Why Cardio & Weights Should Be Split
Why Cardio & Weights Should Be Split
I have seen many threads in the past asking the same two questions over and over:
Should I perform cardio directly before weights?
Should I perform cardio directly after weights?
The simple answer is: NEITHER.
There is a little debate about this, but it should be quite simple to understand IMO. This is one of the main things that a lot of people do improperly, and can certainly hinder their goals; be it either fat-loss or increasing muscle mass.
Should I perform cardio directly before weights?
This is not recommended for two main reasons.
Reason One: You will be too physically drained after a cardio session to give the required effort to perform a superior workout.
Reason Two: You should have ample amounts of fuel in your system before exercising properly. It will generally take six hours, depending on meal placement to do so. Below is a quote from dalcowbag supporting this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by dalcowbag
IMO u need 3 meals in before you lift. If you seperate them by 2 hours then you have a 6 hour rest period
dcb
Should I perform cardio directly after weights?
I figured that I would let some of SwoleCat’s various quotes of advice explain this, so I’m not just retelling what I’ve read. Below is a compilation of the better posts I’ve read regarding Cardio after weights:
Quote:
Originally Posted by SwoleCat
Right off the bat, mixing aerobic/anaerobic activity is bad for both respective activities in regards to the results each are to produce.
Cardio after weights is pretty pointless. You cut into recovery time from an anaerobic activity by introducing an aerobic activity. Secondly, you MUST ingest a simple carb/protein shake (dex/pro) after working out, so as soon as you step off the cardio machine and down that shake, you immediately blunt lipolysis. (Fat burning stops cold!)
Not ideal. Split them up, and let your DIET be the factor in getting you ripped.
However, if you are forced to do weights/cardio together in one session (not advised at all), then it's better to do weights first, then cardio afterwards.
Never cardio first, then weights
~SC~
Hope this will serve you as it was intended.
--Blown_SC the thief :D