Cardio work...will it burn off fat or muscle first?

[erikiksaz]

Will cardio workouts target fat stores or muscle first?

 

[Spoooon]

If you get your heart rate way up, it burns carbs. If you go slow, it burns fat. That's the way I remember it at least.

 

[MacBaine]

IT BURNS BRAIN

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Spoooon
If you get your heart rate way up, it burns carbs. If you go slow, it burns fat. That's the way I remember it at least.

Not quite. At lower intensity, you burn more fat than you do at high intensity, but most of your energy comes from carbs either way. It's only later when your body is trying to refill the tanks that it really goes after the fat, so more overall calories burned while working out = greater eventual fat loss.

Cardio doesn't burn muscle unless you're already depleted your fat and glycogen stores; the last thing your body wants to do is cannibalize itself.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Fausto

Originally posted by: Spoooon
If you get your heart rate way up, it burns carbs. If you go slow, it burns fat. That's the way I remember it at least.

Not quite. At lower intensity, you burn more fat than you do at high intensity, but most of your energy comes from carbs either way. It's only later when your body is trying to refill the tanks that it really goes after the fat, so more overall calories burned while working out = greater eventual fat loss.

So having a protein shake and carbs is bad directly after cardio?

 

[DAWeinG]

Work out in mornings after your body has burned most of the carbs from dinner the night before. Then do weights to deplete glycogen stores. Then do cardio to burn fat. That's the way I've heard and read about it.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Fausto

Originally posted by: Spoooon
If you get your heart rate way up, it burns carbs. If you go slow, it burns fat. That's the way I remember it at least.

Not quite. At lower intensity, you burn more fat than you do at high intensity, but most of your energy comes from carbs either way. It's only later when your body is trying to refill the tanks that it really goes after the fat, so more overall calories burned while working out = greater eventual fat loss.

So having a protein shake and carbs is bad directly after cardio?

Absolutely not. Your body is most efficient at refueling and repairing right after a workout (google "glycogen window") so that's the best time to get some carbs and protein in you. If your body doesn't fix and refuel after your workout, your recovery will suck and the quality of your workouts will degrade over time. Obviously, you don't want to eat so much that you tip into a positive calorie balance or you won't lose weight, but you still have to eat something or you'll feel like crap.

Your body just can't convert fat to useable energy at workout levels fast enough. For a graphic demonstration of this, go for a two+ hour aerobic workout with nothing but water; you should use up all your glycogen stores somewhere around the two hour mark and will start feeling incredibly weak, have tingly hands/feet, tunnel vision, and basically almost pass out.

 

[DAWeinG]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Fausto

Originally posted by: Spoooon
If you get your heart rate way up, it burns carbs. If you go slow, it burns fat. That's the way I remember it at least.

Not quite. At lower intensity, you burn more fat than you do at high intensity, but most of your energy comes from carbs either way. It's only later when your body is trying to refill the tanks that it really goes after the fat, so more overall calories burned while working out = greater eventual fat loss.

So having a protein shake and carbs is bad directly after cardio?

Post workout meal is the most important meal because it prevents catabolysis (breaking down of muscles). You'd usually want to drink a protein shake (or take in any kind of protein) as soon as possible after a workout. Protein shakes are best because they don't have to be passed through the liver, the amino acids are already in their free form. Other forms of protein such as meat have to be passed into the liver (called slow-digesting proteins).