Cardio before or after heavy lifting?
Jacqson84
Posts: 189 Member
I've been working out for about a month or so now and I'm loving it! My goal is to lose weight and build muscles at the same time.
However, I hear that it may largely depend upon when you do your cardio. Apparently, cardio after weight-lifting breaks down the muscles you've just stimulated, and cardio before weight-lifting results in fatigue. Therefore, less muscle development!
I'm so confused! I've just cut down on cardio (HIIT)! Too scared to lose muscle, but I also need to lose a few kilograms! I still want to look plump after the weight loss.
However, I hear that it may largely depend upon when you do your cardio. Apparently, cardio after weight-lifting breaks down the muscles you've just stimulated, and cardio before weight-lifting results in fatigue. Therefore, less muscle development!
I'm so confused! I've just cut down on cardio (HIIT)! Too scared to lose muscle, but I also need to lose a few kilograms! I still want to look plump after the weight loss.
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cardio doesnt burn muscle. going into extreme calorie deficit burns muscle.0
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Thanks, I didn't know that. Usually I walk to my gym class, maybe that's cardio? It's about 14 blocks, and sometimes my gym teacher has me warm up with the bikes before weight lifting. Or is that after? I guess it would be better after. Thanks, anyhow, I walk a lot but am learning to run, and will save that on off days, then.0
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This. Cardio after weights. The strength training uses up glycogen stores, so it forces your body to burn more fat during cardio.cardio doesnt burn muscle. going into extreme calorie deficit burns muscle.
Truthfully, if you do cardio first, the cardio uses up the glycogen stores, forcing your body to burn fat during strength training, but fat is a much slower source of energy than glycogen, hence the poorer performance with weights, as the energy demands are way too high for fat burning alone to keep up with.
So weights first, then cardio. Or always do them on separate days.0 -
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I've been working out for about a month or so now and I'm loving it! My goal is to lose weight and build muscles at the same time.
However, I hear that it may largely depend upon when you do your cardio. Apparently, cardio after weight-lifting breaks down the muscles you've just stimulated, and cardio before weight-lifting results in fatigue. Therefore, less muscle development!
I'm so confused! I've just cut down on cardio (HIIT)! Too scared to lose muscle, but I also need to lose a few kilograms! I still want to look plump after the weight loss.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/does-cardio-burn-muscle/ -- here's your answer.
Generally, it's suggested to do weights first, when you're fresh and able keep proper form, then later burn every last bit of energy with cardio. If you tire yourself with cardio first, you'll probably be lifting lighter and poorer, that's the only reason behind advocating cardio post weight. If you're not doing it back to back, but ie. AM cardio, PM weight, then it doesn't matter which order. You're a woman, so you have to do cardio to lose fat, men are luckier and can often get away without. If you don't want to lose muscle while losing fat, make sure that cardio doesn't create too much of a calorie deficit.0 -
I've been working out for about a month or so now and I'm loving it! My goal is to lose weight and build muscles at the same time.
However, I hear that it may largely depend upon when you do your cardio. Apparently, cardio after weight-lifting breaks down the muscles you've just stimulated, and cardio before weight-lifting results in fatigue. Therefore, less muscle development!
I'm so confused! I've just cut down on cardio (HIIT)! Too scared to lose muscle, but I also need to lose a few kilograms! I still want to look plump after the weight loss.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/does-cardio-burn-muscle/ -- here's your answer.
Generally, it's suggested to do weights first, when you're fresh and able keep proper form, then later burn every last bit of energy with cardio. If you tire yourself with cardio first, you'll probably be lifting lighter and poorer, that's the only reason behind advocating cardio post weight. If you're not doing it back to back, but ie. AM cardio, PM weight, then it doesn't matter which order. You're a woman, so you have to do cardio to lose fat, men are luckier and can often get away without. If you don't want to lose muscle while losing fat, make sure that cardio doesn't create too much of a calorie deficit.
Huh? I know many women who have lost plenty of fat without cardio.0 -
Cardio AFTER lifting. NEVER before. However, the best time to perform cardio is on an "off day" from lifting
Really? Why is that? I always do my runs before since I'm worried I'll run out of steam on the treadmill if I do it after weights.
NM...just saw other posts that came up
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I've actually heard it's better to do cardio after strength. The strength training depletes your glycogen stores allowing you to burn more fat during cardio than stored energy (in the form of glycogen). I find I do my best at cardio if I do it before I lift though. Just a personal preference to me though. And as far as doing the bike before you lift. You should ALWAYS warm up before you lift. So 5 or 10 minutes of cardio before lifting is a good thing to get your muscles loose.0
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This is starting to make oodles of sense! Thanks, gang!0
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OK, you're right, it largely depends on a starting point. Above 20-22% BF (for women) pretty much anything works. Now I'm at 18-19% and I can starve myself to death before my body gives up on thigh fat. At this point women simply have to do cardio to activate blood flow and stimulate fat loss in stubborn areas.I've been working out for about a month or so now and I'm loving it! My goal is to lose weight and build muscles at the same time.
However, I hear that it may largely depend upon when you do your cardio. Apparently, cardio after weight-lifting breaks down the muscles you've just stimulated, and cardio before weight-lifting results in fatigue. Therefore, less muscle development!
I'm so confused! I've just cut down on cardio (HIIT)! Too scared to lose muscle, but I also need to lose a few kilograms! I still want to look plump after the weight loss.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/does-cardio-burn-muscle/ -- here's your answer.
Generally, it's suggested to do weights first, when you're fresh and able keep proper form, then later burn every last bit of energy with cardio. If you tire yourself with cardio first, you'll probably be lifting lighter and poorer, that's the only reason behind advocating cardio post weight. If you're not doing it back to back, but ie. AM cardio, PM weight, then it doesn't matter which order. You're a woman, so you have to do cardio to lose fat, men are luckier and can often get away without. If you don't want to lose muscle while losing fat, make sure that cardio doesn't create too much of a calorie deficit.
Huh? I know many women who have lost plenty of fat without cardio.0 -
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I do my cardio after lifting, mostly because I'm at the gym already and hey, why the heck not, so I jump on the tredmill.
Like others said, weights need glycogen or you'll have very poor performance (carbs before heading to the gym helps too) and for running you honestly don't need that much.
In my experience, lifting gives me fat loss. Cardio just gives me more endurance, but it doesn't do anything for my weightloss. With lifting I lost over an inch from my waist in two months. Cardio didn't do that for me.0 -
Could you provide a link on that info? I don't quite believe that either...
OK, you're right, it largely depends on a starting point. Above 20-22% BF (for women) pretty much anything works. Now I'm at 18-19% and I can starve myself to death before my body gives up on thigh fat. At this point women simply have to do cardio to activate blood flow and stimulate fat loss in stubborn areas.I've been working out for about a month or so now and I'm loving it! My goal is to lose weight and build muscles at the same time.
However, I hear that it may largely depend upon when you do your cardio. Apparently, cardio after weight-lifting breaks down the muscles you've just stimulated, and cardio before weight-lifting results in fatigue. Therefore, less muscle development!
I'm so confused! I've just cut down on cardio (HIIT)! Too scared to lose muscle, but I also need to lose a few kilograms! I still want to look plump after the weight loss.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/does-cardio-burn-muscle/ -- here's your answer.
Generally, it's suggested to do weights first, when you're fresh and able keep proper form, then later burn every last bit of energy with cardio. If you tire yourself with cardio first, you'll probably be lifting lighter and poorer, that's the only reason behind advocating cardio post weight. If you're not doing it back to back, but ie. AM cardio, PM weight, then it doesn't matter which order. You're a woman, so you have to do cardio to lose fat, men are luckier and can often get away without. If you don't want to lose muscle while losing fat, make sure that cardio doesn't create too much of a calorie deficit.
Huh? I know many women who have lost plenty of fat without cardio.
Lyle McDonald, "Ultimate Diet 2.0".
As it turns out, thyroid levels affect blood flow to fat cells significantly. Low thyroid (which
is common among women and, I suspect, among genetically average men) decreases blood flow to
fat cells and normal or even high thyroid levels improve it. Short of using thyroid medication (a
replacement dose of perhaps 25-100 mcg), there's not much we can do here.
However, aerobic exercise improves blood flow to fat cells in addition to burning calories, so
that's a possible solution. Some studies show that exercise can overcome the normally low blood
flow. Considering their problems with lower bodyfat, this might explain the observation that
female bodybuilders need to do more cardio than men to get ripped.
EDIT: Mind you, he's talking about cutting to sub normal fat levels. That was my original mistake, assuming that every woman wants to cut to 13%, but... I'm obsessed, cranky and my body is working against me. And I did not have my morning coffee yet.0 -
Women have to do cardio to increase blood flow to spot reduce fat on difficult areas?
Im open to new ideas and thinking but that is a new one on me
..I do 20-25 mins of 1 minute intervals on a bike after heavy lifting and walk or run on off days depending how im feeling (to avoid overtraining) and works great for me. My weight and 5k time are going down and my lifts are going up so for now at least its wins all round 0 -
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Basically I'm saying that it sucks to be a woman. Try working with a body that will cling to its fat so much that will rather shut down reproductive system. Again: cardio is needed to activate blood flow to stubborn fat areas. In women, that blood flow activates after eating, which is why our fat literally goes straight to our thighs. But in reverse, it's the last one activated during restricting calories. Cardio helps activating it.]Basically you're saying that cardio improves fat loss. Yes, it does, but cardio is not essential to lose fat after you reach a certain body fat%. Deficit of calories is much more essential
Yes, of course, if you restrict your calories for a long long period of time, that fat will go, sooner or later (later, rather, much later, after woman's body cheats her of other useful stuff, like energy and will to live). But also consider the mental factor here and how many people get discouraged hitting plateau.0 -
I do my cardio after lifting weights, but only a bit of it. I tend to try and alternate lifting and cardio days. I generally do 5 minutes on the stairmaster to warm up, do my weights routine and finish off with about 15 minutes on the cross trainer or rowing machine.
On none gym days I am doing couch to 5k at home on the treadmill so that is just purely cardio which is why I try and spend most of my time in the gym focussing on strength.0 -
I do cardio in the AM and lift in the PM, problem solved 0
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Roger that! However, some of us don't have the time for the good ol' run in the morning.0
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JMO: I lift then i do cardio. When i want to do alot of cardio i do it on my non-lifting day. on my leg day i do stairmaster on my arm day i do stair master. on off day i do HIIT treadmill.0
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I do a five minute walk on the treadmill before I lift because I've either gone to the gym straight out of bed in the morning or I'm going right from work where I've been sitting on my *kitten* all day. After I lift I do anywhere from 10 - 15 minutes of cardio. Usually the bike or walking on an incline. I have a hard time doing cardio and lifting on separate days. If I'm at the gym I want to lift so the cardio usually suffers.0
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Here is my question for y'all....
So I am just joined working with a trainer. this is after I have completed the Jamie Eason's 12 week livefit trainer off bodybuilding website. However during that 12 week period...never felt like I could really push myself with the weights. my gym was not conducive to heavy lifting...no cage, no spotters, etc.
Hence the trainer. After first time with him...love that I Have a spotter. Love that I have someone watching my form.
But I still need to lose about 15 lbs. So I got the Focus T25 off beachbody for the cardio portion.
All that background to say...do I do the T25 everyday (basically 25 minutes of push and play) like recommended. Or just do cardio on my off days of lifting to get the results I want? Lose weight and gain strength?0 -
Roger that! However, some of us don't have the time for the good ol' run in the morning.
I wake up early to have thentime for cardio 0 -
Cardio after weight lifting has no negative effect on muscle building. If you do cardio directly after weight lifting it actually increases fat oxidation which is a good thing. If your goals are strenght/muscl oriented, always do cardio after. If your goal is to run a marathon, maybe do cardio before, or don't weight lift at all...0
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THIS. However I would do lifting before cardio because I'd want to use glycogen more efficiently. BTW OP, trying to lose weight and build muscle at the same time is near improbable. Pick one or the other for better results.cardio doesnt burn muscle. going into extreme calorie deficit burns muscle.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Bump0
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Cardio AFTER lifting. NEVER before. However, the best time to perform cardio is on an "off day" from lifting
^^^THIS
On leg day I will warm up with 10 minutes on the elliptical, but nothing crazy.
On days I am not doing weights (or occasionally after a shoulder/arm day), I will do HIIT for 20 minutes. I do this twice a week. That is all.0
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