Cardio after leg days?

[JaNiZaRy]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[b0ngman]

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

[matthor]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[NUHusky14]

I usually do my leg workouts around noontime on tuesdays, and on wednesday nights i like to go play basketball. So my legs get a solid 30-35 hours over recovery beforehand, i hope that is enough

[smokeater]

Leg day is an off day for cardio.

If you insist on doing cardio, do something that focuses more on your upper body as your legs are already pretty well worked. Use a rowing machine or a speed bag if you have access to one.

[sexysmartstrong]

if I did not get the best leg workout this morning, is it okay to go back to the gym and do 20min on the stairmaster

[Saintsqc]

if I did not get the best leg workout this morning, is it okay to go back to the gym and do 20min on the stairmaster

Why not ?

Strong bump from the past btw !

[MrElculver2424]

I disagree with most people saying not to do cardio after hitting legs. Well, let me clarify:

If you're a "bodybuilder" only concerned with mass building and not really fitness, then yes of course, cardio after legs makes no sense.

But if you're in a cutting phase or just into general fitness, cardio after legs is fine. If you're in these categories, you shouldn't be killing your legs until the point of death anyway. You should have some remaining strength and running on a treadmill or bike for 10 or 15 minutes can help maintain flexibility and lose fat.

Obviously 30 mins + of cardio right after hitting legs is too much. But 5-15 mins is perfectly fine.

[IrishDad08]

No matter how bad your DOMS may get, laying off workouts completely won’t make it any better—but stationary cycling will. A new study performed at California State University-Fullerton showed that subjects who performed moderate-intensity cardio on a stationary cycle immediately after a DOMS-inducing leg workout saw leg strength return to baseline a full day faster than did subjects who performed low-intensity cardio, or subjects who did nothing.

The study authors believe that moderate-intensity cycling increased blood flow to affected areas, which not only delivered nutrients to damaged muscle tissue, but also shuttled away the waste by-products of exercise (such as lactic acid) to help speed healing.

[Flyboy02]

I tend to agree with some of the other guys responses! When I work legs, I push them to the limit! So much so that I can barely walk up or down a flight of stairs without holding on to the rail! I wouldn't even think of getting on a stationary bike or treadmill at that point! If you're already doing cardio on the other days, I think you're good to skip one day when working legs! Just my thoughts! Cheers...

[MommyLifts88]

Agreed

[Arlenejmc]

Walking perhaps!