I like to do my cardio directly after weight training.
I usually do about 20 minutes of jogging on the treadmill.
Is it better for me to drink my PWO shake right after the barbell gets racked (and before the cardio), or should I drink it after the cardio?
I thought that I should drink it after the cardio, since maybe some of it gets used as energy for the cardio and doesn’t get used for recovery. But now I am not so sure.
Thoughts?
i have been wondering this question for a long time but i never could get a clear answer.
i also do 20 min jogging after weights.
what i do is i mix my shake after the weigts and and i drink 1/4 of it. then i drink 1/4 after 10 min cardio. then i finish cardio and pound the other half immediately.
this seems to work well for me, though honestly i could not tell you if it is THE BEST way.
anybody else have an answer?
I would imagine that drinking your pw shake would cause insulin levels to spike. It is my understanding that elevated insulin levels are not conducive to fat loss. If your trying to lose fat then waiting to drink your shake until after cardio may be a good idea. I don’t know. it probably doesn’t make that much of a difference either way.
I’d wait - it’s been suggested that having a shake STRAIGHT after training isn’t ideal anyway. Besides, I’m not a huge fan of going for a run with a belly full of protein.
Check out Shredded at Last
Getting Rid of Stubborn Fat
by Dr. Clay Hyght, DC, CSCS, CISSN
It talks about Cardio after a workout and the benefits. As far as taking the shake goes I would wait until after the cardio. How can you push yourself if your full? If you can go for it. It’s all about how you feel not how others feel.
[quote]jit07 wrote:
I would imagine that drinking your pw shake would cause insulin levels to spike. It is my understanding that elevated insulin levels are not conducive to fat loss. If your trying to lose fat then waiting to drink your shake until after cardio may be a good idea. I don’t know. it probably doesn’t make that much of a difference either way. [/quote]
Insulin typically doesn’t “spike” during exercise.
Yeah I would wait til after the cardio. Dr. Clay said that because glucose levels are low after weight training so that the body is forced to use it’s fat stores as it’s energy source. If the PWO shake is consumed before the cardio, glucose will be available for energy and the body will not be forced to use it’s fat stores.
Echoing everyone else, take your PWO shake after your cardio. You want your body to get used to burning fat, not the contents of your shake. I drink my shake after my cardio, as it sits easier in my stomach.
Or, you could just train harder and actually earn your PWO shake.
Honestly if you can do 30 minutes of moderate cardio after an average lifting session, then you’re not working nearly hard enough.