Morning cardio and workout

[biggjd69]

What do you guys think of this. I get up at 5 in the morning. Do 30 mins of cardio, then come home eat some breakfast, wait an hour then go back to the gym and lift. Do you guys think that is too much in a morning period. I decided to try it this way because I work 10am to 7pm. Thanks

[hellomycognomen]

I personally would not like going back and forth, but you may be different or have a close by gym.

Have you tried eating breakfast, waiting 1hr, then hitting the gym and finishing off with cardio?

That makes more sense to me.

As far as your specific question, no, it does not seem too much to me.

But I don't count cardio as gym time, to me cardio is something one does for health reasons or for fun.

[Docd187123]

It's better to do your lifting first before the cardio. I'm assuming you ask this question bc you think morning fasted cardio has some benefits over normal...it doesn't. Plus, when cardio and weights are grouped together so closely, there's evidence showing that performing cardio can impact your weight lifting performance and blunt it's effect to some degree. Ideally your lift and wait at least an hour until you do cardio. What you propose isn't horrible and could work and all I'm saying is there maybe more optimal methods of going about it. End of the day though you need consistency and if you can be consistent with your approach that's what matters most.

[austinite]

It's better to do your lifting first before the cardio. I'm assuming you ask this question bc you think morning fasted cardio has some benefits over normal...it doesn't. Plus, when cardio and weights are grouped together so closely, there's evidence showing that performing cardio can impact your weight lifting performance and blunt it's effect to some degree. Ideally your lift and wait at least an hour until you do cardio. What you propose isn't horrible and could work and all I'm saying is there maybe more optimal methods of going about it. End of the day though you need consistency and if you can be consistent with your approach that's what matters most.

Yep, I always cardio post lifts. Don't have to wait 20 minutes to start burning.

[Edrick]

Hi Biggjd,
Well it depends on your fitness goals, and body fat. What are your goals and besides regular cardio exercises, watch what you eat as diet plays important role in meeting our fitness goals.

[tarmyg]

Yep, I always cardio post lifts. Don't have to wait 20 minutes to start burning.

20 minutes to start burning? Not sure I understand.

[Mr.BB]

20 minutes to start burning? Not sure I understand.

You tipically only start burning fat after about 20 minutes of cardio, if you do it after weights you would probably already got past this "warming up" period.

[jay94]

IMO fasted cardio is not worth it... You can't go as hard because you have no energy and you feel like shit. I prefer to go about my day normally, eat my meals, and at some point during the evening go to the gym, lift, then go hard on the treadmill... I mostly do HIIT cardio (3min fast walking/1min sprinting x5). I also do some slower paced cardio but not as much because I find that boring. When I run for longer periods of time, it's usually outdoor.

[tarmyg]

I am going to call Bro Science on this 20 minute idea. Seems just about as valid as the fasted cardio idea.

[Stoptheslowdown]

This question totally relies on how fast you run, how fast your heart beats, how aerobically fit you are. If your fit- and you run at a low heart rate zone- you will be burning fat and some blood sugar. 30 minutes in a low zone b4 breakfast wont break the bank and kill your energy for weights later on .
HOWEVER. If your not that aerobically fit to begin with, you will struggle in a higher hart rate zone during your 30 min run- what will happen then is you body will get energy from the anaerobic system instead of the aerobic system. It will burn your blood sugar, and since your belly is empty it will then drain stores of liver glycogen leading to what runners call "the boink" or a sugar. low.

think of your body like a car on a morning run. keep the revs down and out of the redline. a good rule of thumb is you should be jogging at a pace that allows you to just be able to talk while being short of breath. If your not good at listening to your body and cant guage it yet, buy a cheap heart rate monitor and use that.

[austinite]

I am going to call Bro Science on this 20 minute idea. Seems just about as valid as the fasted cardio idea.

Everything is bro science if you take it literally. Bro science is... if you believe HR does not matter. That's just as simple as science can get and if you really don't get that... man... we need to talk!

[Docd187123]

Everything is bro science if you take it literally. Bro science is... if you believe HR does not matter. That's just as simple as science can get and if you really don't get that... man... we need to talk!

I believe he's talking about post #7, that after about 20min fatty acids will be used as substrate to fuel aerobic activity and he's correct in a way. You'll be using fatty acids as an energy source from when you begin cardio till when you're done doing it even if you don't lift beforehand.

[tarmyg]

I believe he's talking about post #7, that after about 20min fatty acids will be used as substrate to fuel aerobic activity and he's correct in a way. You'll be using fatty acids as an energy source from when you begin cardio till when you're done doing it even if you don't lift beforehand.

Correct.

[DrewZ]

I can't/won't do the whole fasted cardio thing.

I need a couple meals in me before I go to the gym.

Fasted cardio screams lets burn up some of those hard earned gains!

I always lift first - burn up all those glycogen stores on tearing muscles down, then finish with 20-30 mins light cardio - 140-150 bmp

This is how I learned to burn fat, and without a doubt works great for me.

In the end, whatever you are going to stick to and be consistent with is going to work the best for you.

/my 2 cents

[austinite]

I believe he's talking about post #7, that after about 20min fatty acids will be used as substrate to fuel aerobic activity and he's correct in a way. You'll be using fatty acids as an energy source from when you begin cardio till when you're done doing it even if you don't lift beforehand.

Correct.

Didn't read anything about that in post #7. Maybe I'm blind.

Either way, cardio post work out makes more sense and is more impactful in a shorter span. Docd in fact was (is?) a MASSIVE supporter of post-workout cardio.

[tarmyg]

I really think we are on the same page here unless I am misunderstanding something. Doing PWC is if course good as you might already be within 60-80% of MHR. What I am saying is that stating 20min as a blanket rule which should be used before one starts burning fat is, IMHO, not useful as one could technically burn fat after 30 seconds. Now, if that 20min "rule" only makes people work harder it is of course a generally positive thing.

[austinite]

I really think we are on the same page here unless I am misunderstanding something. Doing PWC is if course good as you might already be within 60-80% of MHR. What I am saying is that stating 20min as a blanket rule which should be used before one starts burning fat is, IMHO, not useful as one could technically burn fat after 30 seconds. Now, if that 20min "rule" only makes people work harder it is of course a generally positive thing.

How can it be a blanket rule if you already stated the benefit? Also, no one said it's a rule. These are mere opinions based on facts that folks are sharing. No one has to agree, but you just agreed.

[tarmyg]

How can it be a blanket rule if you already stated the benefit? Also, no one said it's a rule. These are mere opinions based on facts that folks are sharing. No one has to agree, but you just agreed.

Ok..