When is the best time to do cardio? Find out what other people from the message boards think...
By: Topic Of The Week
Jul 28, 2005
TOPIC: When Is The Best Time To Do Cardio?
The Question:
Some people wake up at 4:00am just to do their cardio. Then later in the day they do their weightlifting routine. Others do their cardio before or after their workout routine. Some run at midnight to avoid heat.
When is the best time to do cardio?
Should cardio be done near the time of weightlifting or should there be a certain amount of hours between the two?
Can someone add cardio to their weight training and still gain size and muscle mass?
Is it better to do cardio after eating, or on an empty stomach? Why?
What is your favorite type of cardio? (HIIT, Interval, etc...)
BONUS QUESTION: What is the most effective cardio exercise? Why?
The Winners:
1. ho_124 View Profile
1. cobain67 (tie)View Profile
2. sword chucks View Profile
3. kill_yourself View Profile
3. live4this13 (Tie) View Profile
3. mivi320 (Tie) View Profile
3. ShannonC_77 (Tie) View Profile
Prizes:
1st place - 75 in store credit.
2nd place - 50 in store credit.
3rd place - 25 in store credit.
1st Place - ho_124
Cardio Exercise Now Or Then?
Cardio exercise without question is an essential part of any training routine whether it be a bodybuilding, strength training, sports training or most obviously a running workout schedule. It increases our endurance levels and is also an important factor in preventing all sorts of heart problems and diseases.
But its not as easy as just going outside and mindlessly running around for a few minutes and getting results. Its the same as weightlifting.
You dont just go in a gym and start curling the heaviest weight you see using horrible form. There are many different opinions on how to properly do cardio to achieve certain goals.
What Are Your Goals?
>Lose Fat
>Build Muscle
>Improve Energy
>Other
Some of these views are totally wrong and can mislead you and instead of moving you forward will actually set you back in the wrong direction. This is why it is so important to know what certain types of cardio are doing to your body and how to do it properly. Just like weightlifting.
When Is The Best Time To Do Cardio?
There is no set time where you make the best gains to do cardio. It ranges for everyone, for example if you feel like total crap in the morning and you need an hour or two to feel fully energized, then you obviously arent a morning person so then dont do it in the morning. Listen to your body, you wouldnt pump iron if you were half-awake.
Like I said everyones body is different. So basically the best time for you to do your cardio exercise is when you feel it is the best time to do it, and stick to that time. But there is still more to this, there are still a few guidelines you should follow so that you dont end up setting yourself back. These will help you understand when to perform your cardio for better results, or the results you want.
Cardio In The Morning On An Empty Stomach
First of all NO! Cardio in the morning is probably the most stupid idea I have ever heard. This isnt just my opinion but the most knowledgeable trainers and exercise experts agree that cardio in the morning on an empty stomach is not good for you body.
Well, you might ask, what if I want to burn fat? I have low glycogen stores in the morning and my energy levels are low because I dont have carbohydrates, so then I will tap into my fat stores right? This is TOTALLY wrong. The complete opposite happens.
Let me enlighten you. Fat burn doesnt occur during cardio exercise, but about two hours after. Instead your body will look at your tasty muscles for energy meaning. Bye bye muscles. This is a bodybuilders worst nightmare.
So unless your goal is to become scrawny and lose muscle then by all means do cardio in the morning. Its also common sense not to do it on an empty stomach.
You wont have a satisfactory amount of energy meaning decreases performance which = crappier results. And if you think about it, your body has just fasted for eight hours and it needs something to eat to refuel itself.
Not feeding your body and doing exercise is like going into war without any ammunition.
Dont Get Me Wrong
Yes, dont get me wrong, it isnt that doing cardio in the morning is bad, but doing it on an empty stomach is bad unless you want to lose muscle instead of fat.
So when you wake up at 5:00 A.M at least have something light to eat and wait at least 30-45 minutes before performing your cardio. Like I said earlier if youre a morning person and you feel best in the morning then keep doing it in the morning, just make sure you dont do it on an empty stomach.
Cardio Workout Right Before Weightlifting?
Again this is also a HUGE NO! Not unless you dont want good results from pumping iron, then I guess you're wasting your time in the gym if you go all out and perform cardio before your workouts.
But for a lot of people, especially women, they dont want to gain serious mass, so then if your weight workout is relatively low intensity and doesnt leave you feeling like you just got hit by a car, then by all means you can do cardio before your workout.
But for most of the guys, they want some serious mass, and let me tell you that the last few reps (Say the last 3-2 reps) where you struggle and sweat is where you stimulate your muscles to grow. But when you run before working out, an intense cardio workout totally or almost depletes your glycogen stores.
When weightlifting, you dont use as much of your glycogen stores, but you still need quite a bit (This might come as a surprise to some people but its true).
So if you have no glycogen stores which is your muscles source of energy and your pushing yourself to max, the energy wont be there to push those last few grueling reps meaning a way less effective workout.
Another reason why this is such a big NO is because during a hard cardio session, protein synthesis drops low and protein breakdown goes up. During a weight lifting session, protein synthesis either goes up a little or stays the same while protein breakdown goes up.
After your cardio session while protein synthesis drops (Meaning your bodys ability to build muscle), and you hit the weights, the result will be that your bodies ability to build muscle will be impaired because of your cardio training depending on how intense your cardio was.
So Let's Make Up A Situation
Billy goes and does his intense cardio workout. After that his protein synthesis drops and muscle breakdown goes high.
He goes weightlifting and instead of his protein synthesis being normal or slightly elevated, it is very low because of his cardio session. Plus his muscles are in a state of breakdown.
So basically you dont want your bodys ability to build/repair muscle (Protein synthesis) to be impaired right after a weight workout.
Again, Dont Get Me Wrong
Yes, dont get me wrong again, what I just explained above is doing cardio right before your workout or even an hour before your workout. But it is all right if you do your cardio exercise then your weightlifting program after if you give yourself an adequate amount of time to recover and replenish your glycogen stores.
But in between you must have the proper nutrition to stop protein breakdown and increase muscle synthesis before you hit the weights. Plus you have to replenish your muscles glycogen stores.
Still though, your performance in the weight room may suffer even though you have given yourself enough rest and nutrition, so it is best if you do your weight lifting before anything else to make sure that you lift to your full potential.
Also if you do an intense cardio session and eat hamburgers and fries then 6 hours later do your cardio session, it just wont cut it. Another thing is if your cardio workout is relatively short and low/very low intensity then its all right to hit the weights right after.
Cardio Right After Weights?
Doing cardio right after weights is way better than doing it before weights. The reason being is that weight lifting doesnt deplete your glycogen stores as bad as it does in cardio workouts depending on how intense you go.
So you still will have some of your glycogen stores left meaning that you can still get an alright cardio session. But for a more effective cardio session right after a workout, I recommend waiting at least 2 hours even more (If you have the time to do this) before doing your cardio.
In between this time it is important you replenish your glycogen stores quickly, and stop protein breakdown as fast as possible. But if you dont have the time it is still alright to do it right after weights. Just be prepared to have a less effective cardio session.
For Best Results!
For best results in your cardio training, try to do schedule your sessions separate from your weightlifting program. So if you lift weights 4 times a week, then do running on the other three days that youre not lifting weights.
Just remember try to schedule your cardio session as far away as possible from your leg lifting schedule, because running on super sore tired legs basically sucks. Doing cardio on separate days than weight lifting ensures that you have the proper energy to perform your best in either your cardio or lifting session.
If you cannot then do your cardio after your workouts at least. You also have to do cardio after weights if you have 4-5 cardio sessions and are a serious weight lifter.
Remember you get the best gains when you have the most energy. Yea, if you did an all out run for 45 minutes do you think you could have a good leg workout?
Doing Cardio And Gaining Serious Mass? Is It Possible?
Yes it is possible, it can be done. A bodybuilder would cry at the idea of losing precious hard gained muscle. This is also one of those topics that also depends on your goals.
If a bodybuilder wants to gain serious mass and still maintain a balance in his cardiovascular system then it is totally possible to do it without losing muscle.
But if someone wants to gain serious mass and wants to be a professional marathon runner, then my answer is no since heavy training in the field of endurance, marathon running, and long distance running causes major muscle loss over time.
Just look at all the marathon athletes, they are scrawny not muscular. If you want to be well rounded (Meaning quite cardiovascular fit while still having decent muscle and strength), then your cardio program might cause slight/very slight muscle loss depending on how long, intense and how many times a week you do it.
Sure They've Got Endurance,
But They're All So Scrawny.
Click To Enlarge.
But, your weight lifting program will cause you to gain more mass than is lost and you WILL get stronger. So there are basically two categories for this topic. Guys who want huge mass and dont want to lose it and guys who want some mass and strength but also want to be cardiovascular fit.
So for the guys who want to get big without losing muscle and just want to do enough cardio to stay balanced, well doing cardio three days a week for 30-45 minutes at 60-75% of your max heart rate is enough that you will maintain and get benefits for your cardio system and you also will NOT lose muscle.
So theres the good news for all the bodybuilders who get the crap scared out of them by cardio. Now for the people who want to be well rounded.
If you want to be pretty decently fit in the cardiovascular system and still be strong and have mass, then do cardio about 4-5 times a week from anywhere to 45-60 minutes at 60-85% of your max.
Maximum / Target HR Calculator
Enter Your Age - Then press Calculate.
Maximum
Heart Rate Target Heart Rates
Per Minute
60-85% Max
65-75% Max
70-80% Max
Remember the higher the intensity (heart rate), times exercised a week and length of exercise determines how much muscle you will lose. So if you run everyday for two hours then you lose lots of muscle over time.
For those of you who are still scared, I run 6 times a week for 1 hour and 15 minutes and I still made strength gains in the gym.
My Favorite Type Of Cardio
To bluntly put it, my favorite type of cardio is the good old constant run. Running for an hour an hour and fifteen minutes at 65-80% of my max is great for me.
Im very fit in the cardio system and still I make strength gains which are also good because my goal is not to get big and bulky. I just want to add some decent muscle mass and strength.
Remember it depends on your goal and what you want.
BONUS QUESTION: The Most Effective Cardio Exercise
There is no "Most Effective Cardio Exercise." Just like how there is no best way to workout or no best martial art. It all depends on your goal and what you want to do. Still stuck? Let me help you a little.
Basically There Are Four Main Goals Which People Want Are:
To have massive muscles and let nothing get in the way of letting you lose it but still maintaining a balance between cardio and weight lifting.
To be well rounded meaning being fit and still have muscle and strength.
To be extremely fit in the cardio system which is your only goal, and you dont care about gaining muscle (Distance running or marathon running).
To lose weight.
Here are a few ways of doing each goal
1. Gaining Huge Muscle
HIIT (High intensity interval training)
HIIT combines the use of all out intervals and periods of lower intensity periods. Dont worry, if you are well fed and energized, these sessions last for only 30 minutes at the max, in that time you wont use up enough of your energy that you will have to tap into your muscle stores.
The Good Old Run
Run at most for 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes and you wont lose any muscle if your well fed and energized. Try running outside because on a treadmill, staring at a wall for 30+ minutes is kind of... It sucks.
2. To Be Well Rounded
(Cardio Fitness + Decent Muscle & Strength)
I would not recommend high intensity interval training (HIIT) because if you want to be quite fit in the cardio system, HIIT doesnt cut it, sorry boys and girls.
Doing cardio 4-5 times a week for 45-60 minutes will make you have great cardio gains. Your endurance will be quite noticeable and you might lose a bit of muscle. But if you do weights, you will be stronger and bigger (Just don't expect to be the next Ronnie Coleman).
Biking and skipping are also good ways of increasing cardio fitness. Biking works more on strength in your legs while skipping develops more quickness in the feet while utilizing more calve muscles.
Skipping.
Click To Enlarge.
Both are very good ways of improving fitness. Except for skipping, I recommend incorporating it in a running or biking schedule and shortening the time. Dont just skip 4-5 times a week.
3. To Be Extremely Fit
(Long Distance Running & Marathon Runners)
This isnt for muscle gainers, over time you will lose a significant amount of muscle. It is more geared only towards long distance or marathon runners.
You must run 5-7 times a week.
Sessions range from 6 mile runs to 18 mile runs.
The only exercise is running.
4. Fat Loss
High intensity interval training (HIIT). This is great for burning fat since you run at the fat burn level for the lower intensity periods and burn more calories in the high intensity levels.
Running, skipping and biking. These are great for losing weight. If youre overweight, slowly work your way up. For fat loss, exercise at the fat burning zone. For beginners run 3-4 times a week for 20-30 minutes. Gradually work your way up to 4-5 times a week for 30-60 minutes.
Remember any type of cardio activity will burn fat. You just have to be consistent and you will shed the pounds. Many people give up because they arent seeing results, but really a month isnt enough to see huge results.
So yea, dont listen to the commercials where you can lose 60 pounds in a month. DON'T EVEN BELIEVE IN THAT CRAP. There are NO shortcuts, you cant stick some piece of crap machine on your chest and get fit.
The only way is to follow a consistent and well planned exercise routine. Some people shed the pounds fast and others slow because everyone has different bodies
Another note here, try avoiding running on the treadmill. It is not natural running and in some people it could set them back. Also you have a chance of mentally burning out running on the treadmill. Staring at a wall in an enclosed environment can get very boring meaning you will burn out mentally and give up.
GOOD LUCK WHATEVER YOU MIGHT DO!
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Originally Posted by Dougiefresh7707
