Whats better doing cardio before or after a workout?

**juicepig** · 01-04-2007, 04:49 PM

I was talking to a buddy from the gym and he said that you burn more fat if you do cardio right after you work out rather then before... can anyone back this up??

**skribbble** · 01-04-2007, 05:03 PM

Im sure you probably do but i would prefer doing it before if u have to do it in the same day because if you do cardio after a workout you are going to hinder your recovery process. After a workout id rather just eat and recover rather then do cardio and burn muscle and slow my recovery down.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 01-04-2007, 05:09 PM

correct doing cardio after workout when glycogen is depleted has a similar effect to cardio on an empty stomach. Doing cardio pre workout is a very bad idea, you will most likely have a full stomach (probably carbs) so fat burning will be at a minimum, and it will deplete energy that could have been used to push weights.

**audis4** · 01-04-2007, 05:17 PM

like perfectbeast said, always cardio PWO.

you won't be burning muscle if you stick within your fat buring heart rate and not do an excessive amount of time i.e. 30 min IMO is ideal.

**chest6** · 01-04-2007, 05:24 PM

doing cardio before a workout would be a very dumb idea...

I hope you haven't been doing that

**xlxBigSexyxlx** · 01-05-2007, 10:09 AM

If you do it after a workout, would you still take your PWO shake after weights, then move to cardio? Or wait till cardio is done to drink the PWO shake? Then again, that would be about 45 min-1 hour after....

***Doc.Sust*** · 01-05-2007, 11:06 AM

after. never before the workout

**audis4** · 01-05-2007, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by xlxBigSexyxlx

If you do it after a workout, would you still take your PWO shake after weights, then move to cardio? Or wait till cardio is done to drink the PWO shake? Then again, that would be about 45 min-1 hour after....

no, do weights then cardio then take your PWO nutrition.

**klew875** · 01-05-2007, 12:07 PM

I always do cardio after.

**MILPOLDAN1** · 01-05-2007, 12:39 PM

i do it after

**skribbble** · 01-05-2007, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by skribbble

Im sure you probably do but i would prefer doing it before if u have to do it in the same day because if you do cardio after a workout you are going to hinder your recovery process. After a workout id rather just eat and recover rather then do cardio and burn muscle and slow my recovery down.

woops sorry for quoting myself but i ment before aka like 5am. and lift later on in the nightlike 6pm. Thats waht i usually do.

**HOLLYWOOD** · 01-06-2007, 03:15 PM

I disagree with cardio PWO as this will interfere with recovery. IMO, cardio should be done first thing in the morning then weight training 8 hrs later.

**stayinstacked** · 01-06-2007, 03:19 PM

I've always done it PWO and I shed up just fine and usually dont lose any muscle unless it's the last few weeks before the shows. Also, I stay away from the sugar now, I might have a banana or an apple juice PWO w/ some chicken and potato's or something, but I dont do all that dextrose anymore, it bloated me too bad. And I still manage to gain just fine minus the dextrose. My advice is if your having your meal after your workout/cardio then whole food is where it's at, not shakes

**HOLLYWOOD** · 01-06-2007, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by stayinstacked

I've always done it PWO and I shed up just fine and usually dont lose any muscle unless it's the last few weeks before the shows. Also, I stay away from the sugar now, I might have a banana or an apple juice PWO w/ some chicken and potato's or something, but I dont do all that dextrose anymore, it bloated me too bad. And I still manage to gain just fine minus the dextrose. My advice is if your having your meal after your workout/cardio then whole food is where it's at, not shakes

I agree that whole foods keep you lookin harder.

Next time you cut up, try cardio first thing when you wake up then weight training about 8 hrs laters. I noticed a difference. I've also read some studies regarding this topic. You can find em on the net if you want to check up on it.

**stayinstacked** · 01-06-2007, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by HOLLYWOOD

I agree that whole foods keep you lookin harder.

Next time you cut up, try cardio first thing when you wake up then weight training about 8 hrs laters. I noticed a difference. I've also read some studies regarding this topic. You can find em on the net if you want to check up on it.

I've done this before, time and time again, and my results are better doing cardio PWO. Here is my take on it, a great deal of fat burning takes place during sleep, so 8 hrs of sleep is better than 6 right? After sleep, your body needs to eat, you've been w/out calories for awhile, and by eating I believe you do more for the metabolism than hitting cardio first. And at the end of the day, calorie expended vs. calories burned is what is solely responsible for fat loss. A lot of the main argument about this is guys are saying that doing cardio right after your workout does not give you that window for PWO nutrition, but what window? That window is gone, your not growing any during a diet so this to me is not as big of a deal as people make it. There is no reason to spike insulin levels while cutting up, elevated insulin levels mean more fat storage. Now, cardio PWO vs. am may mean you'll lose the fat slower, I'm not disagreeing that cardio am MIGHT burn fat faster. But my goal is not to burn fat as fast as possible, it's actually to take it down slower so I can preserve more muscle. I'm not buying into the hype that am cardio will burn ONLY fat stores, your body doesn't work that way when your dropping into single digit bf, it wants to take a little from fat and a little from muscle. I believe that eating first thing in the morning and not doing cardio will help preserve more muscle. My argument here is not that am cardio wont burn fat fast, my argument is that you will look thinner and less muscular than you would if you did it at another time during the day.

**MFT81** · 01-06-2007, 03:48 PM

Some also claim that cardio pwo also takes advantage of the natural spike in test due to lifiting: Of course this would only apply to natty male lifters. not sure if its true.

I will do like 15-35min of cardio here and there and keep my heart rate at the ol' 170 minus age for fat burning pwo.

**Springbok_Powered** · 01-08-2007, 05:35 AM

Personally I wouldn't train directly before or after weights. This is what I learnt about cardio + weights:

Doing cardio right before weights depletes ATP energy stores, so when lifting your body needs to resort to burn glycogen for energy. A by product of that process is lactic acid (I think it's lactic, correct me if I'm wrong) which we all know gives that burning sensation in the muscle and therby cuts your workout time.

Cardio after may also not be such a good idea. Soon after your weight workout, your body immediately starts to perform muscle recovery (hence it's so important to have your protein shake soon after your workout). Now if you go and do cardio, you have already used up most of your ATP stores, so you must resort to burning glycogen. Where is the body gonna get the energy to start repairing the muscle fibre you've just torn up? Your test levels are too low after your workout cortisol levels rise so your body starts breaking down other muscle, the next easiest energy source to fill the demands the damaged fibre needs. So you go into a catabolic state.

I choose to separate my sessions, weights in the early morning when test levels are at their highest and metabolism at it's slowest. And Cardio in the evening when metabolism is already working and energy stores are filled from the days meals. I rarely lift for more than 45min-1h and always intense cardio 30mins, both 6 days a week.

Just my 2c.