Cardio before or after weight lifting?

[Mother Mucker]

If you plan on doing a little bit, say 20 to 30 minutes, of cardio the same day you are doing some weights, is it more beneficial to do it before or after your weight lifting?

Also, should you wait some time (minutes, hours, ?) in between the two or can you go right into your 2nd part of your workout?

[RushnRocket]

If your goal is to burn as much fat as possible then the best times are either 1) in the morning on an empty stomach (have some whey though), or 2) immediately following your weight lifting routine.

If you do 30 minutes of cardio pre-workout, your not gona be in top shape to work out most effectively.

After your workout don't take a big break, go right in to cardio as your body is in great burning mode.

[Grey]

So, if your primary goal is muscle gain, but you also want to do a little bit of cardio, then do weightlifting first right?

[anklebreaker]

It's optimal to separate lifting and cardio, but the short answer to your question is cardio after lifting.

[thirddan]

"1) in the morning on an empty stomach (have some whey though)"

does anyone else see a problem here? if you have whey in your stomach you are no longer doing faster cardio...i think the benefits of faster vs non faster are overrated...

[LocustHorde]

cardio and weightlifting should be seperated by at least 8 hours for optimal results.

as far as taking whey protein before cardio, I wouldn't reccomend it.

[RushnRocket]

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DO CARDIO AT THE RIGHT TIME

>> Cardio exerts two benefits: it burns calories and affects hormone levels in the body. Specifically, cardio helps raise levels of norepinephrine. Yet when you do cardio makes a big difference in how your body handles the hormonal changes. Cardio on an empty stomach allows norepinephrine to readily target fat cells, which triggers maximal fat-burning. On the flip side, if you eat before doing cardio, and particularly if you eat carbs, the fat-blocking hormone insulin rises, making your body less effective at burning fat.



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Do This: To ensure that your body is in optimal fat-burning mode, do 30-60 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast 4-6 days per week. Feel free, however, to drink your morning coffee (without cream or sugar) and take 6-10 grams of mixed amino acids or a small amount of whey protein powder mixed in water beforehand. The caffeine will help you burn more fat, as will the amino acids (whether from a supplement or whey protein), as research from Kanazawa University in Japan has found. The aminos will also help prevent muscle breakdown during cardio.
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M&amp;F


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12 Laws of Fat-Burning