Doing Cardio – Before or After Resistance Training?
Question:
Should I do cardio before or after resistance training? How long should I do it?
I’m trying to both lose weight and build lean muscle. I normally do 30 min of cardio followed by strength training. What is the best way to get results? Should I do carido first or after strength training? How long should I do it for? I’m a 33 year old female looking to get back in shape after my first child. Any help would be greatly appreciated! =)
I go to the gym for about an hour to an hour and a half, four to five times a week. I go in the evening about an hour after supper. Also I have an additional question, can I do ab work everyday, or should I rest between days?
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2 Responses to Doing Cardio – Before or After Resistance Training?
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Seems like you’re spending a lot of time in the gym. Is it working for you?
@Kyle gives good advice. Basically limit your cardio to a brief warm up and cool down because it’s the resistance training that’s going to build the muscle and it’s the muscle and after-burn from training that’s going to burn the fat.
About that ab workout every day. You need to allow your muscles to recoup so skip a day between ab workouts.
You can also workout at home. Bodylastics, the resistance band makers) has a group of fantastic free online workout shows for muscle building, toning, cardio, abs, Pilates, Kenpo, baseball and even a workout show for teens. You can get the free resistance training workouts here.
As a trainer the only reason i would ever tell anyone to do cardio before your lifting weights would be because they would probably skip it otherwise. A lot of poeple hate cardio and if they do not do it first they will find some excuse to skip it after strength training. The only cardio that should be done before liffing is a light 5-10 minute warmup and some non-static stretching. The reason being is it takes more energy for your body to lift weights or strength train than it does to do cardio, so you will be taking a lot of needed energy away from your lifting if you do cardio first. Also if you run after it will help loosen and stretch the muscles which is extremely important for muscle grownth and recovery after a workout. You actually burn more calories while strength training than doing cardio so it important to give your all into the lifting portion of your workout. If you feel that doing cardio after lifting is to difficult then do it on your days off from your strength training or you can do it before lifting its just more beneficial after.
for best results try somehting like
5-10 warmup could be bike treadmill jump rope ect.
30-60 minutes of strength training
You cardio portion 15-30 minutes (rotate between doing long distance cardio and some kind of interval type training where you would sprint and then rest and repeat a number of times. Suggestion sprint for 30 seconds rest at a jog or light walk for 60 seconds or even stop if you have to then repeat ten or so times.
Finish with a 5 minute cooldown on treadmill bike jump rope ect.
Fullbody stretch.
If i knew how long you wanted to workout i could give better more acurate information but hopefully this helps. If you need more help message me.