Thanks for setting me straight... Cardio after weights vs before

[mitch9518]

I read a post week before last recommending doing cardio AFTER the workout, rather than before. He cited numerous reasons, but I think I found the best!

It Works! Much easier to get the heart rate in the right zone, and even though I wasn't trying to lose weight, I've lost two pounds in the last two weeks.

I know it's still early, but I'm definitely encouraged.

I do ten minutes before my workout, and twenty minutes afterwards. I do more on non-weight days, but it takes so long then.



Great forum, I wish I found this a couple of years ago. I've learned more from you guys in the last two months, than ALL of the magazines in the last twenty.

Keep the Advice flowing!

Mitch

[salrosa]

I am doing basically the same thing and it is working for me. 10 minutes on the bike at a fast pace to warm up and get the heart pumping. I seem to have more energy lifting after this 10 minutes. Then I hit the treadmill after for 15 to 20.

[mitch9518]

I am doing basically the same thing and it is working for me. 10 minutes on the bike at a fast pace to warm up and get the heart pumping. I seem to have more energy lifting after this 10 minutes. Then I hit the treadmill after for 15 to 20.

Same here.

[Hey-Iwas51]

I work out at home in the basement.

I have always felt like (and read) that it was better to only have a short warm up before, because your energy for lifting is sapped by a long cardio w/o but...

I have gotten in the habbit of watching exciting (violent) shows like "24" or "Fringe" (recorded on the DVR) during the cardio, to make it less boring, and time goes by too quickly! I end up on the eliptical for 30 minutes or more, not wanting to stop because I have to see how Jack gets out of xxx situation. LOL... it sure does make the cardio easier.

Dan

[Byakuya]

from what I've read, you should ideally do around 5 minutes of cardio before each workout.. followed by stretching.. then your warm up sets.. and then your workout.. then if you want to do cardio for a longer time, do it after the workout..

of course I don't follow my own advice.. I tend to head straight for the weights when I enter the gym..

[mitch9518]

I work out at home in the basement.

I have always felt like (and read) that it was better to only have a short warm up before, because your energy for lifting is sapped by a long cardio w/o but...

I have gotten in the habbit of watching exciting (violent) shows like "24" or "Fringe" (recorded on the DVR) during the cardio, to make it less boring, and time goes by too quickly! I end up on the eliptical for 30 minutes or more, not wanting to stop because I have to see how Jack gets out of xxx situation. LOL... it sure does make the cardio easier.

Dan

I do the short warmup, but haven't had the issues of the energy being sapped when you do this after the weights.

Of course, this makes the cardio a LOT harder, but, what the heck...

[mitch9518]

from what I've read, you should ideally do around 5 minutes of cardio before each workout.. followed by stretching.. then your warm up sets.. and then your workout.. then if you want to do cardio for a longer time, do it after the workout..

of course I don't follow my own advice.. I tend to head straight for the weights when I enter the gym..

I do about ten minutes before, but I've read that stretching before a workout still tears the muscle. It's recommended to stretch afterwords. A lot of people do stretching excersizes as their warmup.

[sweepone]

followed by stretching..

of course I don't follow my own advice.. I tend to head straight for the weights when I enter the gym..

As a noob here(and to working out) can you please tell me what kind of streches you recomend?

I walk the inside jogging track at my fitness center for 10-15 minutes and then do some very low weight reps on several various machines. ie, bench, shoulder, curls etc to get the blood moving in my arms then start to work heavy.

[mitch9518]

As a noob here(and to working out) can you please tell me what kind of streches you recomend?

I walk the inside jogging track at my fitness center for 10-15 minutes and then do some very low weight reps on several various machines. ie, bench, shoulder, curls etc to get the blood moving in my arms then start to work heavy.

There's some equipment in our Y that you use to stretch hams, glutes, back and shoulders. I also do some isolation stretches using the stretch bands. Again, I do the stretches AFTER I work out.

[BBLou]

I ride my bike to the gym, takes about 12 minutes. Do cardio 3x a week after weight training, then ride the bike home...

[GreenWave1]

Hey Mitch,
Glad to see that you are taking all of this so seriously. By trying things out to see what your body responds to, you can craft your workout to achieve your goals. You are well on your way.

Outstanding job man. Keep it going!

[mitch9518]

Hey Mitch,
Glad to see that you are taking all of this so seriously. By trying things out to see what your body responds to, you can craft your workout to achieve your goals. You are well on your way.

Outstanding job man. Keep it going!

Thanks for the encouragement!

[dmger14]

I need to add more cardio after my workout and tweak my carbs down a little to keep from gaining so much weight, but won't skimp on protein because I want to maximize muscle gain. I don't warm up at all when hitting weights. When I go in the gym, I have the heavy metal blasting through my earpieces and am so fired up, sometimes I have goose pimples and tears in my eyes ready to hit it hard!

BTW, I agree this forum has been excellent for getting sound advice, and is much better than a learn-it-all yourself program, or getting info from magazines that are more interested in selling stuff than giving the best advice.

Keep at it, mitch! Progress is fun!!!

[mitch9518]

I need to add more cardio after my workout and tweak my carbs down a little to keep from gaining so much weight, but won't skimp on protein because I want to maximize muscle gain. I don't warm up at all when hitting weights. When I go in the gym, I have the heavy metal blasting through my earpieces and am so fired up, sometimes I have goose pimples and tears in my eyes ready to hit it hard!

BTW, I agree this forum has been excellent for getting sound advice, and is much better than a learn-it-all yourself program, or getting info from magazines that are more interested in selling stuff than giving the best advice.

Keep at it, mitch! Progress is fun!!!

It does feel great to see progress in this body. I thought those years were long gone! I considered myself to be a "hard gainer". In all of the advice I've been getting, I learned that I need good good, good excersizes that I know now to change periodically, and to focus on weights when I'm pushing that iron, and then follow with cardio. That seems to be what this body responds to.

[MXG1072]

Hi Mitch,

I found that working cardio after my weight lifting session enables me to break a sweat a lot easier.

My typical workout starts with me using the treadmill for 10 minutes, followed by light stretching followed by resistance training and finishing with 20-30 minutes on the Elliptical.


It sounds your on the right track, keep it up consistency is the key.

[Fallindown]

I prefer to do some good core work like some plank and ball work to get my stretches in while hitting the abs. If you do these stress exercise right, your blood will be pumping and you should get a light sweat going.
Hit the weights after and see how much more you feel your core and watch your technique improve.
Yeah I zap the cardio after weights as thats what everyone tells me works. LA Muscle TV has some really good interviews with really experienced fitness and BB people. Worth a look.

[mitch9518]

Hi Mitch,

I found that working cardio after my weight lifting session enables me to break a sweat a lot easier.

My typical workout starts with me using the treadmill for 10 minutes, followed by light stretching followed by resistance training and finishing with 20-30 minutes on the Elliptical.


It sounds your on the right track, keep it up consistency is the key.

Thanks. I use a heart monitor, and it's amazing has fast it gets in the zone now! Makes for a intense workout.

[Byakuya]

As a noob here(and to working out) can you please tell me what kind of streches you recomend?

I walk the inside jogging track at my fitness center for 10-15 minutes and then do some very low weight reps on several various machines. ie, bench, shoulder, curls etc to get the blood moving in my arms then start to work heavy.

anything that stretches the muscles you're planning on using.. I learned some stretches when I was taking martial arts.. I use those a lot.. before my workout and between sets..

but overall it sounds like you're doing better than me in the warmup area.. I never devote 15 minutes to getting warmed up.. I probably should though..

[maggioracing]

Back on here from a short hiatus. I returned to the gym in august.
I was encouraged to do cardio on an empty stomach. So I drink coffee upon waking up and jog for 2 miles after a 5 min stretch. I do this every other day. I only work out 4 days a week. When the day comes where I have to jog than lift it ,cardio before seems to work for me. The waist line is getting smaller. The only thing I do notice , and it may not be a bad thing, is that I am using alittle lighter weights than before. But I think that may be the fact that I am still on an empty stomach, and I'm running on empty. And I am focusing more on the lift and muscle contraction than the actual weight swinging up and down like I used to-to prevent cheating. Seems to be working for me.
-Frank