I'm sure this has been answered before, but I couldn't find it.

I am currently cutting and want to preserve as much muscle as I possibly can while losing fat. I do cardio three days a week, sometimes moderate, sometimes HIIT. One of those days I work my shoulders, while the other two days I work my abs.

I'm just wondering if I should do the cardio before or after the ab/shoulder work. The only time I can work out is between 6:00 and 7:00 PM at night, and I eat dinner right afterward. I've heard a lot of conflicting view points on eating right after cardio, whether or not to do it before or after weight training, etc.

Thanks!

I would say that if you are doing HIIT you should do it after weights because if you do it the other way around you will not have that much strenght in your body when you hit the weights.

If you weightlift before your cardio you should eat right after your workout like you do now because then your muscle will need some fuel to rebuild. That's atleast what people have told me.

You're never ever going to get a straight answer on this. Do what feels good to you. I prefer cardio after, because I like having energy to push myself to the limit when I lift.

I lift for 45-60 minutes then do cardio around 75-90% maxHR for 30 mins and then have my post workout meal.

I choose after because if I did it before, I'd kill my energy for the lifting session which is more important IMO.

That's pretty much the way I feel about it, but it never hurts to get others' opinions. Thanks!

After intense workout glycogen stores are depleted. You are in danger of muslce loss because of that if you do cardio after.
That is just my opinion, if it works for you doint it after go with it. Like with cardio first thing in the morning, you cannot get simple answer on this.
But I believe (especialy when speaking of muscle retaining/gaining) your muscle need rest after workout, so I plan my cardio on days without workout.

I do mine on non-lifting days but Jeremy was recommending doing 5-10 mins of moderate cardio before lifting in order to warm up the body overall before the brutal workout to follow.