? for heavy lifters out there!!!

alf1163
alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, I am planning on starting to heavy lift again tomorrow. The question is to cardio or not to cardio on days that I lift. I hear or read so many conflicting suggestions out there, don't know what to believe. What works best for you? And if you do cardio on days you lift, do you do it before or after?? Thanks in advance!! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
    Ok, I am planning on starting to heavy lift again tomorrow. The question is to cardio or not to cardio on days that I lift. I hear or read so many conflicting suggestions out there, don't know what to believe. What works best for you? And if you do cardio on days you lift, do you do it before or after?? Thanks in advance!! :flowerforyou:
  • deamarie
    deamarie Posts: 90
    I have read many times if you are going to do both then do whatever you need the most energy for first. If you want to burn more calories and need the energy for cardio, do that first. If you want to gain strength and need the energy for lifting, do that first. I don't see any harm in doing cardio and weights on the same day as long as you are not the body type that loses muscle quickly. There are people out there who have to work really hard to maintain muscle mass. Those people don't need to do as much cardio.

    I have a tendency to get thick and bulk up so I do cardio and weights together with a little extra cardio on the side! Hope this helps!
  • kenkraft
    kenkraft Posts: 38 Member
    I lift heavy almost all of the time. If I ever need to throw in some cardio, I'll use it to finish off my workout. In my opinion, if you're going to lift heavy you need your energy to max out so as to shock and grow those muscles you're targeting. Doing cardio first would lessen that.

    Here's a different slant. Some years ago I found out that I could produce a cardio effect while lifting heavy. I would set up several sets in a row, and I would never rest more than 30 seconds between all sets. If you're truly lifting heavy, i.e. lifting to failure in less than 10 reps (my 3rd sets I usually can't do more than 4 reps), then you should be able to reach your target heart rate fairly easily. Waiting no more than 30 seconds between sets can keep your heart rate in that range. You should wear a heart monitor to verify and adjust your workout, but I have found it very, very effective.

    Plus, I hate cardio... :smile:

    Ken
  • neverbeenskinny
    neverbeenskinny Posts: 446 Member
    I am a heavy lifter and have competed in Powerlifting on a National level. I do cardio on days that I lift heavy. In my opinion if you do the cardio first, you will get the maximum blood flow to your muscles, and your body will be completely warmed up and there will be a less likely chance that you will sustain an injury while lifting heavy. Of course this really depends on you and what your goals are and how heavy you go.

    When I was training to increase my weights for a powerlifting meet, which means lift so heavy, that I work to a single rep maximum, the increase blood flow helps me to keep my muscle fibers from tearing. But on those days, I do a medium cardio workout. On days in which I lift to maintain my strength instead of increasing my strength, meaning more reps with medium to heavy weights and not single out, I do a heavy cardio workout.

    Hope this helps. :wink:
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