Cardio and Lifting....alternate?

[Germangirl]

The past half year my schedule has dramatically changed (due to full-time job and full-time grad school) and I've noticed that my attitude toward lifting, cardio, etc. has suffered because of it. (I still look the same...even lost weight..but probably only muscle and a bad diet).

Due to time constraints (and probably lack of motivation and tiredness) I sometimes only get to the gym 2-3 times per week (and if I make it there, I do not feel my workouts are satisfying as they could be).

My question is here: How much cardio and weight training is ideal? Right now I do cardio (b/w 20-30 minutes of high intensity training on treadmill or stairstepper) everytime I weight train b/c I (wrongly) feel that without cardio I am not working out enough. I am scared that reducing cardio will negatively affect my health and work against my goals.
Would it be better to alternate days? Maybe if I change my routine I would make it in there more often and get better results.....and a better attitude.


Thanks!

[aikoVK]

I somewhat have the same questions. When I workout I do 20-30 minutes high intensity cardio after weights.

[Jordyn]

personally, i alternate the days b/w cardio (moderate/heavy intensity) and lifting days. on lifting days (4 days/wk), i only do 10-15 of warm up cardio and lift b/w 45-60 min. then on non-lifting days i do about 30 min of moderate/heavy cardio, like running, and i do this 1-2x per wk. i dont have the energy or time to do heavy cardio AND wts on the same day.

argh, i know its tough w/ ur schedule (full time job and school), its hard w/ me too bc i have to work overtime a lot and im tired

[giuliagoolia]

I can relate as I work fulltime but fortunately I'm only a part-time grad student. I think it's a matter of you experimenting to see what works best for you and your current (hectic) schedule. If you can only get in the gym a few times a week it's better than nothing.
I think keeping up with a clean diet and adequate calories is very important. Even if you can't make it to the gym, ensuring proper nutrition will at least help in maintaining what muscle mass you have, minimize bf gain and give you the energy to do all the work you need to.
Not sure this was of any help, but I wish you the best with everything

[northernbelle]

I usually do cardio and lifting on different days. When I get to the gym for the full five days a week, I spend 3 months doing lifting 3 days and cardio 2 days, then I will switch for another 3 months. When my seasonal job starts and I can't get to the gym the 5 days/week, I will alternate cardio days with full body lifting days. Over the year, it seems to work out okay.

[phife005]

definitely switch up the days you lift and do cardio or at least seperate the session by 4 or 5 hours

if you do cardio then lift all your glycogen stores will be depleted and you will start to use your existing muscle for energy, your session will be self deprivating

like-wise if you lift then do cardio then lift

split it up no matter what you time constraint is, if your cardio falls, you can minimize bf with an exact diet... we all have to make sacrifices!

[ShreddedOne]

I'm reading Arnold Schwarzenegger's book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. In it, he suggests doing light cardio (about 30 minutes on a treadmill or elyptical . . .) every time you workout. So HE, as I understand it, would be against alternating days. But I mean, what does HE know right? lol.

If you get a hold of the book, it's on pages 53 - 56. He says that he personally liked to run several miles a day. He also states, "I have always believed that cardiovascular endurance is almost as important to a bodybuilder as muscular endurance." Bear in mind he WARNS against too much cardiovascular training, "Excessive aerobics can cut into the recuperative ability of the muscles involved and the physical system as a whole, leading to the scavenging of muscle tissue for energy, and resulting in inducing a state of overtraining."

Dang it . .let me explain so this makes some sense. Overtraining is a condition you get into from too much exercise over too much time in which certain mechanisms in the body that supply you with energy and allow your body to recuperate are depressed or shut down. Overtraining is a chronic state in which you just can't perform no matter how hard you try. If you find yourself overtrained, the only good remedy is rest. You can avoid overtraining syndrome by properly scheduling your training, making sure you get enough rest and enough nutrients in your food.

I saw some of your other threads. You say you have trouble eating enough. That's problem one. You mentioned that there are times when you workout, and you can't get a GOOD workout. You can't perform like you'd like to. That sounds like a symptom of overtraining. You're a grad student, so I wouldn't be surprised if you don't get enough sleep sometimes either.

Lack of sleep(I'm guessing) + lack of nutrition (not enough calories) + days at the gym when you can't perform like you KNOW you should = sounds like overtraining.

Maybe you should rest some and try to get your diet figured out? If you just CAN'T get enough calories each day, then maybe SKIP the cardio so you can focus on building your muscle. If and only if you can get enough sleep, AND enough calories, then some light cardio each day would be good.

Am I helping or just making things more complicated? LOL sorry.

[ShreddedOne]

If you get enough carbs and only do light cardio as a warm up, then you will NOT deplete all your glycogen stores. Run a marathon? Yeah. Light WARM UP?! No.

[nockowt1]

I think it's fine to do cardio and weight train on the same day. Members of the military have been doing it that way for a while with good results.

[ShreddedOne]

Good point nock. Can't believe I forgot that. You in the Corps?

[nockowt1]

Originally Posted by ShreddedOne

Good point nock. Can't believe I forgot that. You in the Corps?

Yeah I have about a month left in the Corps. My twelve year journey has reached its end.

[Patrese]

Originally Posted by nockowt1

I think it's fine to do cardio and weight train on the same day. Members of the military have been doing it that way for a while with good results.

They would do cardio after weights? or cardio in am, lifting pm?

[gfundaro]

I've done cardio after weights before, and I'm going to start doing it again in about a week. I have been alternating for about 8 weeks, doing sprints (just 4 min, of Tabata) on lifting days and steady state on off-days. When I begin my more aggressive cut, I'll be doing 30-45 minutes 5 days a week (not on leg day). It's not great for building muscle, but keto helps me maintain.

[nockowt1]

Originally Posted by Patrese

They would do cardio after weights? or cardio in am, lifting pm?

Usually for me cardio would be first. We would go on our morning run and I would hit the weights during lunch. There were times when we did our run at lunch so I was forced to go to the gym before work. I learned to be flexible so it really didn't matter to me. I'm in aviation so my job is not as physically demanding as someone in the infantry and that made it easier to recover from whatever came first (cardio or weights). In addition to do their morning runs and gym sessions, members of the infantry endure rigorous training (weapons training, hikes, patrols, etc) and some of them still manage to put on loads of muscle. This is why I have the upmost respect for "grunts".

[BicepGurl]

My opinion:

Best if you are training for competition: Cardio and weights seperated by hours

Best if you aren't training for comp: Cardio on seperate days as weight training

Good: Cardio after weight training

Bad: Cardio before weight training

I used to do cardio everyday after weight training and my diet was not very clean. I basically justified by unhealthy choices by doing additional cardio. After I concentrated on a cleaning up my diet and keeping cardio to 2 days a week (or less) I've had the best gains!!!

Clean eating >> Cardio