When you are trying to build lean muscle in the gym, should you do cardio before or after weights for maximum results? This is a question often asked and rarely answered with anything more than personal opinion. If you are trying to figure out how to lose weight or build muscle, you're about to discover the facts on this topic.
Only in recent years has science shed any light on this topic. Until as recently as five years ago, the entire answer to this question was based on theory. This led to people being told different information by everybody they asked for advice.
Recent studies showed beyond any doubt that performing a cardiovascular workout before resistance training was far more effective than doing it the other way around. Today we'll be delving into two of the most well documented studies in this area, showing you why they reached their controversial conclusions. []
Participants in a study at the James Maddison University were subjected to an exercise program over a number of months where one group followed a cardio/weights spit and the others followed a weights/cardio split. The muscle growth in those who did their resistance training first was substantially lower than those on the opposite routine.
When it came to fat loss, the results were very similar. The Journal Of Strength And Conditioning recently commissioned a study which discovered that fat loss results were substantially higher by performing aerobic activity prior to resistance training.
Most folks at the gym base their opinion on this subject on what works for their own body. While there is nothing wrong with that approach at all, science suggests that those who insist upon working out with weights as soon as they hit the gym could increase results further by switching up their routine a little.
The main findings of recent studies focus on the effects of two enzymes:
* AMPK (aka adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase)
* Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (also called mTOR for short!)
While mTOR is the enzyme responsible for kick-starting the body into the muscle building process at the end of a tough resistance workout, AMPK gets released during aerobic activity to adjust the body for endurance. For around 60 minutes after a workout you'll have a surge of mTOR, meaning the golden window for nutrition is this period if your goal is to gain lean muscle and burn excess fat. This surge lasts around 6 hours. []
The two enzymes aren't exactly the best of friends, in fact AMPK switches off mTOR substantially. So by staying in the gym after the end of your resistance workout to jog on the treadmill for half an hour you are missing most of your golden post-workout window for nutrition and also turning down the body's spike in mTOR.
So, should you do cardio before or after weights? Whether you want to learn how to lose weight or how to pack on lean muscle, recent science is heavily on the side of performing your aerobic activity before you pick up a dumbbell.
Only in recent years has science shed any light on this topic. Until as recently as five years ago, the entire answer to this question was based on theory. This led to people being told different information by everybody they asked for advice.
Recent studies showed beyond any doubt that performing a cardiovascular workout before resistance training was far more effective than doing it the other way around. Today we'll be delving into two of the most well documented studies in this area, showing you why they reached their controversial conclusions. []
Participants in a study at the James Maddison University were subjected to an exercise program over a number of months where one group followed a cardio/weights spit and the others followed a weights/cardio split. The muscle growth in those who did their resistance training first was substantially lower than those on the opposite routine.
When it came to fat loss, the results were very similar. The Journal Of Strength And Conditioning recently commissioned a study which discovered that fat loss results were substantially higher by performing aerobic activity prior to resistance training.
Most folks at the gym base their opinion on this subject on what works for their own body. While there is nothing wrong with that approach at all, science suggests that those who insist upon working out with weights as soon as they hit the gym could increase results further by switching up their routine a little.
The main findings of recent studies focus on the effects of two enzymes:
* AMPK (aka adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase)
* Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (also called mTOR for short!)
While mTOR is the enzyme responsible for kick-starting the body into the muscle building process at the end of a tough resistance workout, AMPK gets released during aerobic activity to adjust the body for endurance. For around 60 minutes after a workout you'll have a surge of mTOR, meaning the golden window for nutrition is this period if your goal is to gain lean muscle and burn excess fat. This surge lasts around 6 hours. []
The two enzymes aren't exactly the best of friends, in fact AMPK switches off mTOR substantially. So by staying in the gym after the end of your resistance workout to jog on the treadmill for half an hour you are missing most of your golden post-workout window for nutrition and also turning down the body's spike in mTOR.
So, should you do cardio before or after weights? Whether you want to learn how to lose weight or how to pack on lean muscle, recent science is heavily on the side of performing your aerobic activity before you pick up a dumbbell.
About the Author:
Get more advice: Uncover the simple, straightforward facts behind how to lose weight with Russ Howe PTI, the UK's most watched Personal Trainer online. His free video on whether you should do cardio before or after weights will clear up this common issue for you.
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