cardio and weight machines in the same day

roseundeutsch

I've been seeing that it is not a good idea to do weight machines and cardio in the same day/workout? I workout about 5 days a week, and everyday I do 20-30 minutes of cardio, alternating between treadmill, stationary bike, and elliptical, and then I do a complete cycle of all the weight machines in my gym (there are 8 of them). I like my routine, but should I separate the weight and cardio?

Raasy

I honestly have not heard that doing both is a bad thing.. I do the same thing twice a week and then just Cardio 3 times a week, However I don't do a full body workout in my weight training every time. I do one section of my body each time I do my weights.

The way I try to do it is if I have planning on working on Chest and Shoulders in my weight lifting then my Cardio will be a spin bike, Precor, or even running.
If I am planning on working on Legs that day in my weight lifting this maybe work out on the Elliptical or simple walking on the treadmill.
Very rarely will I do weights for the whole body (complete circuit training) after doing Cardio on the same day..

I have heard that doing 30 minutes Cardio and 30 minutes weights is a good workout. Oh and it helps to change it up, do your Cardio first then your weight training, then the next time do weights first then Cardio..

Always keep your body guessing !!

clarkeje1

From reading new rules of lifting for women the guys says if you want to do cardio its good to do strength, then take a 5 minute break and then do cardio because you will be burning extra calories after the weights. not sure how to really explain it like he did.

bornleader79

I do 30 mins of the treadmill and circulate around the gym on all the weight weight machines 5x a day. It does wonders on my weightloss!

jimithegreek

No problem with doing weights and cardio in the same day....might be an issue if you we're working out every day, but you said you are taking 2 days off a week. Keep at it!

goodtimezzzz

nope u are fine

Chieflrg

Probably the only thing I would say if you are doing free weights & cardio in the same day. Do the weights first so you have full strength and your form won't suffer.

I never use machines, but I would suggest the same if that is what you prefer.

I would like to hear the reasoning that it a bad thing to do both .

SarahSmilesCA

One purpose of strength training is to develop lean tissue to burn fat effectively and increase metabolism so that once we reach a desired weight we stay there (and it makes us look good). You need to have energy and focus when you lift, especially if you are lifting heavy, which is where you see the best results (if you are doing it properly).

30 minutes of elevated heart rate cardio prior to lifting depletes energy you should be using on lifting hard. Even women need to lift heavy and hard to see good results. My trainer told me no more than 15 minutes cardio prior to lifting and even that was a concession for him. He told me any more on my strength days and two things happen: one, you won't lift to your maximum ability, and two you risk putting yourself in catabolic state because you are depleting glycogen from the liver and contrary to what many think it will turn to burning muscle tissue under stress before it will burn fat.

So this is what was recommended to me:
1. 3 days heavy lifting with no more than a 15 min cardio warm up. Lift for about an hour or until exhaustion. For me that is about at an hour.

2. If I want to do any more cardio do it AFTER the strength training because chances are the body is ALREADY burning fat. Lifting is a slow and steady exertion and tends to ease into fat burning more easily than cardio so there is less of a chance of burning lean tissue that way. For example after my lifting some times I swim at a very easy pace. I do it to relax and stretch the muscles, and I know that most of the energy I am using for it is coming from my fat stores...that is an awesome thing.
(I work out in a fasted state to begin with anyway because I do 16/8 intermittent fasting)

I love cardio and I still do it 2 or 3 times a week, and I do it for an obsessive amount of time because I just love it. I am like the ever ready bunny some days...

However, I see better results from my strength training. So I am making sure I am putting my maximum effort on strength days with strength training, not cardio, at least not much and not in the window of time I need that energy to focus on lifting hard.

LeanGains website and Rippedbody explain it really well.
http://rippedbody.jp/when-not-to-do-cardio/

DavPul

i've never had a problem doing cardio *after* i've completed my weight training. doing cardio before is a different story.

i'm going to recommend you do not continue with your current routine because your current routine has you using a bunch of machines in a circuit. whatever your current fitness goal is, you get there sooner and safer by using free weights. buy New Rules of Lifting for Women if you're unfamiliar with free weight routines.