Strength training then Cardio...when should I eat?!

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nichell88
nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
So I've literally been looking into this for months and have not been able to find a great answer. In my current workout plan, I currently do three days of strength training followed by low intensity steady state cardio for about 60 minutes immediately after. Am I doing myself a disservice if I dont eat after my weight training session? Like by the time I get home its over an hour after Ive lifted. I eat immediately once I get home, but I'm wondering if I am losing muscle mass by not eating in between my strength training and cardio. A couple of times I brought a rice cake with peanut butter with me to eat in between but I wasnt sure if it really made a difference.

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    You won't notice a difference in strength or muscle size.
    If you ever decide to become an elite athlete, consider eating soon after working out. :+1:
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Take a snack with you like nuts or a protein bar, so you can get some protein within 30-60 min of working out.
  • nichell88
    nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    You won't notice a difference in strength or muscle size.
    If you ever decide to become an elite athlete, consider eating soon after working out. :+1:

    Ok, but after strength Training or after cardio? That's the question
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    If you dont wanna eat until you get home, maybe drink some BCAAs while doing your cardio or drink a protein shake in between your lifting/cardio. Personally I wouldnt worry about it if you have enough energy to finish without it.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited March 2017
    Am I doing myself a disservice if I dont eat after my weight training session? Highly unlikely. You have loads of fuel onboard already and won't digest that food immediately anyway.

    Like by the time I get home its over an hour after Ive lifted. Doesn't really matter. There isn't a magic hour after training.

    I'm wondering if I am losing muscle mass by not eating in between my strength training and cardio. Of course you aren't, you lose muscle mass through inactivity/atrophy, not through moderate exercise.

    I brought a rice cake with peanut butter with me to eat in between but I wasnt sure if it really made a difference. - Doubt it, going to take time to digest anyway. I would most likely see a snack twice if I ate in between!

    Concentrate on your training and your overall diet, the rest is really only of concern to the elite few who need to maximise every fraction of 1% and/or train multiple times a day or for very extended duration.
  • nichell88
    nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Am I doing myself a disservice if I dont eat after my weight training session? Highly unlikely. You have loads of fuel onboard already and won't digest that food immediately anyway.

    Like by the time I get home its over an hour after Ive lifted. Doesn't really matter. There isn't a magic hour after training.

    I'm wondering if I am losing muscle mass by not eating in between my strength training and cardio. Of course you aren't, you lose muscle mass through inactivity/atrophy, not through moderate exercise.

    I brought a rice cake with peanut butter with me to eat in between but I wasnt sure if it really made a difference. - Doubt it, going to take time to digest anyway. I would most likely see a snack twice if I ate in between!

    Concentrate on your training and your overall diet, the rest is really only of concern to the elite few who need to maximise every fraction of 1% and/or train multiple times a day or for very extended duration.

    Myfitnesspal just posted an article about post workout nutrition pretty much fueling my question. I want to make sure I'm repairing my muscles after working out. I'm really focused on sculpting my body and my body composition as a whole. The article was helpful
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    MFP's article says to eat some carbs within a couple hours of doing intense or very long duration cardio, because that's when you're fastest at restoring glycogen. Has nothing to do with weight training.

    @sijomial is spot on with his advice.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Take a snack with you like nuts or a protein bar, so you can get some protein within 30-60 min of working out.

    Why?

    What happens if I wait 2 hours.

    What happens if I just concentrate on hitting my protein macro throughout the day?

    Is their a proven tangible real world benefit of consuming protein in a 30-60 minute window post exercise for the beginner/intermediate athlete?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited March 2017
    nichell88 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Am I doing myself a disservice if I dont eat after my weight training session? Highly unlikely. You have loads of fuel onboard already and won't digest that food immediately anyway.

    Like by the time I get home its over an hour after Ive lifted. Doesn't really matter. There isn't a magic hour after training.

    I'm wondering if I am losing muscle mass by not eating in between my strength training and cardio. Of course you aren't, you lose muscle mass through inactivity/atrophy, not through moderate exercise.

    I brought a rice cake with peanut butter with me to eat in between but I wasnt sure if it really made a difference. - Doubt it, going to take time to digest anyway. I would most likely see a snack twice if I ate in between!

    Concentrate on your training and your overall diet, the rest is really only of concern to the elite few who need to maximise every fraction of 1% and/or train multiple times a day or for very extended duration.

    Myfitnesspal just posted an article about post workout nutrition pretty much fueling my question. I want to make sure I'm repairing my muscles after working out. I'm really focused on sculpting my body and my body composition as a whole. The article was helpful

    Here's a better one.
    http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5

    Get the big ticket items optimised first (training, overall diet).
    Nothing in the description of your routine suggests nutrient timing is at all important.
  • nichell88
    nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
    edited March 2017
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    MFP's article says to eat some carbs within a couple hours of doing intense or very long duration cardio, because that's when you're fastest at restoring glycogen. Has nothing to do with weight training.

    @sijomial is spot on with his advice.

    But weight training depletes muscle glycogen. I feel like that has to be replaced, at least based on what I've read and General biology
  • nichell88
    nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    nichell88 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Am I doing myself a disservice if I dont eat after my weight training session? Highly unlikely. You have loads of fuel onboard already and won't digest that food immediately anyway.

    Like by the time I get home its over an hour after Ive lifted. Doesn't really matter. There isn't a magic hour after training.

    I'm wondering if I am losing muscle mass by not eating in between my strength training and cardio. Of course you aren't, you lose muscle mass through inactivity/atrophy, not through moderate exercise.

    I brought a rice cake with peanut butter with me to eat in between but I wasnt sure if it really made a difference. - Doubt it, going to take time to digest anyway. I would most likely see a snack twice if I ate in between!

    Concentrate on your training and your overall diet, the rest is really only of concern to the elite few who need to maximise every fraction of 1% and/or train multiple times a day or for very extended duration.

    Myfitnesspal just posted an article about post workout nutrition pretty much fueling my question. I want to make sure I'm repairing my muscles after working out. I'm really focused on sculpting my body and my body composition as a whole. The article was helpful

    Here's a better one.
    http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5

    Get the big ticket items optimised first (training, overall diet).
    Nothing in the description of your routine suggests nutrient timing is at all important.

    That was a good read, thank you. It did say to eat protein asap preceding a workout when you most recent meal was more than 4 hours prior to the workout, which is the case for me since I work out after work. They said this was of importance if the goal is muscle growth or retention, which is the goal for me. I will probably bring a shake with me to sip on before and during my cardio routine
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