Cardio after leg days?

JaNiZaRy · 10-02-2006, 01:17 PM

Currently I do a 3 on and one off rotation reutine atm. I go for workout A : Chest, Back, and abs; Workout B Legs; Workout C: Arms; x: day off. So when i work out its ABCxABCxABCx. I currently do 20-45 minutes of cardio on workouts A and C, but im not sure since im bulking if i should do cardio after workout B. I got plenty of fat at the moment and I want to clean bulk. Didnt know if you guys had any suggestions/tips for me that would help me clean bulk before i cut 10 weeks out of my show in the spring.

RU4A69 · 10-02-2006, 01:26 PM

I would say the risk of overtraining your legs is balanced by the accelerated recovery that cardio would give you. It's a coin toss

paul_v · 10-02-2006, 03:30 PM

If you still have the energy to do cardio after leg day then I would say you're not working your legs enough. Rriding a bike for 20 mins is the last thing I'm thinking about after doing heavy squats, lunges, leg press, leg extensions, seated and standing calves, and leg curls. But that's just me

JaNiZaRy · 10-02-2006, 09:04 PM

Thats kinda how i feel too, really worn out. But i read an article here about running after leg day and i was clueless. I didnt know if most body builders do cardio after their workouts on leg days or not.

ed073 · 10-02-2006, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul_v

If you still have the energy to do cardio after leg day then I would say you're not working your legs enough. Rriding a bike for 20 mins is the last thing I'm thinking about after doing heavy squats, lunges, leg press, leg extensions, seated and standing calves, and leg curls. But that's just me

+1

same here.

HCS · 10-02-2006, 09:09 PM

Most research has shown little to no difference in doing cardio before or after weight training, so really either way you shouldn't notice a difference.

My opinion, I always do cardio before if I'm going to do it before weight training (ideally though in the morning with weights in the evening or all together on a different day.) After weight training your body is looking to replenish all that lost glycogen and creatine stores (post workout nutrition.) I just feel better about feeding my body as soon as possible and not putting it through cardio when it's looking to restore, just my .02 but like I said either way will likely not produce any noticable differences.

smith4128 · 10-02-2006, 09:22 PM

I have had this same dilemma in the past and i would have to agree with paul_v in that I would increase the intensity of my leg workout before thinking about adding cardio on that day. On the other hand I have noticed that doing a brief cardio workout after lifting legs has always decreased the amount of stiffness I feel the next day. If your looking to bulk just keep lifting hard and let your diet take care of the fat you could have burned by doing cardio on leg day.

rome85ct · 10-02-2006, 09:26 PM

no way in hell can i do cardio after doin my legs day, all i can think of is abs are the only thing left thank god and then a big meal. up the intensity if your even thinkin cardio after leg day, good luck!

45BIG · 10-02-2006, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rome85ct

no way in hell can i do cardio after doin my legs day, all i can think of is abs are the only thing left thank god and then a big meal. up the intensity if your even thinkin cardio after leg day, good luck!

agreed... I figure if you are hitting legs hard enough there should be no need for anything other than food and rest.

JaNiZaRy · 10-02-2006, 09:32 PM

thanks guys. I think its pretty much agreed not to do the cardio after leg days lol. Much appriciated

b0ngman · 10-02-2006, 09:59 PM

i play water polo right after legs and my legs have gotten very strong from the polo

matthor · 10-02-2006, 10:10 PM

so u guys would love Litvonov squat workout aye?
squat reps of 8 then immediately sprint 400m, or up a hill, walk back and repeat

coldfusion71 · 10-02-2006, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 45BIG

agreed... I figure if you are hitting legs hard enough there should be no need for anything other than food and rest.

you can do anything if you really want to do it, i have always done cardio after leg days and i find that it keeps my legs from being really sore the next day . if i dont do cardio i sometimes get extreme soreness in my legs after leg workouts. the question really can only be asnwered by ones own body there is no universal answer.

BuildingZach · 02-05-2008, 07:30 PM

I have been looking at this same thing.. and have been swaying back-and-forth on my 'opinion'. Right now i believe that you have the high risk of Overtraining and catabalism doing cardio on the same day after legs. Although, if you up your diet a little with total calories and protein [not carbs], my solution is to find cardio that is not dependant on legs. This can include many things, but (if available) Swimming laps is at the top of my list.

vegasdsm · 02-05-2008, 08:44 PM

if my legs are really sore.. i'll ride a bike @~ 120 hbpm for 20-30 minutes to get the blood flowin... it really helps w/my DOMS...

cheers

xenon2000 · 09-17-2008, 12:52 PM

I am trying to do leg days on Mondays for me. I think I can handle even more exhaustion on leg day, but I was pretty sore 24 hours afterwards (Tuesday) and only feel a slight amount of soreness today. And I mean extremely little. So I feel pretty recovered 48 hours since my Leg day.

So it seems from what I am reading here, I should be ok for cardio 48 hours after my leg day.