Is Doing Cardio After Weights Superior To Doing It Beforehand?

By Russ Howe


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.
The video today will explain whether you should do cardio before or after weights in the gym.


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 is a theory which stands up nicely when you say it out loud, but loses credibility when you look at the facts scientifically.

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.

This is the enzyme responsible for signalling the start of the muscle building process after a heavy weights session. It is not uncommon to see this name on the front of various protein supplements, which all claim to cause an increase in m-TOR release to help you build more lean muscle after a hard workout. The body increases m-TOR for up to six hours after a resistance workout, making it easier for you to build lean muscle temporarily.

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 now you should be beginning to see that the last thing you should be doing following a hard resistance training session is jumping on an upright cycle and peddling for an hour! In doing so, your body will be forcing itself to wipe out much of the increased m-TOR release you caused by training with weights.

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.

So, should you do cardio before or after weights for maximum fat loss results? The latest science on the subject points heavily in favor of doing your aerobic work before you hit the weights and skipping it on leg day. Figuring out how to lose weight can be a very confusing affair, so when you have the benefit of real scientific research at your fingertips, it makes perfect sense to use it.




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