Cardio after weight lifting

[Smokescreen]

Am I wrong for doing this? Is this burning up my muscle? Or hindering me from gaining muscle?

I do 60-75mins of weight lifting followed by 60mins of cardio. All I do is put the treadmill on a 3.5 incline and a 3.5 speed and speed walk for 60mins. Once I'm done, I go to my car and eat my meal.

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[Zyglamail]

60 minutes of cardio? As in just plain steady state cardio? If thats the case, I dont care when you do it, its a waste of time.

If your not doing cardio to build endurance or improve a metabolic pathway then all your doing is burning calories and putting unneeded stress on the body. If all your doing is burning calories, then just eat a little less.

 

[Smokescreen]

60 minutes of cardio? As in just plain steady state cardio? If thats the case, I dont care when you do it, its a waste of time.

If your not doing cardio to build endurance or improve a metabolic pathway then all your doing is burning calories and putting unneeded stress on the body. If all your doing is burning calories, then just eat a little less.

I just recently as of like maybe 6 weeks ago been doing 30mins of cardio upon rising and then doing 30mins of cardio after weight training. No lie, this has caused me to lose 10lbs while still keeping my muscle. My belly has gone down A LOT!

Yes, I can cut down calories, but this just meant me being more hungry throughout the day. I go to med school so my brain needs to be functioning at 110% at all times. When I was cutting the calories, I also had to cut down on the carbs. By doing so, I was suffering pretty badly in my studys. Getting bad grades etc etc. The brain needs glucose at all times and cutting the cals made my brain performance suffer.

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[Zyglamail]

I just recently as of like maybe 6 weeks ago been doing 30mins of cardio upon rising and then doing 30mins of cardio after weight training. No lie, this has caused me to lose 10lbs while still keeping my muscle. My belly has gone down A LOT!

Yes, I can cut down calories, but this just meant me being more hungry throughout the day. I go to med school so my brain needs to be functioning at 110% at all times. When I was cutting the calories, I also had to cut down on the carbs. By doing so, I was suffering pretty badly in my studys. Getting bad grades etc etc. The brain needs glucose at all times and cutting the cals made my brain performance suffer.

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My point is steady state cardio serves little purpose other than to burn calories so if thats what your doing you could easily get back an hour of your life by simply eating a little bit less.

Hunger comes partially from exercise demands, if you werent doing that hour of cardio you may not feel so hungry with a few less calories.

I havent added any cardio at all, actually cut some out, and in the last 90 days and I havent lost any weight BUT I have dropped approx 4% bodyfat without changing my diet at all and not using any drugs not to mention I feel a lot more alert and sleep much better.

A brisk walking pace of about 3.5 mph for a 200lb guy burns about 260 calories an hour, what a waste of an hour. I dont buy for one second you cant cut 260 calories out of your diet without having problems, especially if you werent doing the extra cardio. Your life, do what ya want and believe what ya want, but you asked for opinions and I gave you mine.

If you were a couch potato I would encourage the walking but your not a couch potato so the extra work serves virtually no purpose at all, especially an hours worth.

 

[ha1a1]

60 mins on a treadmill is too much. You would be better off doing Intervals for 20 min. 1 min on 1 min off or 30sec on/off or similiar with higher intensity. Or do some jump rope/kettlebell work for 20 min same format. A 10 min light jog is ok to warm up, although I prefer to do light workout specific movements / foam rolling / mobility. Also cardio can interfere with strength gains in some people.

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[RickRock13]

I pretty much agree with what the others have said already. Excessive steady state cardio is a pretty redundant waste of time. If fat loss is your goal HIIT is superior to LISS. 15-20 minutes of that will burn more fat than 60 minutes of steady state. Limit it to about 3-4 times per week with a slight caloric defecit (preferably on non workout days) and the fat will come right off

 

[Smokescreen]

I pretty much agree with what the others have said already. Excessive steady state cardio is a pretty redundant waste of time. If fat loss is your goal HIIT is superior to LISS. 15-20 minutes of that will burn more fat than 60 minutes of steady state. Limit it to about 3-4 times per week with a slight caloric defecit (preferably on non workout days) and the fat will come right off

What should I do? I ask this because I'm in a position right now in which I cannot run due to an injury.

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[rustilldown]

What should I do? I ask this because I'm in a position right now in which I cannot run due to an injury.

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Can you bike/ or row?

 

[Smokescreen]

Can you bike/ or row?

My gym doesn't have row. Bike? Yes, but I hate it. Lol. My legs hurt like hell doing the bike. Lol

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[rustilldown]

My gym doesn't have row. Bike? Yes, but I hate it. Lol. My legs hurt like hell doing the bike. Lol

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I do bike intervals . Stand up pedal hard for 1 min then relax then peddle hard 30 seconds then relax then I'll do some 10 second all out sprints

 

[rustilldown]

I do bike intervals . Stand up pedal hard for 1 min then relax then peddle hard 30 seconds then relax then I'll do some 10 second all out sprints

Doing this for 10-15 min will jack your metabolism more than and slow paced cardio .

 

[Zyglamail]

What should I do? I ask this because I'm in a position right now in which I cannot run due to an injury.

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Why do you need to run?

Most of the workouts that kicked my ass in terms of endurance had no running at all in them.

Can you do bodyweight squats? pullups? pushups? situps? Head over to the crossfit site and look at some of their workouts without running. I gaurantee any of those little 5-15 minute ass kickers will burn many times more calories than your wasted hour of steady state cardio due to EPOC.

 

[stevesmi]

if you want to build mass you need to cut down on your cardio of course. go to a 5K and look at what runners look like, there is a reason for that.

 

[Smokescreen]

if you want to build mass you need to cut down on your cardio of course. go to a 5K and look at what runners look like, there is a reason for that.

I don't want to build any more mass. I'm getting way more women the way I look now. I don't want to be big ever again. Those days are long gone for me. I rather look "muscular" and leaned out, like a god, not like a gorilla.

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[ha1a1]

You want to preserve muscle at the very least. Adress it with nutrition timing before and after training. I like to get something out of cardio more than just burning calories. Introducing complex jump rope skills will build agility and speed on your feet and good reflex action. Mix up some high knee running on the spot crossovers with double unders etc. Even if you mess up on the rope your heart rate is up and over time you jumping becomes a high intensity routine.

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[stevesmi]

I don't want to build any more mass. I'm getting way more women the way I look now. I don't want to be big ever again. Those days are long gone for me. I rather look "muscular" and leaned out, like a god, not like a gorilla.

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hell then keep doing what you are doing.

you are pretty much doing 2 hours of training and I salute you

 

[MaxxReps]

I've done cardio both before and after training and haven't noticed much difference. Personally, I like doing my cardio first thing in the morning and doing weight training later in the day. I do a bit of cardio every day but to be honest don't really like it so have come to terms with the fact that I don't really like it after weight training. I love weight training so much I hate to end it with an activity that I don't really like. I like to leave the gym with the high I get from lifting weights

Also, I don't necessary agree with everyone saying steady state cardio is a waste. I do think though that lots of people don't put enough effort into it. I see people walking on treadmills, or going so slow on the elliptical that they can easily chat with their friend next to them. I do a bit of steady state cardio every day but go as hard as I can for the time that I have allotted. I could not possibly have a conversation and after 30 minutes seriously look like I just got out of the shower. I find this very effective.

 

[Zyglamail]

I do a bit of steady state cardio every day but go as hard as I can for the time that I have allotted. I could not possibly have a conversation and after 30 minutes seriously look like I just got out of the shower. I find this very effective.

Very effective at what?

Steady state cardio serves the purpose, if done intensely, to improve that modes energy pathway. Yes it also burns calories BUT not as effectivly as other shorter forms of "cardio".

One has to ask themselves "Why am I doing cardio?", whats the purpose? Then plan and perform cardio to serve that purpose.

If you want to improve your 1-5 mile times, sure get on a treadmill or run 5 miles. But aside from marginally helping your 5 mile times its NOT the most effective way to burn calories and I would argue that steady state alone is also NOT the best way to improve your 5 mile times.

If you want to train for all around cardio endurance the occasional steady state cardio has its place but if your goal is improving overall cardio then you wouldnt just do only 30-60 minute steady state cardio.

The biggest problem people have is they dont train with a purpose or goal in mind which means the methods they use are generally inefficient because they arent goal oriented.

In the case of the OP, burning calories seemed to be his goal and with that goal in mind an hour of steady state cardio is NOT the most efficient way to get the job done.

At the end of the day if people want to continually wade in a sea of mediocrity thats fine, its their life. I love training but I have a life. I want to get the most out of the least amount of time training.

 

[MaxxReps]

I am in my later 40's and want to keep my cardio health up. I have already done the things on my bucketlist like running many many 5K's, a few 10K's and a 20K. I will sit around for a half an hour after waking anyway so decide to spend that time on my machine sweating.

30 minutes is nothing out of my day. I usually do 15 min HIIT and 15 min steady state first thing in the morning, 7 days a week. I do this both for general health purposes and do make my diet a little easier (I tend to burn about 650 calories in that half hour which gives me a bit more flexibility in my diet).

In terms of mediocrity - I am very happy with my fitness level and overall physique and judging by the reaction I get from people around me both in and out of the gym I am anything but mediocre.

 

[Zyglamail]

I am in my later 40's and want to keep my cardio health up. I have already done the things on my bucketlist like running many many 5K's, a few 10K's and a 20K. I will sit around for a half an hour after waking anyway so decide to spend that time on my machine sweating.

30 minutes is nothing out of my day. I usually do 15 min HIIT and 15 min steady state first thing in the morning, 7 days a week. I do this both for general health purposes and do make my diet a little easier (I tend to burn about 650 calories in that half hour which gives me a bit more flexibility in my diet).

In terms of mediocrity - I am very happy with my fitness level and overall physique and judging by the reaction I get from people around me both in and out of the gym I am anything but mediocre.

Im in late 40's as well. 30 minutes isnt a huge deal but the ops trudges along for 60 minutes a day to burn what 260 calories? Whats the purpose? Whats the goal? There is virtually no benefit from day in and day out steady state, slow trudge cardio beyond burning that 260 calories.

Your 15 minutes of HIIT is all you really need based on your above comments, that 15 minute steady state likely isnt doing anything for you but burning about 60 calories. YOU have a goal and are doing cardio to meet your goal, although I think you could cut out the steady state part.

Your equating your 15 minutes HIIT and 15 minutes high output to the ops slow steady state and its not even close to the same thing. What you are doing and what the op is doing isnt even comparable.

The op is complaining about the need to burn calories but then using a time consuming poor method to do so. He could burn a lot more calories in a fraction of the time AND at the same time improve VO2 max even without running.

My "attack" is not on your goal oriented approach its on your comment that steady state cardio is "very effective" because its not, not when I can burn 2-6 times more calories AND improve endurance in less than 15 minutes.

 

[mdpasha]

^^ I agree with the above post.
Pop some aminos & hop on cardio HIIT style & twick ur diet.

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[Smokescreen]

Im in late 40's as well. 30 minutes isnt a huge deal but the ops trudges along for 60 minutes a day to burn what 260 calories? Whats the purpose? Whats the goal? There is virtually no benefit from day in and day out steady state, slow trudge cardio beyond burning that 260 calories.

Your 15 minutes of HIIT is all you really need based on your above comments, that 15 minute steady state likely isnt doing anything for you but burning about 60 calories. YOU have a goal and are doing cardio to meet your goal, although I think you could cut out the steady state part.

Your equating your 15 minutes HIIT and 15 minutes high output to the ops slow steady state and its not even close to the same thing. What you are doing and what the op is doing isnt even comparable.

The op is complaining about the need to burn calories but then using a time consuming poor method to do so. He could burn a lot more calories in a fraction of the time AND at the same time improve VO2 max even without running.

My "attack" is not on your goal oriented approach its on your comment that steady state cardio is "very effective" because its not, not when I can burn 2-6 times more calories AND improve endurance in less than 15 minutes.

So what is it exactly I should do for 15mins to burn more cals and improve endurance? Remember, my L4 and L5 are really messed up. I can't do any jumping or running because of this injury. Just tell me what to do and ill do it.

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[zazen5]

Anaerobic training differs from that of a long walk. Certainly the walking will benefit your health. For that it is worthwhile. You will train the mitochondria to burn fat doing the long walk and the aerobic exercise will help remove the waste products in the muscles from the weights. Will it inhibit force production? Not likely given that you do the walking after the weights. I question if you need to go for such a long time. It is difficult to maximize strength while losing large amounts of fat. Some people would rather do shorter more intense sessions of anaerobic types of exercise like sprints in which case the recovery would be aerobic and fat burning. The real question is what feels right to you. Go by that rather than what you "should" do.

 

[Smokescreen]

Anaerobic training differs from that of a long walk. Certainly the walking will benefit your health. For that it is worthwhile. You will train the mitochondria to burn fat doing the long walk and the aerobic exercise will help remove the waste products in the muscles from the weights. Will it inhibit force production? Not likely given that you do the walking after the weights. I question if you need to go for such a long time. It is difficult to maximize strength while losing large amounts of fat. Some people would rather do shorter more intense sessions of anaerobic types of exercise like sprints in which case the recovery would be aerobic and fat burning. The real question is what feels right to you. Go by that rather than what you "should" do.

Wish I could sprint. Hell! Wish I could run, but I can't. The impact onto my L4 and L5 would make me scream in pain.

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[zazen5]

Like I said, focus on what you can do. My wife's back is messed up in same area and has trouble even doing elliptical training(bulging discs). She wants to lose weight but her back locks up just walking around. Some things that may help: Stretching, situps core work(if possible), chiropractic(?), methylsulfonyl methane(msm supplement). The main thing is to not make injuries worse. One thing you certainly could do is karate type punching/blocking drills with a slight squat(60 degree squat?) this shouldnt aggravate the back and would give help in lessening frustration. What about swimming?

 

[Zyglamail]

So what is it exactly I should do for 15mins to burn more cals and improve endurance? Remember, my L4 and L5 are really messed up. I can't do any jumping or running because of this injury. Just tell me what to do and ill do it.

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I already said goto the crossfit site and look at their workouts and pick one that appears to be shorter duration with exercises you can do.

You can string a lot of body weight exercises/low weight barbell stuff that will get you breathing plenty heavy if you put a clock on it.

 

[amped_up]

GREAT and VERY COMMON question!

I could give you a dissertation on this subject and your question, but I'm a LONG TIME returning member and I know how that used to be we'll just say "frowned-upon" back in the day from someone without enough cred built or gained back yet...

You've already been given some good advice, but if you would like to see it fully explained in GREAT DETAIL, read the book Pace and you will more than answer you're question...