When to do cardio... AM, MID DAY, PWO

[calichico]

I need to incorporate some cardio into my routine, but I am having trouble deciding when.

AM - First thing in the morning before eating.

MID DAY - Around 12 or 1 pm and then lift weights about 7 or 8 pm

PWO - As soon as i'm done with weight training.

It's easier for me to do the MID DAY because the gym is down the street from my job so I can just go right after work. This is about 2 or 3 hours after my last meal, so I don't have any food in my stomache.

As for PWO, I've heard that cardio can hurt your gains if done right after lifting??? Is this true?

What's your advice guys? Any experiences? Thanks for the help

[run_n_fool]

How often do you want to do the cardio? Do you do any at all now?

If you are just starting out with cardio, I would not do any at all with your weight routine. In fact, if just starting out I would not do cardio on days you lift.

That said, the main question becomes at what time of day will you be most motivated to do your cardio. Some studies show it is most effective first thing in the AM on an empty stomach, but if you have no motivation at that time or are too sleepy/tired or whatever to actually perform effectively, then it really would not be a great workout, right?

[calichico]

I don't do any cardio as of now, but I need to get started. It would be best for me to do it mid day and lift weights later that night. But I can also do it after my workout.

If I do it after my workout, do I drink my pwo shake before or after the cardio? If i take it before i'll be using those carbs for energy to run instead of recovery but if I take it before, the same thing can also happen.

Any suggestions?

[Deltasaurus]

do both and have your shake after your done with your Post WO cardio

[POPS]

I do my cardio right after my workouts. Mon/Tues/Thur/Fri. 45 min steady state keeping my h.r. around 120-130bpm for the entire time immediately followed by pwo shake. Many members here have told me that this is the best way to burn fat without burning muscle for fuel. Any thoughts??

[bodybuilder1107]

i do it in the morning on empty stomach its given me the best results but i take lipo 6 for caffeine burst and bcaas so i dont tap into muscle tissue, another one is after weight training when fat mobilizes from workout and ir readily used for fuel but most dont do cardio before weight training unless its low intensity it can burn up calories before even hitting weights imo

[calichico]

Now if I want to do PWO cardio for about 30-45 min, does it need to be low intensity? I like to do HIIT, couple minutes walking at a steep incline followed by a min of running at the same incline. Can I still do this or should I just stick to low intensity cardio?

[POPS]

Ok. First of all everybody is different on what they can or cannot do, so this is what worked for me. If you like to do HIIT then it should only be done for a max of @15 - 20 min twice a week. If youre on a treadmill start at zero incline at 4.0mph for the first 5 min. Then every 60 sec jump up to 8.0 for 60 sec then back down to 4.0. Try to do this for a min of 5 times. Now, if you can do this more than 7 times you need togo faster than 8.0. If you cannot, then lower the speed to 6.5 - 7.0. You need to do at least 5 times. So do the math; 5 min warmup followed by 5 sets of 4.0, 5 sets of 6.5 - 8.0 followed by 5 min cooldown at like 2.5 - 3.5. 20 min total. This might be a bit much for starters but this gives you an idea on what I did during the summer. You know the last thing I want to do in the heart of summ is spend hour in the gym esp. on a treadmill. Very simple, in and out w/results!

As for slow go cardio, remember this is just what I am currently doing now. I do 45 min/ 5-10 degree incline/ 3.0 - 3.8 mph depanding on the treadmill, they are all different 5 days a week after lifting. Its snowing right now in Chicago so why rush to walk home in the snow?lol

Now if you want to be really creative you could do 2 days HIIT and 2 days slow-go but not even I will try this now. No matter what, make sure you have that shake right after your training cardio or weights. Hope this helps bro!!