For fat loss if I am doing cardio and weights together is it best to do the weights first then the cardio, or vice versa?

I think weights first as cardio would deplete glycogen stores making lifting harder, but would like confirmation.

Also if doing this is a PWO shake after the whole deal acceptable, or should it be taken after weights and before cardio?

My overall goal is fat loss.

Cheers

I do the cardio immediately after weights and have my PWO meal as soon as I can after that.

I set aside a day for lifting.. and the only cardio I do that day is a 20 minute light jog in the morning before breakfast. (Empty stomach cardio)

I lift every third day.. and cycle/jog the days in between.

So far.. so good. Of course I just started my lifting routine.. before it was only cardio.

One question I always had was about AM cardio exercise. Are you supposed to jump out of bed and start running immediately? Are you supposed to eat or drink anything first? By AM do people mean 10:30 after they've been up for a few hours? Etc.

I really have no time for morning work right now on my current schedule but you never know when that will change so I'm a bit curious.

AM cardio is a misnomer, it should be called empty stomach cardio. and probably do it within the first hour of being up.
I get up at 5:30 am now to fit in cardio and 6 meals :p

For the lifting then cardio routine:

If you lifting intensity is mildly hard on you, you need a protein shake within a half an hour to increase protein synthesis after lifting. If you lift then do cardio, your glycogen is depleted and instead of burning fat, you burn muscles.

Since I only have time to make it to the gym once a day, I always do about 30-40 minutes of cardio, then I lift a muscle group, then I do a high intensity interval for about 10 minutes, then I go straight home and drink a protein shake. By doing my workout in this order, I burn most of my carbs in my 30-40 minutes of cardio, and it's also when I burn the most calories. When I move on to lifting, I am mainly burning fat because glycogen is depleted. As soon as I'm done lifting, I force myself to do 10 minutes of sprinting/incline walking/jogging in an intense interval because I am still burning fat. Your lactic acid build up is also helped by the flowing of blood to your worked muscles after a lift through cardio. If you want to see the increase in size and strength in your muscles, you need a protein shake within half an hour after lifting so your muscles do not get used for energy in the body.

For the lifting then cardio routine:

If you lifting intensity is mildly hard on you, you need a protein shake within a half an hour to increase protein synthesis after lifting. If you lift then do cardio, your glycogen is depleted and instead of burning fat, you burn muscles.

Since I only have time to make it to the gym once a day, I always do about 30-40 minutes of cardio, then I lift a muscle group, then I do a high intensity interval for about 10 minutes, then I go straight home and drink a protein shake. By doing my workout in this order, I burn most of my carbs in my 30-40 minutes of cardio, and it's also when I burn the most calories. When I move on to lifting, I am mainly burning fat because glycogen is depleted. As soon as I'm done lifting, I force myself to do 10 minutes of sprinting/incline walking/jogging in an intense interval because I am still burning fat. Your lactic acid build up is also helped by the flowing of blood to your worked muscles after a lift through cardio. If you want to see the increase in size and strength in your muscles, you need a protein shake within half an hour after lifting so your muscles do not get used for energy in the body.


I'm afraid you have some of your facts wrong. It's actually carbs that are more important in the post workout meal. Protein is even considered by some to not be necessary at all PWO, but these days everyone seems to make sure to have protein in some form.

As for the post-lifting cardio, yes glycogen is depleted and that is why you are in a state to burn more fat than if it were not. Yes, you may risk burning muscle if you go for too long, but anything under 30 minutes should be fine. However, when you do cardio before lifting, you deplete the gycogen that is important during a lifting session for both energy/intensity and preventing your body being in a completely catabolic state.

30-40 mins cardio -> lifting -> 10 mins HIIT seems to me like a much more ineffective approach than just a 5-10 min warmup -> lifting -> 20-25 mins of intense cardio

As long as you get those post workout nutrients in within 45 mins or so, you should/will be fine.

karate seems to know his stuff from other posts so I might go with that...have been stuck lately so need to change it up a bit, and extra cardio is the thing to do I think..

thanks all for your help

For fat loss if I am doing cardio and weights together is it best to do the weights first then the cardio, or vice versa?

I think weights first as cardio would deplete glycogen stores making lifting harder, but would like confirmation.

Also if doing this is a PWO shake after the whole deal acceptable, or should it be taken after weights and before cardio?

My overall goal is fat loss.

Cheers

Aerobic/Anaerobic activity should be performed seperately at totally different times of the day to reap the benefits of fat loss, and anabolism from the pwo feedings.

Slamming down a carb-ridden pwo shake and more pwo feedings after (ideally) raise insulin levels and stop any fat burning IMMEDIATELY. The focus post-workout is to feed the muscles and stop cortisol, not do cardio to increase cortisol, only to slam the pwo shake much later than the ideal "window of opportunity" following a workout.

If you can only make it to the gym once per day, then u have to do what u have to do I suppose, but it's far from ideal.


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If you can only make it to the gym once per day, then u have to do what u have to do I suppose, but it's far from ideal.

Precisely. I am certainly not about to argue with a professional, because I will lose. However, I know there are some weeks where I just don't have the time for two workout sessions a day, (cardio & lifting) separately. Therefore, although it's not ideal, I opt to do cardio very intensely for 20 mins or so after lifting. Even if I don't reap the benefits of lypolysis, I still burn a good 300 calories and put my metabolism through the roof for hours after.

I don't just do it blindly, I've seen several people who have the physique I would be more than happy to end up with use this training method, so I use it when necessary.

Thank Swole...i forgot to mention in original post that I know totally separate is better, but if forced to do together I wanted to know which works best.

Totally bro, it was not my intention to argue w/ya, you are a very helpful person. :cool:

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Precisely. I am certainly not about to argue with a professional, because I will lose. However, I know there are some weeks where I just don't have the time for two workout sessions a day, (cardio & lifting) separately. Therefore, although it's not ideal, I opt to do cardio very intensely for 20 mins or so after lifting. Even if I don't reap the benefits of lypolysis, I still burn a good 300 calories and put my metabolism through the roof for hours after.

I don't just do it blindly, I've seen several people who have the physique I would be more than happy to end up with use this training method, so I use it when necessary.