doing cardio after weight lifting is ok?

[bluffmasta]

I been doin cardio hit for 25-30 min after weight lifting cause i am getting little fat i just start doin this for about 5 days. I was wondering few question because some one told me if u do cardio right after weight lifting u wont gain a muscle? is this true?

and last question is I'm going to lose my current muscle ?

[Chris187]

Doing cardio after weight training will help you burn more fat, but be sure you have a post-workout shake afterwards or yes you will eventually lose muscle.

[AWL8UP]

Doing cardio after the workout is the best time in my opinion. All of your glycogen stores are empty so you start burning fat very quickly after you start the cardio. I take some amino acids after my workout but before the cardio to preserve muscle. Then eat a meal after you finish the cardio to feed your muscles.

[Patrok]

what about ...

1. weight lifting
2. protein/carbs shake
3. cardio
4. PWO meal

1,2,3,4 or 1,3,2,4 ?

[bluffmasta]

Doing cardio after the workout is the best time in my opinion. All of your glycogen stores are empty so you start burning fat very quickly after you start the cardio. I take some amino acids after my workout but before the cardio to preserve muscle. Then eat a meal after you finish the cardio to feed your muscles.

aight cool thx for the input guys appreciated very much I will keep doing cardio for at least 3 month see what kinda accomplishment I can achieve.

[bluffmasta]

what about ...

1. weight lifting
2. protein/carbs shake
3. cardio
4. PWO meal

1,2,3,4 or 1,3,2,4 ?

hey I have been doing this

1. Protein shake after 1 hour later weight lifting
2.take rest 5-min start doin cardio for at least 25-30 min hit
3. take protein shake 30 min later I usually have big meal.

[Patrok]

hey I have bden doing this

1. Protein shake after 1 hour later weight lifting
2.take rest 5-min start doin cardio for at least 25-30 min hit
3. take protein shake 30 min later I usually have big meal.

i mean more like

lift heavy stuff... go to the locker , drink protein shake, go do some cardio, go home and pwo meal

[AWL8UP]

what about ...

1. weight lifting
2. protein/carbs shake
3. cardio
4. PWO meal

1,2,3,4 or 1,3,2,4 ?

For what it worth, her are my two cents:

You can use this approach (1,2,3,4) but it is sub-optimized as the many of the calories from the meal used for the cardio. You will not but burning fat as quickly. It is much better to do the cardio and then eat your meal.

I know a lot of competitive bodybuilders who do an hour of cardio after their workout and then eat. I don't know of any that eat and then immediately do the cardio.

[LegendKiller22]

For fat burning, like said right above, the best time is after your workout. If you eat before the cardio, you won't burn the fat, your burn up what you just ate...

[anonymous]

who runs on a full stomach? i would think one would cramp. i lift, cardio, drink a shake on the drive home and eat a meal later.

[LegendKiller22]

The people posting above do... ...

[markymark69]

Hmmm I'm going to disagree with ya legend.

I know this is a simplified explanation but your body is not going to 'choose' to burn the calories contained in the food in thats sitting in your stomach over the fat your body is carrying.

If your body mass needs 3000cal/day to maintain body weight....and you consume 3000cal/day but you do 30 mins of cardio burning an extra 500 calories...there is only ONE place its going to get those extra calories...from your body. The ONLY way it doesnt get those extra 500 calories from your body...is it you eat an extra 500 calories.

All things being equal..if you consume the meal before or after cardio..your body needs to get that extra 500 calories. If it gets it from the food in your stomach...your body is still in a caloric deficit. So it will burn the 500 calories from your fat and/or muscle.

Either way you will lose body fat.

[LegendKiller22]

Won't the food replentish your Glycogen levels??? If i'm wrong correct me. But that is the whole point in doing cardio after lifting. Your glycogen levels are down, and maximum fat burning can occur...

[bluffmasta]

For fat burning, like said right above, the best time is after your workout. If you eat before the cardio, you won't burn the fat, your burn up what you just ate...

yea thats what i am doing I dont eat anything before weight lifting just 35 gram protein shake after weight lifting i straight go to cardio hit season for 30min .

[semperfi_psalm121]

Here's some research for you. Best time for cardio- After lifting weights.
The university of Tokyo showed that the subjects tested who did cardio after a weight workout burned more fat than when they did cardio before weights. they also found that this was especialy true later in the day. reason; because of those tested they had a higher resting metabollic rate after the workout.

[LegendKiller22]

yea thats what i am doing I dont eat anything before weight lifting just 35 gram protein shake after weight lifting i straight go to cardio hit season for 30min .

You Need food Before you Lift. Thats one of the most important meals of the day!!!! I'm talking about people who are saying they lift, immediately eat, then immediately do cardio...

Have good carbs and protein in you Befor you lift!

[ItalynStalyn]

Yes doing cardio after your workout is very effective...and yes you will also lose muscle by doing this. The extent to which you will loose muscle mass depends on the duration, frequency and intensity of your cardio. Either way you are going to loose muscle mass by doing cardio after you lift...but you may be able ot regulate it SOME by modifying the 3 things I just mentioned

[hottnikks03]

BUMP! Didn't want to start a new topic when one already existed but I'm looking for some new opinions on this topic.

I have tried both lifting then cardio, and cardio then lifting. The hands down winner for me was to lift then do cardio, eating a high protein meal after the cardio session. I keep my cardio to a light 20-30 min run so as to not burn muscle off my frame, and I don't go crazy with the cardio because I want to make sure my body is able to recover for my next workout. This has always been a hot topic for me, as I build quickly but tend to have a harder time leaning out.

On cardio only days I do HIIT, and that has proven to also be a great fat burner, thats off topic, but I wanted to add that my PWO cardio isn't my only cardio. Due to a recent severe foot injury, I haven't done cardio at all for quite some time, but I'm about ready to get back on the track and I'm looking for new opinions. What do you all think?

I'm a strong believer in lift then cardio, your thoughts?

[heshstamps26]

i always do cardio (run) before i do legs... it helps get your blood pumping and warms up your legs... i do so a problem with cardio before workout apart from having less energy for strength training after. I usually cannot lift as heavy as I would if I didnt run.

[OKEN]

I got a question on top of this. Will i burn off muscle the day after i lift with hard Cardio lasting from 60 to 90 min.?

[heshstamps26]

I got a question on top of this. Will i burn off muscle the day after i lift with hard Cardio lasting from 60 to 90 min.?

only if you dont have enough fat to burn. Your body stops using glycogen stores after 20 minutes of cardio and starts burning fat. although if there's no fat to burn the body will go after lean muscle tissue for energy to burn

[OKEN]

Thx Man.

[mayhem8]

Didn't feel like making a new topic.. I got a question on the same matter.

Is doing cardio after lifting weights and having a shake of 30g protein 60g glucose ok? The glucose is there to induce an insulin spike, but if I do LIT cardio, won't that just burn the carbs in that glucose, or worse, turn that protein into carbs?

[Mr.Fuhrer]

It takes 90 min + before the human body starts breaking down lean muscle from an extended raised heart rate. Time before this you will feed off glycogen and fat stores, and unless you have no fat at all, post lifting cardio is very beneficial to overall gains.

I wouldn't advise doing anything more than some light 10-15 min pre-lifting cardio, as it is useful for warming up your muscles and increased blood movement, but will hurt potential gains if you intend to lift well, after a solid run.

Also, for those interested in maintaining cardiovascular fitness and vascularity, one could do cardio on days not spent lifting, and still implement a light cool down cardio session post-lifting.

[mayhem8]

It takes 90 min + before the human body starts breaking down lean muscle from an extended raised heart rate. Time before this you will feed off glycogen and fat stores, and unless you have no fat at all, post lifting cardio is very beneficial to overall gains.

I wouldn't advise doing anything more than some light 10-15 min pre-lifting cardio, as it is useful for warming up your muscles and increased blood movement, but will hurt potential gains if you intend to lift well, after a solid run.

Also, for those interested in maintaining cardiovascular fitness and vascularity, one could do cardio on days not spent lifting, and still implement a light cool down cardio session post-lifting.

So how long cardio post workout is safe? (So I don't burn any muscle)

[Mr.Fuhrer]

It depends on how hard you lift that day and for how long. I usually lift b/w 1-1.5 hours and then 20 min light cardio after. Use your best judgment on lvl of tension/speed in regards to what muscle groups you target that day.

Cardio will NOT cause loss of muscle if your diet is in check, and proper balance given to rest/lifting.

[ktrojan]

this is great info as i'm new to everything and just have been trying to learn as much as i can thanks everyone!

[SumDumGoi]

Can you do cardio after lifting wieghts? Sure you can. If you do so are you necessarily going to lose (or not gain) muscle mass? Not necessarily. You are worrying about things that are not going to make much of a difference. You don't need to be in a glycogen depleted state if you are going to lose body fat by doing aerobic exercise. This statement goes back whether or not you should do on an empty stomach immediately after waking up. By being in a glycogen depleted state the only thing that is going to happen is that you are going to run slower and not burn as many Calories. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for intense exercise. Of course this depends on a number of different variables such as how much carbohydrate is in your diet, intensity of your run, what muscle groups you worked, etc. If immediately after your workout is the only time you have available to do your cardio, go for it. Just make sure that your workout is not going to be extremely long and also make sure you allow time to rest and recover between workouts.

It is also basically nonsense to think you have to take a post-workout protein shake in between your weight lifting and cardio sessions. Your muscles are not dying for protein immediately after you work them. If you think they do then if you were to work more than one muscle group you would have to take a protein shake immediately after you work out each muscle group as well. Afterall, the first muscle group that you worked (which is often the largest muscle group) would not be receiving optimal benefits. The whole point of the postworkout shake is that immediately after your workout insulin levels increase higher, resulting in greater anabolic response, therefore your body would be able to take up and use the amino acids for protein synthesis. I will let it up to you to argue the legitimacy of that claim. If you continue your workout doing aerobic exercise, your body is still going to be sensitive to this response after your aerobic session. Drinking the shake prior to your run is just going to lead to cramps, throwing up, or slowing your running speed so that cramping and throwing up do not occur.

[centuryman007]

I have a question.

I am 18 years old, 5"11 86 kilos and of solid build.

I have lifted dumbells a couple of times a week for the last few years.

I have been hitting the gym big time for about 45 days and have seen some nice results so far. Strength is considerable (i struggled to do 10 push-ups now i do 20-30 at a time several times a workout, along with chin ups and dips which i now do with ease),muscle mass gains around the chest, shoulders and arms is extreme in the time frame. I can't believe the results after just a month and a half.

I also have fat reserves that i am trying to wipe out. I'm not overweight but i do have excess fat.

My focus is to become big and buff but also to be very fit and agile. For this i have a bowl of cerial for breakfast, then hit the gym for a full body weight workout till i cant do any more for about 2-3 hours (not non stop ofcourse, time is spent resting and walking between machines etc). I also do a group fitness class at Les Mills called 'Body Combat', its an extreme mixed martial arts fat burner (800-900 calories per session) its comparable in intensity and duration to how boxers train im told.

I also do yoga and pilates which has really increased my flexibilty, muscle recovery and well being (i dont want to be one of those impractical body builders, the ones that cant scratch their own back you know?)

Now some days i go to the bakery and have a high protein/fat meal of a steak pie and maybe a donut as a treat. (i do this as i am afraid i will lose muscle mass due to low caloric daily intake.)

The results are great so far. I have gained muscle that is noticeable on the arms and very noticeable on the chest (for instance on the chest fly machine i struggled with 35 kilos on day 1 now on day 45 i do 115 kilos)

I drink alot of milk (6gm protein 6gm fat per serving) maybe 3-4 servings a day.

I know the body needs fat aswell as protein and again i do this to keep the calories coming in.

i drink 3+ litres of water per day.

Now my question is perhaps a tough one. I am clealy seeing great results from training extended periods per session (gym junkie im told) fat is decreasing i know this because i have lost fat under my chin and my saddlebags are mostly gone. I eat a high fat, high protein, high carbs (cornflakes, white rice, fruits), high sugar (my treat) diet and still i am seeing results faster than my friend who has been going for 6 months and hasn't changed a whole lot (he has many shakes which he takes before and after routines).

Heres the question. Will my body CONTINUE (notice it is already doing so, regardless of the norm) to burn away excess fat and grow muscle over the next few months. I dont take shakes as i dont believe them to be beneficial, i believe the body will use what its given (look at prisoners, some of the biggest guys on the poorest diets).

The facts are simple.

After 45 days i have increased in strength dramatically, muscle mass gain is higher than ive noticed in my 'pro' friend who is the same age and of larger build better suited to body building. My diet would be considered 'horrible' yet it works a treat seemingly, my extreme cardio after weight lifting with nothing but water and fat to run on is melting fat off my body, my cardiovascular fitness has skyrocketed (tested by gym from poor to very good) and my well being and recovery has increased thanks to yoga and pilates.

Will i start burning muscle when my fat supply is depleted or will my maxed out muscles be preserved from being burned simply because they need to be reubuilt whatever the cost to handle the weight routine next time? Is my high fat meals post diet stopping me from reaching my goals?

My biggest fear is waking up one day a weedy guy with the body of a marathon runner hence the high calorie diet.

Does high calorie/fat diet preserve muscle mass and replace energy stores so the body wont burn muscle but fat instead?

I know i am going about my goals in a very unorthodox way but it DOES seem to be working for me and im just after some sound opinions on whether the body will CONTINUE (not start) to cut off fat whilst building muscle.

Thanks to all who reply.

[saikyran]

I been doin cardio hit for 25-30 min after weight lifting cause i am getting little fat i just start doin this for about 5 days. I was wondering few question because some one told me if u do cardio right after weight lifting u wont gain a muscle? is this true?

and last question is I'm going to lose my current muscle ?

I just wanted to know, if swimming is fine ? after a heavy workout that is... i was told that i would lose weight and put on muscle if i swam after a workout.