cardio after workout

[bb5-0]

I'm 56, about 204lbs , bf somewhere between 10 and 15 % and presently trying to reduce my bodyfat and get more defined.
I'm on a low calories/low carbs diet and was wondering which was better: to have cardio on my off days or to add some cardio after my workout.
Considering that I go quite heavy in my workouts and use a lot of calories already, I'm a bit reluctant to add cardio and fear to lose not only fat but also muscle. On the other hand I can only have one ( or sometimes two )cardio sessions of 30' on my off-days.

So What's your advice ?
- limit cardio to a minimum as my calories are already low (2400 cal)
- Do 1 or 2 sessions on off days! (how long would you advise ? )
- Do 1 session on off day and one after my workout ?

I must admit I'm still a bit confused. Who can help me make the best of it and lose fat without losing too much of the hard earned muscle ?

[quest55720]

Everyone responds differently so IMO you need to try both to see what works for you. For me 20-30 minutes of low intensity cardio after lifting worked best. You might be different and doing cardio separately might work better. I could be completely off but the way I see it is. I burn all my energy stores lifting. When I hit the cardio I am more likely going to burn fat doing lower intensity cardio. Lifting 5 days a week and proper diet help me keep the muscle.

[strghtrzr]

Originally Posted by quest55720

Everyone responds differently so IMO you need to try both to see what works for you. For me 20-30 minutes of low intensity cardio after lifting worked best. You might be different and doing cardio separately might work better. I could be completely off but the way I see it is. I burn all my energy stores lifting. When I hit the cardio I am more likely going to burn fat doing lower intensity cardio. Lifting 5 days a week and proper diet help me keep the muscle.

I completely agree with this answer. Everyone responds differently. I only lift three days a week and on two of them I do abotu 30 minutes afterward. The other three days I do longer cardio workouts. Usually running or on the bike. The seventh day I do nothing.

Try what you feel most comfortable with and see how it works for you for a wekk or two (maybe longer). If your not getting th eresults you want, switch it up.

[bb5-0]

Thanks for your advice guys!
I'll experiment both ways and let you know what works best.

[5krunner]

For me the best fat burning results were weights followed by 30 mins or more of cardio. Taking some BCAA's both before and right after your workout might help you to spare some muscle too.