Workout question: Why cardio?

[kmac1914]

Well, to be more specific, why do cardio AFTER weights? Everything that i've read lately says that cardio should be done after weight training if you do both, but i was curious at to why that is the case?

 

[Entity]

I would imagine (not positive) that it allows for greater gains, as you can easily do cardio after, but cardio before has a tendency to disproportionately decrease your ability to lift.

Rob

 

[schdaddy]

no idea - i do my cardio every night (jogging) & weights on 3x a week
never heard of doing cardio after weight training

 

[kmac1914]

Yea, that's what i had been doing for the last month or two...running about a mile or so first, and then lifting weights, but i switched up as of last week, so i guess ill see if there's a big difference.

 

[vi edit]

You do cardio afterwards because you burn more fat that way. Do 10 minutes of light cardio as a warm up, then lift when you have fresh muscles and a healthy dose of sugar stored up that you burn while you lift.

By the time you get to cardio, you've burned up your body's sugar surpluses and you are working on burning fat.

***For the more nutritionally competent - yes I've oversimplified it, and probably used the wrong terms, but I've got the general premise correct/

 

[IEatChildren]

Cause by the time you'd finish your cardio, you would be too tired to lift much. Also, by lifting first, you're already starting your workout and you're already warmed up for cardio.

 

[FrOsTxxbYtE]

ummm

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: IEatChildren
Cause by the time you'd finish your cardio, you would be too tired to lift much.

 

[sygyzy]

You do cardio after weights so you don't get sweat on the weight machines.

 

[kmac1914]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
You do cardio afterwards because you burn more fat that way. Do 10 minutes of light cardio as a warm up, then lift when you have fresh muscles and a healthy dose of sugar stored up that you burn while you lift.

By the time you get to cardio, you've burned up your body's sugar surpluses and you are working on burning fat.

***For the more nutritionally competent - yes I've oversimplified it, and probably used the wrong terms, but I've got the general premise correct/

Thanks. When you put it that way, it makes perfect sense.
Also, its funny that you should be the one to answer that....i was always wondering about your username until we started programming this semester in my CS class and i saw the editor we were using. Then the lightbulb went off....

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
You do cardio afterwards because you burn more fat that way. Do 10 minutes of light cardio as a warm up, then lift when you have fresh muscles and a healthy dose of sugar stored up that you burn while you lift.

By the time you get to cardio, you've burned up your body's sugar surpluses and you are working on burning fat.

***For the more nutritionally competent - yes I've oversimplified it, and probably used the wrong terms, but I've got the general premise correct/

What he and one other guy said. If you do cardio before working out you use up a lot of your energy that should go towards lifting weights. Anaerobic excercises break down and convert muscle into energy if it has nothing else to use as energy. That's why you never heard of lifting weights on an empty stomach but you hear about doing cardio on an empty stomach all the time.

 

[Linux23]

i gain too much weight when i workout or lift weights now. so i don't do either anymore.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: Linux23
i gain too much weight when i workout or lift weights now. so i don't do either anymore.

That weight is called muscle. It's a good thing

 

[Squisher]

I just carried my weight bench out the attic yesterday. Let's see if I use it.

I'm doing cardio now and have lost a lot of weight I need to make sure the rest of my weight loss is not a lot of muscle, although I take suppliments and eat a decent amount of protein(100g/day) to prevent muscle loss.

 

[Hector13]

if you lift weights first then do cardio, when should you take your protein? I thought the best time was within 30 minutes or so of weight lifting.