Cardio and Weights the same day

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Whoa is Me! What to believe when we are on "message boards".... I just read one on the HRM board that said this: You should never do cardio or weights one after the other on the same day. When you are doing cardio, your body BREAKS down glucose that's in the muscle - which turns into energy; which - in turn - makes you burn fat off. Weight training BUILDS UP the glucose levels in the blood and muscle - which makes your muscles bigger. If you are doing both on the same day, you are defeating the purpose and confusing your body. IF you do both the same day -- try to have 4 hours between the two different types of excercise.

Day 1 - Chest and Back
Day 2 - Cardio
Day 3 - Arms and Shoulders
Day 4 - Cardio
Day 5 - Legs and Abs
Day 6 - Cardio
Day 7 - Rest

Sooooo, if I want to burn 500 calories per day
it would be very hard since weight training does not burn as many calories for me as Cardio.

Is anyone else as confused as me? Can anyone out there explain this to us? Is it even true????

Replies

  • JocelynnG
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    I will be awaiting a reply on this thread also. I always wondered how or what a person should do on a given day.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    I don't believe it for one minute. My personal trainer who has been in the business for 20 years told me I can do cardio everyday and that I should do strength training first, then cardio immediately after (and Shape and Self say this as well). I've seen amazing results in the last month so I don't think my body's confused! :tongue:
  • nsking83
    nsking83 Posts: 145
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    This is interesting.........the only thing I've ever heard about doing both on the same day is that you shouldn't do cardio right before strength training.....or maybe it's the other way around? because you're more likely to hurt yourself from fatigue........

    I'm interested in the answer! Sometimes I'll run and lift (arms) in the same day.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I call BS, too. I couldn't hit the gym and only do weights..I would feel bizarre lol.

    Don't do cardio first because it's gross for whoever's lifting weights near you if you're drenched in sweat already ;)
  • luke_863413
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    Weight lifting doesn't add glucose to muscle, rather, it uses it. Resistance training creates tiny little tears within your muscle fibers that heal just a little bit bigger than before, thus generating more lean body mass. The whole concept of not doing both cardio and weights on the same day is centered around "refueling" those worn out muscles in order to gain more lean mass. Cardo burns free energy, like glucose. If you are performing cardio after weight training, your muscles will use that glucose for energy first, rather than to help repair those torn muscles. Thus, your body goes into a catabolic state, resulting in no gain in lean body mass and thus no increase in basal metabolism. There are more pieces to the puzzle and your workout schedule should really be centered around what your overall goals are. Hope this helps.
  • photoman67
    photoman67 Posts: 116 Member
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    Yeah, I agree. It's total BS. Cardio and weights go together like chocolate and peanut butter!. I've been working out like that for a long time and I never had any problems, I just keep improving.
  • FloridaGranny
    FloridaGranny Posts: 154 Member
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    This is why we need to be careful what we read! and believe!
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
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    I call BS, too. I couldn't hit the gym and only do weights..I would feel bizarre lol.

    Don't do cardio first because it's gross for whoever's lifting weights near you if you're drenched in sweat already ;)


    I do cardio before weights because I always thought that if your muscles are warmed up and limber, you are less likely to have and injury due to weight training, but I always spray and wipe down machines when I am done because yes it is gross to leave sweat all over the machines
  • EKarma
    EKarma Posts: 594 Member
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    honestly, I do my workout dvd and then I bust out my 5 lbs weights and do my arms and back.. I don't see what the problem is here.. I can tell that what I'm doing is working, so I'm gonna believe what I'm seeing.. BUT I'm not personal trainer or a physical therapist, or a doctor. I'm just a regular lil human turd trying to get healthy :drinker:
  • SexyIsPainful
    SexyIsPainful Posts: 42 Member
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  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Awesome resource, thanks for posting! :happy: