Just some question dear friends. Is it wise to do around a 20-min cardio right before my workout? Just want to cut fats (not to say I'm very fat). I saw in some magazines, the model's workout plan has a 5km jog everyday! is that the reason why he gets such a tonned body?

i always do 30min of cardio b4 other workout...

No man, it's not. That's because you'll be draining your muscle glycogen sources, which is needed for your intense (or at least it should be) workout. Do it after. Cardio is less intense (unless it's HIIT) so you can use your glycogen source for the weights and fat source for cardio.

some ppl use cardio as warm up, but to me 20 min is a lil too long for cardio warm up. prob 5-10 will do.

Why would anyone make themselves tired first before they go lift something heavy?
Later drop a dumbbell on the feet, or sprain the elbows while pushing a sissy pec deck.

But i think that depends on what your ultimate goal is right ? cutting fats or gaining solid muscle

if u really want lose fat, then do cardio on a seperate day itself.

cardio not pain pain ar?

ahha..alright ..thanks for your advices..guess i won't include that in my routine anymore!!!

Or if you've got quite a bit of time, cardio in the mornings and weights in the evenings.

if you are doing 3 days workout /week
then maybe you can do this
day 1 : 5 minutes cardio + workout
day 2 : cardio day (20-30 minute, up to you)
day 3 : 5 minutes cardio + workout
day 4 : cardio day
and so on..

or else you can try the morning + evening plan as -Dan suggested

I'm curious. What kind of cardio do u do for 20 minutes? Do you know your heart rate during that activity?

Alright .. Thanks for the info..I think i'll do that! hehe

Btw..my heart heart around 120-128. Thats what i checked at the machine!

120-128 is negligible. You can still do weights after that, just remember to replenish ur energy back.

If you're talking 170-190 then it's different story

just wondering what's the better cardio exercise than the others? running? walking? are there drinks or things that u consume b4 ur cardio that helps u burn fat more efficiently?

Top 10 Food that burn fat
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/...t-burn-fat.html

i jump rope, cheapest and easiest cardio, you can do it anywhere

I do cardio before my workout so that I can warm out before lifting. My cardio will usually be jogging on the thread mill. I think 5-10 minute is sufficient.

Laxatives?

Empty stomach cardio

Izzit the healty way to lose weight?

Do you even understand the meaning of that word???

Are you even serious with what you're saying? Do check on the definition first before replying blindly. You've just made my day.

Laxatives (also known as purgatives or aperients) are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation
Quoted from :en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxatives

i think you guys got fooled by arekey

In my opinion, the best time to do cardio is on days that you aren't lifting. If you have to do them the same day because of time constraints, then separating the sessions by 6 hours or more is ideal to allow your nervous and endocrine systems to stabilize once again. If that isn't possible, then doing your cardio after you finish lifting is acceptable. However, I would keep the intensity low here to prevent excess catabolism. Ingesting some protein and BCAAs will also go a long way in preserving lean muscle mass if you must resort to these tactics.

DL, beetween HIIT and slow cardio, which one is more suitable to torch the fat and preserve muscle?

Hmm, it seems that most recommends that we split up weightlifting & cardio sessions, my current gym days consists of 45min-1h cardio and 30-45min weightlifting, i do my weightlifting right after cardio, so this is not good eh? I am still able to lift heavier weight every each other week though.

I do gain muscle mass but not as much as i hoped for so maybe this is the cause? I do not take any supplements though, thinking of getting some whey protein as i do not usually eat high protein foods as much.

EDIT: My main goal is to lose weight and get a toned body (ripped), i'm not a bodybuilder.

This post has been edited by Xonius: Jun 18 2010, 12:12 PM

Regardless of your goals, NEVER EVER do cardio before weightlifting. Ever!





























Did i say ever?

If you want to do cardio earlier in the day, make sure you do your weight training at least 6 hours after that.

wasn't an expert here, but your question is very much related to your ultimate target.
if you just want to cut on some fat, more cardio and less workouts is fine.
else, if you want to looks like a bodybuilder contender, cardio and workouts on separate day will be just nice!
less cardio(not on the gym day)and more workouts + proper diet is the key to nice muscle!
food for thought; why does short distance runner own a body we can only dream of....while those of long distance runner(endurance)
looks something we wanted to avoid to...

btw, i don't understand why ppl wanted to do cardio before hitting the weight. cardio itself already burn much of... and weightlifting will finished
whatever is not.... and here you are getting exhausted more than ever!
to avoid a cramp, proper stretching is fine before hitting the weight. that's all.
been there doing that, but still, guys, correct me if am wrong

Anyway since our resident expert here has advised me not to do cardio before workout, i shall follow it and hopefully i will gain much more noticeable muscle mass.

I actually did not had much problems doing cardio before workout, i could do 1 hour full intense cardio (not HIIT though) and 1 hour weightlifting/strength training.

Oh well, time to try something new.

BTW, thanks DL for the advice.

This post has been edited by Xonius: Jun 19 2010, 03:55 PM

Np. Oh you definitely won't have problems but your weight training would be twice as effective if you didn't waste ATP on cardio for an hour. =)

this just means you are not doing both well at all.. wtf kind of "intense cardio" are you doing that leaves you still able to lift weights after that? not that intense i would say... what is the distance that you jog? what is your weightlifting plan?

Actually the only intense cardio I know is sex. Other than that anything else takes away muscle.