Cardio dirreclty after Lifting...

[shainesboostin]

Ok, so I generally workout 3x a week, monday, wednesday, and friday. Fullbody type routine, sometimes Ill go to a split, usually switch between the two.

Anyways, I am 200lbs now at 14%bf. I would like to get sub 10% so I started adding Cardio After my workouts. I dont run, I just walk for 20 min. I heard that is the best way to burn fat since you are carb depleted, and not hinder muscle gains.

Opinions?

[Big_Carphuna]

Ok, so I generally workout 3x a week, monday, wednesday, and friday. Fullbody type routine, sometimes Ill go to a split, usually switch between the two.

Anyways, I am 200lbs now at 14%bf. I would like to get sub 10% so I started adding Cardio After my workouts. I dont run, I just walk for 20 min. I heard that is the best way to burn fat since you are carb depleted, and not hinder muscle gains.

Opinions?

IMHO, do your cardio before your lifting...
Doing so after tends to flush to muscles of the aminos they need so much right after the weight training.
Plus, doing so before hand gets you ready for lifting; warming your joints and muscles up for stretching and lifting...

[Miketoc]

IMHO, do your cardio before your lifting...
Doing so after tends to flush to muscles of the aminos they need so much right after the weight training.
Plus, doing so before hand gets you ready for lifting; warming your joints and muscles up for stretching and lifting...

I think you'll find you're in the minority there.

[Mulls]

Ok, so I generally workout 3x a week, monday, wednesday, and friday. Fullbody type routine, sometimes Ill go to a split, usually switch between the two.

Anyways, I am 200lbs now at 14%bf. I would like to get sub 10% so I started adding Cardio After my workouts. I dont run, I just walk for 20 min. I heard that is the best way to burn fat since you are carb depleted, and not hinder muscle gains.

Opinions?

you're going to just build up lactic acid and break down your muscles doing your cardio right after your workout. if you do too much cardio before your workout, it's not good either. i do 10 minutes before, 10 minutes after, and i do my cardio in the night time of that day, or on a different day altogether. i don't like mixing them together, cardio and strength training are two completely different things and the results can interfere with each other.

[Miketoc]

you're going to just build up lactic acid and break down your muscles doing your cardio right after your workout. if you do too much cardio before your workout, it's not good either. i do 10 minutes before, 10 minutes after, and i do my cardio in the night time of that day, or on a different day altogether. i don't like mixing them together, cardio and strength training are two completely different things and the results can interfere with each other.

10 mins before, 10 mins after, on a different day or at night....what?

He's talking 20 minutes of walking, you're not going to break down your muscles and build up lactic acid doing that. Try not to make assumptions that all forms of cardio are the same.

[Mr.Fuhrer]

you're going to just build up lactic acid and break down your muscles doing your cardio right after your workout. if you do too much cardio before your workout, it's not good either. i do 10 minutes before, 10 minutes after, and i do my cardio in the night time of that day, or on a different day altogether. i don't like mixing them together, cardio and strength training are two completely different things and the results can interfere with each other.

Everything you said is incorrect. Post-lifting cardio is effective at burning off fat stores, because your body is in a glycogen deprived state after a lifting session. Pre-lifting cardio should be very light and no more than 10-15 min. You are just using this to warm your muscles up, and move blood throughout your body.

Cardio and strength training go hand in hand. Only when one is disproportional to whatever your goals may be, will you be hindered.

[Big_Carphuna]

I think you'll find you're in the minority there.

Oh?? Why exactly? Just curious...

[l337g0g0]

Everything you said is incorrect. Post-lifting cardio is effective at burning off fat stores, because your body is in a glycogen deprived state after a lifting session. Pre-lifting cardio should be very light and no more than 10-15 min. You are just using this to warm your muscles up, and move blood throughout your body.

I second this...

[jrhodez]

I read it's good to do cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast, because during sleep your body will use up all your main nutrients and when you wake up you will use remaining hard to burn fat stores to do cardio. Then later in the day after all your meals and nutrition have been reinserted into your system, lift.

Now I also read that upon waking you don't want to do intense cardio, maybe 45 mins of walking or 30 mins of a light jog, or speed walk. I don't personally do this, i'm kind of off cardio for a bit, because I've been staying pretty lean without it. But I did read this, true or not, jsut a suggestion.

[RedAggie]

Good info here...I've often wondered the same thing.

I agree, I do 10 min of cardio (usually a mile) before my workouts. I like how it gets my blood pumping and some sweat going. After, I'm usually cashed out, so I do a long run the next day after I lift.

[bigtallox]

Cardio dirreclty after Lifting...
Opinions?

My cardio comes in the following forms:

1. Training strongman events like heavy yoke/farmers walks. Except it's winter now, so on to #2....
2. Skiing at Snowbird, when there's good powder to track up.
3. Sex

I don't do any of them directly before or after lifting. There's no way after a heavy squat session that I'm going to do anything but walk slowly out of the gym to my truck and drive home where I can sit on the couch and eat.

[Mr.Fuhrer]

I read it's good to do cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast, because during sleep your body will use up all your main nutrients and when you wake up you will use remaining hard to burn fat to do cardio. Then later in the day after all your meals and nutrition have been reinserted into your system, lift.

Now I also read that upon waking you don't want to do intense cardio, maybe 45 mins of walking or 30 mins of a light jog, or speed walk. I don't personally do this, i'm kind of off cardio for a bit, because I've been staying pretty lean without it. But I did read this, true or not, jsut a suggestion.

You're referring to "fasted" cardio which simply is not effective. After sleeping your body is in a starved state, so to perform intense exercise right after you wake up, your body will begin to break down muscle that you worked so hard to gain.

[Jigfish]

I like cardio after workout. If you do your cardio before workout your body has to warm up to burn calories. I like the cardio after workouts becuase you go straight into burning calories becuase your body is pump and the blood is flowing.

[jrhodez]

You're referring to "fasted" cardio which simply is not effective. After sleeping your body is in a starved state, so to perform intense exercise right after you wake up, your body will begin to break down muscle that you worked so hard to gain.

Like I said I don't do this cardio, just read about it. It made some sense if you were cutting hardcore.

Btw this seems effective for me, I said I cut out cardio, however when I do my leg workouts twice a week (which is my most intense workout) I will wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and I sweat my balls off! And doing lunges with either a barbell or dumbbells I feel like I just completed short hard sprints, I'm out of breath and my heart is pounding.

If anyone sees this as harmful to my lifting please let me know so I can quit doing it, lol.

[skinny999]

Like I said I don't do this cardio, just read about it. It made some sense if you were cutting hardcore.

Btw this seems effective for me, I said I cut out cardio, however when I do my leg workouts twice a week (which is my most intense workout) I will wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and I sweat my balls off! And doing lunges with either a barbell or dumbbells I feel like I just completed short hard sprints, I'm out of breath and my heart is pounding.

If anyone sees this as harmful to my lifting please let me know so I can quit doing it, lol.

Excessive sweating is not only ineffective it is actually counter productive. Your body doesn't need to be overheated or dehydrated to burn max fat.

Forget the sweats,be comfortable.

[jrhodez]

Excessive sweating is not only ineffective it is actually counter productive. Your body doesn't need to be overheated or dehydrated to burn max fat.

Forget the sweats,be comfortable.

Aighty thanks.

[jdelarod]

it goes blood sugar
fats
muscle

So when you wake up first thing in the morning or after a work out, you start burning fat a lot faster.

You burn fats and blood sugar for about 90 minutes before you start to shift over into protein synthesis. You can feel it if you are a runner.

If cardio burns muscle, how do you explain Jay Cutler doing 2 hours of cardio a day before the Olympia?

[Zero-Kelvin]

If I were you, I would alternate between cardio 1 week, and weight lifting the next, or just do cardio on seperate days than your weight lifting.

[shainesboostin]

Everything you said is incorrect. Post-lifting cardio is effective at burning off fat stores, because your body is in a glycogen deprived state after a lifting session. Pre-lifting cardio should be very light and no more than 10-15 min. You are just using this to warm your muscles up, and move blood throughout your body.

Cardio and strength training go hand in hand. Only when one is disproportional to whatever your goals may be, will you be hindered.

This is EXACTLY what I thought....but, maybe were wrong?

[Mr.Fuhrer]

This is EXACTLY what I thought....but, maybe were wrong?

Nah, we got it.

[Nick1971]

IMO if you have a short workout I don't see the harm in some cardio. But if you do a lengthy workout with a fair bit of exercises and little-to-no extraneous downtime, I would only recommend any cardio on off-days. And even then, not that much, unless something like an endurance sport is a priority for you. Just my two cents. I believe a good weightlifting workout is close enough to a cardio workout that, unless you are doing something sport-specific, you shouldn't focus much on cardio. For me, my workouts last about an hour, and I choose not to do cardio.

[JFDT]

I read it's good to do cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast, because during sleep your body will use up all your main nutrients and when you wake up you will use remaining hard to burn fat stores to do cardio. Then later in the day after all your meals and nutrition have been reinserted into your system, lift.

Now I also read that upon waking you don't want to do intense cardio, maybe 45 mins of walking or 30 mins of a light jog, or speed walk. I don't personally do this, i'm kind of off cardio for a bit, because I've been staying pretty lean without it. But I did read this, true or not, jsut a suggestion.

Is there a risk that you might be burning too much muscle by doing cardio first thing in the morning?

[Mr.Fuhrer]

Is there a risk that you might be burning too much muscle by doing cardio first thing in the morning?

Yes, a high risk. Fasted Cardio is NOT, I repeat, NOT an effective way to exercise.