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.
Let us begin by looking at the most common myth associated with this question. Many people believe that by doing cardiovascular exercise before resistance training you will leave your muscles zapped of strength and restrict your ability on the weights, therefore it would make natural sense to go with hitting the weights first and doing your cardiovascular activity at the end.
This is a theory which stands up nicely when you say it out loud, but loses credibility when you look at the facts scientifically.
You see, in order to get to the bottom of this popular gym myth we have no choice but to look at things on a scientific level. The body makes several noteworthy changes during your time on the gym floor, some of which are hugely important in answering this question. The first of which is m-TOR release.
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.
When you do cardiovascular activity the body releases an enzyme called AMPK instead. This helps the body adapt to aerobic exercise.
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.
Also, a study from northern California looked into the theory that pre workout cardiovascular activity would zap strength from the muscles. What they discovered was quite shocking. Like we said earlier, theories do not always play out the way you expect them to. Subjects noticed that pre workout cardio only had a negative impact on the muscles which were used during the cardio itself, for example if the cardio was legs based then leg exercises would be impacted, but every upper body move remained just as powerful. Combine this with the fact that pre workout cardio also allows you to get the full benefits of increased m-TOR levels and you can see why pre workout cardiovascular exercise is scientifically recommended as the way to go 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.
The facts behind this question are very clear so today you will discover the answer.
Let us begin by looking at the most common myth associated with this question. Many people believe that by doing cardiovascular exercise before resistance training you will leave your muscles zapped of strength and restrict your ability on the weights, therefore it would make natural sense to go with hitting the weights first and doing your cardiovascular activity at the end.
This is a theory which stands up nicely when you say it out loud, but loses credibility when you look at the facts scientifically.
You see, in order to get to the bottom of this popular gym myth we have no choice but to look at things on a scientific level. The body makes several noteworthy changes during your time on the gym floor, some of which are hugely important in answering this question. The first of which is m-TOR release.
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.
When you do cardiovascular activity the body releases an enzyme called AMPK instead. This helps the body adapt to aerobic exercise.
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.
Also, a study from northern California looked into the theory that pre workout cardiovascular activity would zap strength from the muscles. What they discovered was quite shocking. Like we said earlier, theories do not always play out the way you expect them to. Subjects noticed that pre workout cardio only had a negative impact on the muscles which were used during the cardio itself, for example if the cardio was legs based then leg exercises would be impacted, but every upper body move remained just as powerful. Combine this with the fact that pre workout cardio also allows you to get the full benefits of increased m-TOR levels and you can see why pre workout cardiovascular exercise is scientifically recommended as the way to go 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.
About the Author:
Author blog: Russ Howe PTI is a nationally sought-after south shields personal trainer featured on fitness tv. Read his complete guide on the differences of performing cardio before or after weights for a complete guide to this subject.
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