Cardio – Before or after workouts? Many may think that cardio is not conducive to muscle growth and improving strength in weightlifting; but cardio is a great addition to your weightlifting to burn stored fat. By doing cardio after weight training, you don’t fatigue yourself prior to lifting heavy and it can also help you to burn stored fat since weightlifting primarily burns glycogen.
Many may think that cardio is not conducive to muscle growth and improving strength in weightlifting; but cardio is a great addition to your weightlifting to burn stored fat. By doing cardio after weight training, you don’t fatigue yourself prior to lifting heavy and it can also help you to burn stored fat since weightlifting primarily burns glycogen.
Cardio Before Weight Training
Light cardio can definitely be used as a warm-up for weight training to increase your heart rate and blood flow into your muscle tissue, but should be kept to 5 to 10 minutes maximum. If your focus is on strength training, then it is best to do low-impact, low-intensity cardio such as:
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Elliptical
- Rowing
- Yoga
- Walking
And keep your heart rate at 50 to 60% of your HR max.
Cardio for Weight Loss
Cardio before weight training is also great if your main focus is weight loss since it is aerobic and therefore puts you in a “fat burning zone” which is approximately 70 to 80% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age is your 100% maximum heart rate). This is also a great way to build your endurance.
Cardio After Weight Training
The reason why cardio after weight training is suggested for strength-focused training is because you want to start with the most strenuous and heavy compound lifts first. By leaving cardio till afterwards, you are at 100% energy for your weightlifting and will not fatigue your muscles prior to lifting.
Your body continues to burn additional calories post-workout for up to 48 hours, because your body requires energy to repair your muscles after challenging them. This is called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EPOC occurs at a much higher rate after a difficult lifting session rather than a low-intensity cardio session. If strength training and lifting heavy is your main goal, it is also best to keep your cardio sessions on a lighter and shorter side, since overdoing cardio can start to negatively affect your muscle mass growth.
