Hey, how many of you guys do cardio after weights?, i find that when i do cardio after weights i lose alot of muscle. Any of you guys get any benefit out of this. Would it be better if i had a protein shake between activities?.
It basically comes down to how much cardio you are doing after weights. 15 maybe 20 minutes would be max. Since you already depleated glycogen (depending on how hard you work out) you tap into fat quicker but also muscle faster as well. Im not a fan of alot of cardio in the first place (if any, depending on what your goals are) To me cardio after weights should be around a 3.5 pace on a 5 incline. Now if you are an athlete and need to do cardio also for the wind capacity than do your heavy cardio a different time than you weights. Because if you do your cardio before weights you have no glycogen for your workout. Of course this is how I see things and what has worked for me.
You’re losing muscle because of your diet, not because you perform cardio after weight training.
The duration of your entire workout as a whole, as well as the intensity of your aerobic/anaerobic work after your weight training need be considered.
Keep your cardio to a low- to moderate-intensity, and you’ll be fine. Are you using a protein and carbohydrate liquid supplement (i.e. Surge) during your training? This should more than offset the catabolic nature of the cardio.
If not, start doing so. I wouldn’t suggest having the protein/carbohydrate post-workout drink until after your cardio–as opposed to before it. Do you really want to oxidize those nutrients to power your running on the treadmill? I didn’t think so. And your post-training liquid meal really shouldn’t just be protein (if, in fact, that’s what you were implying).
Thanx Timbo, i’ll try some of those methods. And yeah i take surge, that’s what i meant by protein shake.
I do cardio before weights, after weights, when I get home from work…whenever. Doesn’t seem to interfere with my strength or muscle gains.