Is Doing Cardio After Weights Superior To Doing It Beforehand?

By Russ Howe


Should you do cardio before or after weights? This is a question on the lips of many gym members around the world who are trying to figure out how to lose weight. Yet despite the conclusive proof which is already available, it remains something which confuses most people.

The facts behind this question are very clear so today you will discover the answer.

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.

You may have seen that name, m-TOR, plastered across the pages of muscle building magazines in the past. That's because it is the enzyme your body releases in increased volume following a tough workout. It is the enzyme which is considered the 'key' to 'turning on' the post workout muscle building recovery phase. So if you are trying to build lean muscle in the gym (and who isn't?) then it makes sense to take increased m-TOR release very, very seriously. Ideally, you want to be in a state of increased m-TOR release for as long as possible after each and every workout.

During aerobic activity, such as a bike or treadmill, the body adapts by releasing an enzyme called 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.

So, should you do cardio before or after weights for maximum fat loss results? The latest science on the subject points heavily in favor of doing your aerobic work before you hit the weights and skipping it on leg day. Figuring out how to lose weight can be a very confusing affair, so when you have the benefit of real scientific research at your fingertips, it makes perfect sense to use it.




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