Cardio Before Or After Lifting Session?

[soulforge]

Just want your opinion on which is the best routine for muscle gain and some weight loss.

01.Do my lifting session first.. Take 10mins rest.. Then 20 mins on the treadmill?

02.Get 20 mins cardio done first, rest.. Then lifting session?

03.Do cardio separate day from lifting?

Which is the best method.

 

[switch7]

cardio after, and no rest, straight on the treadmill incline walk for me usually.

 

[HankHill]

I'm no one to give advice here but for what it's worth $0.0 I do my 7-10 min on the elliptical right before lifting to get the blood circulating, heart rate up and to serve as a warm up. Then the next day (no lift days) I do 20 mins on the elliptical.

 

[soulforge]

I'm no one to give advice here but for what it's worth $0.0 I do my 7-10 min on the elliptical right before lifting to get the blood circulating, heart rate up and to serve as a warm up. Then the next day (no lift days) I do 20 mins on the elliptical.

I can see how that would work, just for a warm up.. but for actual weight loss? Would have to be more than 10mins on treadmill

 

[HankHill]

Ah! yeah in that case I would personally do the cardio after so I save my energy for the lifting session first. Kind of like eating your protein before your vegetables lol

 

[soulforge]

Ah! yeah in that case I would personally do the cardio after so I save my energy for the lifting session first. Kind of like eating your protein before your vegetables lol

Good one mate

 

[Fzatf]

I've always heard and read to lift first to utilize your peak performance for lifting. A quick warm up on an elliptical is fine but to not tire yourself out before you lift.

 

[R.U.G.]

I always do cardio prior to get the blood and circulation in the body going.

 

[2Rocky]

Alternate depending on what the focus is for the workout. You might have 3 Lifting focused days, and 2 Cardio focused days, and 2 Active Rest Days a week, then flip it the next week to 2 Lift days and 3 Cardio. You still do both but you Lift harder and heavier on the Lift Days, and do only maybe 20 minutes of Cardio not getting your heart rate up as much, Vice Versa on the Cardio days. Active rest is low heartrate activity. Walk for an hour. play catch, stretch....

 

[EyeBRollin]

Depends on your goals? Are you trying to focus more on building strength? I lean towards cardio after during "bulking season" and cardio before during cutting season. During cutting season, weights are just supplemental for strength maintenance.

 

[soulforge]

Depends on your goals? Are you trying to focus more on building strength? I lean towards cardio after during "bulking season" and cardio before during cutting season. During cutting season, weights are just supplemental for strength maintenance.

I need to cut a little.. Have made some solid gains.. I'm looking bigger and more muscular, however have gained a little unwanted fat around the belly.

I want to lose some of the unwanted fat.. I reckon the best option is.. 3 days lifting weights.. Then two days pure cardio!

 

[EyeBRollin]

That's probably still too much emphasis on weights. Take up a cardio passion - basketball or any kind of sport, running, swimming, cycling, etc. You don't have to do much lifting for strength / size maintenance.

During cut, I really only do Bench Press, Weighted Pull-Ups, and Barbell Rows, once per week. Lower body and lower back doesn't atrophy if your cardio base is running or cycling.

 

[Ranger]

Deadmill Sprints after deadlifts
I have one cardio day. I do 20
Minute interval training breathing only through my nose.

 

[PeasantPlayer]

Deadmill Sprints after deadlifts
I have one cardio day. I do 20
Minute interval training breathing only through my nose.

Why only through nose

 

[Ranger]

Why only through nose

Very good question. You seem to be the only one who caught that.
It causes biochemical conditions in the body that enhance optimization of a cardio.

Remember how the craze was to go on and on with cardio to burn fat? This was their idea of cardio for fat burn. It’s ridiculous. By breathing through your nose you are actually running at optimized cardio capacity. After time, some people who train this way can run a mile in four and a half minutes.
If you find that you can no longer breathe through your nose and have to breath through your mouth, you are out of the cardio optimization zone. Too fast of a pace for your present cardio condition.

You can read more on this and a better explanation by Mark Sisson in The Primal Blueprint and also in Primal Endurance by Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns. Both were world class athletes.
They have links to the data and proof studies.

 

[soulforge]

Very good question. You seem to be the only one who caught that.
It causes biochemical conditions in the body that enhance optimization of a cardio.

Remember how the craze was to go on and on with cardio to burn fat? This was their idea of cardio for fat burn. It’s ridiculous. By breathing through your nose you are actually running at optimized cardio capacity. After time, some people who train this way can run a mile in four and a half minutes.
If you find that you can no longer breathe through your nose and have to breath through your mouth, you are out of the cardio optimization zone. Too fast of a pace for your present cardio condition.

You can read more on this and a better explanation by Mark Sisson in The Primal Blueprint and also in Primal Endurance by Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns. Both were world class athletes.
They have links to the data and proof studies.

Wow I will give this a go, very intriguing

 

[Dancore]

I do before

 

[DEEZEDBRAH]

Just want your opinion on which is the best routine for muscle gain and some weight loss.

01.Do my lifting session first.. Take 10mins rest.. Then 20 mins on the treadmill?

02.Get 20 mins cardio done first, rest.. Then lifting session?

03.Do cardio separate day from lifting?

Which is the best method.

I am trying to find out what is A) the science of the best method and B) which do i respond to?

I am working on cardio to better heart health and increase mobility. We sit too much in America.

To answer your question, if i do 20-30min cardio running on a treadmill or rowing 5k, there's no chance of me doing it post workout. I hate it. I enjoy the runners high post catdio workout but, its a pain in the ass. I must do it pre workout. What's frustrating is that, I find it affects my workout and lifts some if the time. I may play with cardio days but its a pain in the ass going just to do cardio. I also find it useless to cut if doing only 20min. Unless HIIT but, even then, you must lower calories and run balls to the wall.

See what you respond to best.

 

[redskinsfan92]

Lift first. Cardio after. You want peak energy for the strength training.

 

[GrowingPains]

Your goal is to maintain muscle mass and lose a little weight. This very challenging unless you are new to working out.

Anyways, you don't need cardio to lose weight. But sprints or anything explosive with rest in-between is best for maintaining muscle. Do things that encourage your body to maintain the muscle. Think about it: having muscle is inefficient for running long distances because it's heavy. This is why long distance runners are skinny. But sprinters are jacked.

Lift weights. Do something explosive afterwards. Eat right. None of it matters unless you eat right. And 'right' is a personal matter which you have to figure out.