Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Is Cardio Better Before Weights Or Afterwards?

By Russ Howe


At some stage, everyone who wants to know how to lose weight finds themselves in a situation in the gym where they are getting conflicting advice from everyone they talk to. One of those situations involves this question - should you do cardio before or after weights?

Today you will discover the facts behind the answer to this question.

Conflicting information is everywhere, particularly on the gym floor. What works for one person might not work for the next person and this causes confusion. Most people falsely believe that doing aerobic activity after a training session is a superior way to increase fat loss and lean muscle growth. Today you will discover the answer based upon scientific research, rather than gym opinions.

This particular belief stacks up well from a common sense point of view, but when you look at the latest scientific research available you will be surprised at the findings.

During aerobic and anaerobic activity, the body is forced to make several internal changes to help you adapt to your heavy workload. One such change is the release of two very important enzymes which play a vital role in both the effectiveness of a resistance training workout and your ability to perform cardiovascular exercise. The first enzyme we will look at here is m-TOR.

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.

The enzyme released during cardiovascular activity, on the other hand, is known as AMPK.

Here is the real kicker - AMPK release blunts m-TOR release significantly!

So by jumping on a treadmill after your weights workout and doing half an hour of cardio exercise, you are actually causing your body to release a spike of AMPK and shut down much of the increased m-TOR you caused by working hard on the iron in the first place.

Further studies have since gone on to reveal that pre workout cardiovascular activity does not zap your muscles of strength either. It impacts only the muscles which are involved during the cardio itself, so for example a bike would impact your legs. To get full benefit from increased m-TOR, common sense would decree that you should be avoiding post workout cardio and to avoid ruining your ability with weights on leg days simply drop cardio from your routine here.

Learning how to lose weight can be a confusing path, with many conflicting opinions often causing confusion along the way. The next time somebody asks should you do cardio before or after weights, you can help the with the latest scientific research rather than gym myths.




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