Is Cardio Better Before Weights Or Afterwards?

By Russ Howe


At some stage, everyone who wants to know how to lose weight finds themselves in a situation in the gym where they are getting conflicting advice from everyone they talk to. One of those situations involves this question - should you do cardio before or after weights?

Today you will discover the facts behind the answer to this question.
The video today will explain whether you should do cardio before or after weights in the gym.


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 is a theory which stands up nicely when you say it out loud, but loses credibility when you look at the facts scientifically.

During aerobic and anaerobic activity, the body is forced to make several internal changes to help you adapt to your heavy workload. One such change is the release of two very important enzymes which play a vital role in both the effectiveness of a resistance training workout and your ability to perform cardiovascular exercise. The first enzyme we will look at here is m-TOR.

This is the enzyme responsible for signalling the start of the muscle building process after a heavy weights session. It is not uncommon to see this name on the front of various protein supplements, which all claim to cause an increase in m-TOR release to help you build more lean muscle after a hard workout. The body increases m-TOR for up to six hours after a resistance workout, making it easier for you to build lean muscle temporarily.

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

Despite being perfectly natural, AMPK has one flaw - it kills off m-TOR!

So jumping on a bike for 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise after a workout might sound good in theory, but in truth you are doing more harm than good to your chances of building rock hard lean muscle any time soon. The increase in your AMPK levels will do significant damage to the increased m-TOR you created by hitting the weights, rendering your session only half as great as it could have been.

Further studies have since gone on to reveal that pre workout cardiovascular activity does not zap your muscles of strength either. It impacts only the muscles which are involved during the cardio itself, so for example a bike would impact your legs. To get full benefit from increased m-TOR, common sense would decree that you should be avoiding post workout cardio and to avoid ruining your ability with weights on leg days simply drop cardio from your routine here.

If you are searching for the best explanations on how to lose weight then it makes sense to go with the most logical scientific answers rather than buying into the wealth of gym myths which are out there. Should you do cardio before or after weights? The latest science is massively in favor of doing it before.




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