Is Cardio Better Before Weights Or Afterwards?

By Russ Howe


There are many questions in the fitness world which cause much confusion. If you were to ask ten fitness instructors for tips on how to lose weight, it's likely you'd get several very conflicting answers. Today's question in focus is this - should you do cardio before or after weights?

Today you are going to find out the factual answer to this question.

Conflicting information is everywhere, particularly on the gym floor. What works for one person might not work for the next person and this causes confusion. Most people falsely believe that doing aerobic activity after a training session is a superior way to increase fat loss and lean muscle growth. Today you will discover the answer based upon scientific research, rather than gym opinions.

This particular belief stacks up well from a common sense point of view, but when you look at the latest scientific research available you will be surprised at the findings.

When there is conclusive scientific evidence on a subject available, you have no reason to follow myths or train with a trial and error approach. During cardiovascular exercise and resistance training, the human body increases the release of two very significant enzymes which can make or break your results to a certain degree. The first of those is m-TOR, which we will be looking at first.

This is the enzyme responsible for signalling the start of the muscle building process after a heavy weights session. It is not uncommon to see this name on the front of various protein supplements, which all claim to cause an increase in m-TOR release to help you build more lean muscle after a hard workout. The body increases m-TOR for up to six hours after a resistance workout, making it easier for you to build lean muscle temporarily.

The enzyme released during cardiovascular activity, on the other hand, is known as AMPK.

Ready for the controversial bit? AMPK release kills m-TOR dead in it's tracks!

So now you should be beginning to see that the last thing you should be doing following a hard resistance training session is jumping on an upright cycle and peddling for an hour! In doing so, your body will be forcing itself to wipe out much of the increased m-TOR release you caused by training with weights.

It is also worth noting that several studies have looked into just how much pre workout cardio can zap the muscles of strength, too. One study tested this theory by having subjects do a tough aerobic session followed by a bench press and squat session. The cardio only affected the squats, which prompted the conclusion that you can get around this issue by simply avoiding cardio activity before leg day - this allows you to get the full benefits of cardio without missing out on the full benefits of the spike in m-TOR brought about by a heavy weights session.

Learning how to lose weight can be a confusing path, with many conflicting opinions often causing confusion along the way. The next time somebody asks should you do cardio before or after weights, you can help the with the latest scientific research rather than gym myths.




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