bodybuilder`s, most of us endeavor to eat 5-6 meals a day, spaced out over three hour intervals.This helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, keeps us in an anabolic state, by maintaining a positive nitrogen balance, aids in better digestion and assimilation, and also helps to keep the waistline smaller, as most of the meals should not be big meals, per se`!

After sleeping all night for 6-8 hours, or whatever amount is required for you personally, the body, upon arising in the morning, is in a very catabolic state.This means a state of negative nitrogen balance,something no bodybuilder wants. To perform cardio at this time, on an empty stomach, creates a further state of catabolism, thus resulting in muscle breakdown, and muscle tissue loss.The exact opposite of what bodybuilding is all about! It`s true that blood sugar levels are low in the morning, but so are amino acids,the building blocks of protein. If you must do cardio in the morning.... no big deal, just make sure to have a protein drink, or a light protein meal, 45-60 minutes before the aerobic session. Your first priority in the morning, after fasting all night during sleep, should be to feed the body protein and carbs, thus restoring the body to an anabolic state once again. You always want to remain in this anabolic state, if possible, thats why we eat every three hours or so.

In my opinion, the best time to do cardio is after you workout with the iron. Performing your cardio workout after training with the weights, is the most ideal time to burn fat. The reasoning behind this thinking is that during your weight training workout you are using glucose, and stored glycogen, as fuel for energy. Glucose and glycogen are sugars, and sugars are carbs. You want to use carbs as fuel for your training ideally,to sustain you throughout the workout. After you are done training, your glucose and glycogen levels are obviously depleted, thus making this the perfect time to perform your cardio, and to use stored fat as fuel. At this time, if you are on a high protein diet, as most bodybuilder`s are, or should be, the body will burn fat as fuel, to help get you through the cardio session.


Keep the cardio intense and brief, or the body will once again go into a catabolic state and use protein for fuel literally eating your hard earned muscle tissue alive.Doinf too much cardio is detrimental. The type of cardio that you perform is up to you, but I would recommend doing 15-20 minutes of "High Intensity Interval Training". Hereafter known as HIIT !! HIIT cardio involves an all out burst of effort for about a minute, followed by a cool down pace, also for a minute or so, or until the heartrate slows down substantionally. As I stated above, 15-20 minutes of HIIT is great and usually enough for most people. I personally wouldn`t go over 30 minutes tops.

One of the advantages of performing HIIT cardio is that it accomplishes more in a shorter time period. Another more important benefit, is that it raises the heart rate and the metabolism. Your metabolism stays elevated long after your cardio session is done.This enables the body to keep on burning more fat just by going through your normal daily routine! I call this effect the "Afterburn" !!

I use an Eliptical Trainer most of the time, and I find by using this particular apparatus, I burn over twice as many calories using HIIT, over more traditional methods I have employed in the past.The Eliptical Trainer also has virtually no impact on the feet, hips, or knees. So there it is, my take on doing AM cardio, and why I think it should not be done on an empty stomach. Try it out and lose some of that excess bodyfat, while retaining your hard earned muscle, you`ll be glad you did !!

TRAIN HARD !!!

[Primal Instinct]

Excellent article, Ski!

[ski]

Thanks PI !!

[giveitup]

never before.... takes away from your muscles.... if you are trying to gain mass, stay away from cardio, at least the type that burns fat... If you are cutting, cardio after.

[NYCmitch25]

WOW...Excellent article! If you had read the article it makes a lot of sense. I dont think you need to concern yourself with it taking away from your muscles.

I would agree if your trying to build muscle mass I wouldnt do excessive cardio (like joining a baskball league w/ 3 games per week). Stop and go sports are better for the connective tissue than lifting. So do both Basketball, rest, Lift, rest, Basketball - is ok.

Very informative - good job.
Thanks for sharing!