Don't do Cardio and Weights on the Same day?

[fittguy]

Hey guys and gals,

I was asking my trainer about his workout regimen and he said that he does, weights 3 times per week and cardio twice or three times per week.

I just saw a youtube vid with trainer (Darin Steen)where he mentioned doing cards and weights on alternate days.

Questions:

1. Should one not do both on the same day? (funny thing is that my trainer has me do 40 mins of cardio after each session)

2. What happens if you do both on the same day?

Thanks

ps. Darin mentioned eating carbs (oatmeal/brown rice) every other day..calling it the "biggest kept secret in the fitness/bpdy building world."

[Rap_Rocky]

Hey guys and gals,

I was asking my trainer about his workout regimen and he said that he does, weights 3 times per week and cardio twice or three times per week.

I just saw a youtube vid with trainer (Darin Steen)where he mentioned doing cards and weights on alternate days.

Questions:

1. Should one not do both on the same day? (funny thing is that my trainer has me do 40 mins of cardio after each session)

2. What happens if you do both on the same day?

Thanks

ps. Darin mentioned eating carbs (oatmeal/brown rice) every other day..calling it the "biggest kept secret in the fitness/bpdy building world."

1. It does not matter when you do cardio in my opinioin. Some will argue otherwise and claim you'll burn mostly fat after workouts, but to me, there's no difference. You can achieve the same benefits doing cardio on the same day or a different day you weight train.

2. What happens? Nothing magical, that's for sure.

Maybe this is something new, but as far as I know, eating carbs every other day sounds pointless, and I'm seriously curious about the logic behind that. The biggest secret in the fitness world is this: eat well-balanced meals, exercise, and keeping a healthy mind will transform your body to it's greatest potential.

[rob440]

Question 1, depends on your schedule first and effectiveness second. If you can do it on separate days there can be benefits to it. The worst thing you could do is do cardio before weights IMO but after is ok and a different day closer to ideal.

Question 2, Nothing happens if you do it on the same day but it can slightly hamper your recovery from intense weight training by lengthening your workout time too much.

Multiple studies have shown (no I cant site them but maybe someone here can) that the increase in metabolism after a hard weight workout lasts for several hours after the workout has ceased. In contrast the metabolic change from aerobic workouts diminishes a short time after the activity has stopped. So as you can see having them on different days should in theory give you the best results but in the end you have to work it all into your schedule the best you can.

[phoenixr2]

Have you taken into account his goals vs your goals? The same workout routine is not perfect for everyone. Everyone is similiar but every body reacts differently. Plus a lot of people are trying to achieve different goals, which is why you should have a workout plan specifically to reach YOUR goals, not your trainers.

[askthetrainer]

All previous responses are dead on...

As far as your Thread Title

"Don't do Cardio and Weights on the Same day"

It should raise a red flag anytime you Ever hear absolute statements like that as there are Always exceptions

[txapn]

"Don't do Cardio and Weights on the Same day"

It should raise a red flag anytime you Ever hear absolute statements like that as there are Always exceptions

right on!! couldnt be said any better!

[fittguy]

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate them.

Last question related to this topic:

Is is absolutely necessary to do cardio after weights? On days I train alone, I prefer doing cardio first to get it over with, then I do weights.. (Surprisingly I have enough energy to do weights after 30-40 mins fo cardio).. I guess, its the result of my days when I did marathons.

While doing cardio, I often question whether I should do 10 mins warm, 1 - 1/15 hour weights, then 30-40 mins cardio (in that order).

Any advice?

Thanks.

right on!! couldnt be said any better!

[me987]

i'm not sure the absolute technical reasons, short of increased muscle fatigue prior to a weights session. therefore you wont be performing at your best.

as for a quick cardio warmup before weights, sure! as long as its not full blown running etc... just a light to moderate intensity for a few mins to get your blood circulating and not really causing much if any fatigue on your muscles

[NorwichGrad]

Excellent responses from the others. Here is another food for thought on the subject:

Take military boot camp (USMC) / basic training (all other branches), and specialty schools - ranger, airborne, air-assault, sniper, sapper, Q-course, etc...

These guys do resistance training typically in the form of bodyweight exercises (push ups / pull ups / etc...) then they run (cardio) for over 2 miles on the same day, several times a week.

[X-Mark-X]

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate them.

Last question related to this topic:

Is is absolutely necessary to do cardio after weights? On days I train alone, I prefer doing cardio first to get it over with, then I do weights.. (Surprisingly I have enough energy to do weights after 30-40 mins fo cardio).. I guess, its the result of my days when I did marathons.

While doing cardio, I often question whether I should do 10 mins warm, 1 - 1/15 hour weights, then 30-40 mins cardio (in that order).

Any advice?

Thanks.

Yes, what you said there sounds good, 5-10 min warm up, 1 hour weights, 30 min cardio. The logic I most often hear is as follows:

Cardio AFTER weights is ideal because during the weight workout you are depleting muscle glycogen, meaning that during the cardio you will be burning mostly fat. However, the arguments against this are that you are going to be wasting muscle as you should be eating after a workout, not doing cardio.

Cardio BEFORE weights is not ideal because you burn muscle glycogen during the cardio, leading to decreased performance/energy for your weights.

I also have heard that doing them on separate days is "ideal", but most people do same day as it is easier to fit into their schedule, and honestly, it isn't going to make/break you.

Haven't really looked up sources for this information but it is what I most commonly hear and I usually instruct my clients to do cardio post workout, or on a separate day, whatever works better for their schedule.

[dasixthsun]

Cardio BEFORE weights is not ideal because you burn muscle glycogen during the cardio, leading to decreased performance/energy for your weights.

.

This!

[BSCSCS]

Yes, what you said there sounds good, 5-10 min warm up, 1 hour weights, 30 min cardio. The logic I most often hear is as follows:

Cardio AFTER weights is ideal because during the weight workout you are depleting muscle glycogen, meaning that during the cardio you will be burning mostly fat. However, the arguments against this are that you are going to be wasting muscle as you should be eating after a workout, not doing cardio.

Cardio BEFORE weights is not ideal because you burn muscle glycogen during the cardio, leading to decreased performance/energy for your weights.

I also have heard that doing them on separate days is "ideal", but most people do same day as it is easier to fit into their schedule, and honestly, it isn't going to make/break you.

Haven't really looked up sources for this information but it is what I most commonly hear and I usually instruct my clients to do cardio post workout, or on a separate day, whatever works better for their schedule.

^^^This is what I subscribe to.

Also, if your goal is strictly fat burning, get your diet in check or you'll be waisting time and energy on hours of cardio a week.

[LindsayAnnLaw]

What if you do cardio early in the morning like 30-40 minute 5k or HIIT... To jumpstart your day... But then you don't do weights until much later in the evening .. Say at least 5 or 6pm ?

And then do cardio again after?

[oh2Bhumble]

Have you taken into account his goals vs your goals? The same workout routine is not perfect for everyone. Everyone is similiar but every body reacts differently. Plus a lot of people are trying to achieve different goals, which is why you should have a workout plan specifically to reach YOUR goals, not your trainers.

Bingo!---this sums it up

[Ronin4help]

Weight training is cardio. It's anaerobic. You are asking if one should do an anaerobic program on the same day as an aerobic one. In most cases, yes. The main component in each is energy, both mental and physical. Doing one can cause you to perform below optimal during the other. This is why many choose to separate them. This effect is also why some choose to do them on the same day. It can have a positive effect on overall conditioning.

[KyleAaron]

For optimal results, do just one for 6-12 weeks at a time. Build one, maintain the other. Alternating the two over 12 months will get better results than doing both at once over those 12 months.

If you just enjoy doing them and don't care if your results are optimal, do whatever you like.

[SerpentHearted]

Also, if your goal is strictly fat burning, get your diet in check or you'll be waisting time and energy on hours of cardio a week.

This.
I'm reading the thread more like people feel obliged to do cardio that they don't actually feel so enthusiastic about. And... yeah... for a comprehensive program I guess you should... but once or twice a week, not necessarily every day. Now if you LIKE doing both personally I feel like you'd want to do them in separate sessions not immediately before or after... and you want to make sure you're fueled appropriately.

[phoenixr2]

hope OP will come back after 6 years off to tell us how it turned out

[KyleAaron]

As I've said before, on a forum where people are often told, "this has been discussed before, use the search function," it would be stupid to complain about thread necros. This is the sort of question that does come up often in gyms.

[phoenixr2]

It would be, good thing nobody was doing it eh?

[Ronin4help]

As I've said before, on a forum where people are often told, "this has been discussed before, use the search function," it would be stupid to complain about thread necros. This is the sort of question that does come up often in gyms.

I agree. Unless you are a mod, stop policing. Answer or don't answer but spare us the lessons in forum etiquette.