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whens the best time to do cardio

gooseman

By gooseman
in Bodybuilding & aesthetics

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gooseman New member

gooseman

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when is the most effective time to do cardio for losing fat but still building muscle - i mainly do my weights workout around 6:30-6.45am and finish around 7:35ish -but then I have to shoot off to work (8am start) straight from the gym after having a shower-work is about a 3 min walk from the gym-I try and run (4.5km)home from work most days at around 5ish - should I do cardio straight after workout-lunch time or after work to get the most from it

I can't train in the evenings-any advice?

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agent86 Member

agent86

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You can still build muscle while doing cardio if you eat enough and do your cardio a long way from training weights.You will build cardio fitness. However you won't build muscle and lose fat by doing cardio. The simple principle of calories in versus calories out comes into play. Either gain muscle or lose fat, you choose.

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teamfatboy Veteran member

teamfatboy

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I'm sorry, but I disagree with Agent86... based on personal experience, I've been able to improve lean muscle mass, while reducing bodyfat, based on skinfold measurements. It's a fine line, tho, balancing weights work, diet (quantity and composition) and cardio load.

Cardio won't build muscle - only weight training will do that. But, if you do cardio immediately after weight training, you will get some bodyfat reduction.

It helps if your diet's in calorie deficit - if you're eating to bulk up (so calories in excess of basal metabolic needs), cardio is counterproductive - you're just burning calories from the excess you've ingested.

Of four times to do cardio, the WORST is immediately before weights. Cardio after weights is much better, if you can fit in the hour-half to two hours for the combined weights/cardio. Before breakfast, on an empty stomach, is another good option. Another is last thing at night - evenign meal, an hour's break or so, then cardio, shake, sleep.

A lot depends on what type of cardio - Low-intensity, steady-state, or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). I think the general concensus now is that HIIT, done right, gets the best fat-buring bang for the buck.

Just my 5c worth.

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agent86 Member

agent86

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This article is inspired by a lot of the questions people have e-mailed to me since I've had this site up. I must have answered this question 100's of times by now. The questions are usually something like "How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?" or "I want to lose fat but gain muscle at the same time, how can I do it?" If you went into a gym and took a poll of what everyone's goal was, I can bet that most, if not all, would say to gain muscle and lose fat. I doubt there is anyone who just wants to lose fat, they want to gain muscle while they are at it, and visa-versa! So, is it? Is it possible to both lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? No, it is NOT possible, and I will not only tell you why its not possible, but I'll also tell you how you can do both, just not at the same time.

To lose fat, what do you have to do? You have to do lots of cardio, eat a low carb/low fat/lower calorie diet, and of course, lift weights. To gain muscle, what do you have to do? Do little or no cardio, eat a high calorie/higher carb/higher fat diet, and again, lift weights. Did you notice something there? Yup, they are complete opposites. Trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time would be like trying to sit and stand at the same time. It just can't be done. This is why most people who are trying to do both at the same time see no results and give up. So, then how can it be done? How can you lose fat and gain muscle if you can't do both at the same time? Simple, you don't do them at the same time. You do them in phases.

I know it would be great to lose fat and gain muscle as then nobody would need a mass building phase and a diet phase for competition and we would all be big and lean. From my experience in body measurements and dieting for 15 years every single diet has resulted in muscle loss. Cardio for me always results in muscle loss so I don't do a great deal. I wish it was not true but it is. Every new person who joins this site wants to lose fat and gain muscle. If you think you can eat excess calories and then burn some fat and keep lean you are kidding yourself These are my opinions of course and are based on my experience and reading articles on the subject.

If you know of a way to prove me wrong I will be happy to try it.

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Deafness New member

Deafness

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Hey can contribute somewhat, My experience with fat loss, I do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty gut, then do my weight routine, heavy weight 3-4 set 10-12 rep splits 3 days cardio and 3 days weights. Low fat low carb, high protein diet.

I was a pretty fat bugger at 250 kg and now 8-9 month later I am still a fat bugger but not as fat LOL 162kg. I find cardio best done for me in morning empty gut or after my weight routine, if I sleep in or have eaten.

Peace

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agent86 Member

agent86

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SamoanMuscle wrote

When dieting down for shows in the past, I’ve increased my lean body mass by 2-3kgs and I’ve had regular fat tests done to prove it.

Sorry, agent86 but it is actually possible to do regular fat burning cardio without burning up muscle – especially when done with AAS

.

Using calipers to calculate lean body mass is not accurate. This is a really rough guide and includes your skeleton and internal organ mass. If you are using this measurement for your argument then you may be misled. 2 weeks from competition my skinfold came back at 12 percent but I was ripped for competition. Using the electrical current scales I measured 28 percent. Did you take measurements of your biceps, thighs etc before and after your diet?

If you think it is possible then please tell this newbie how to do it and see if it works for him. I would be rapt to put on 3kg of muscle even when bulking so i might try it myself-Yeah right.

Anyway the question of when to do cardio! I usually do cardio well away from weight training whether dieting or mass building. Either on my non training days or in the morning and do weights at night

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Deafness New member

Deafness

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Posted another thread without seeing this one first.. what are peoples opinions on fasted cardio? Effective without burning muscle provided your loaded up on bcaas during? Or too catabolic even with bcaas?

Sorry dont mind me, I just thought reason for the cardio earily morning was for the same reason "fasted state" (stolen section from BK site) Early in the morning before you eat, your levels of muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbohydrate) are low. If you eat dinner at 7p.m and you eat breakfast at 7 a.m., that's 12 hours without food. During this 12-hour overnight fast, your levels of glycogen slowly decline to provide glucose for various bodily functions that go on even while you sleep. As a result, you wake up in the morning with depleted glycogen and lower blood sugar - the optimum environment for burning fat instead of carbohydrate. How much more fat you'll burn is uncertain, but some studies have suggested that up to 300% more fat is burned when cardio is done in a fasted, glycogen-depleted state.

http://www.bigkiwi.co.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22

I think I did read somewhere here on BBNZ that BCAA or amino was a good thing, post morning cardio. but I am unsure about that.

I hope thats on topic.. my bad if it not what you meant.

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vincent vega Junior member

vincent vega

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Isnt the "body for life" book all about gaining lean muscle and burning fat at the same time?

I dont follow it but have had a good flick through. It would suggest that this was possible.

I am burning fat whilst building lean mass. I have a very fine tuned diet. It has taken weeks to adjust my body to accept my diet but it works.

I was once told by a body builder that its ok to eat McDonalds cos its got loads of calories. Sorry but What a dick.

Its possible to bulk on the correct foods without gaining shit loads of fat.

I will be competing next year and have a diary of all my food intake from day one. I can prove this then.

Oh and i find that the best time for cardio is on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. It is true that more fat is burned at this time. Hence less cardio for the same results.

My weight training runs for five days solid. Only 5 minutes cardio for a warm up to get the heart rate up.

One day of complete rest and one day of HIIT Thats my week.

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vincent vega Junior member

vincent vega

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body for life is a joke.

I agree that its not the best out there. It works for some.

The point is that its basics are slow building and fat burning together.

I am sure that if read and fully understood, when followed to the detail it may produce the results.

That can be said of most any likewise book. E.g the Atkins diet. How many read the book fully and understood it and how many flicked through and tried what they THOUGHT it was abought.

It all boils down to what works for the individual and if it aint working change it.

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Grego Member

Grego

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body for life is a joke.

I agree for a a bodybuilder it is. But I reckon as a starting point, it isn't too bad. I mean the amount of times I have had people come up to me and ask "How do I lose fat and what should be eating and when?" etc I point them in the Body for Life book direction. Sure the training isn't my cup of tea, but in saying that, I may choose in the off season to do a bit of that for a month to shock, and of course it gives me more time out of the gym as I normally do a four day split and BFL is three (not including cardio)

The nutrition is simply providing a nice starting point for newbies I reckon.

I did the BFL competition through EAS NZ years ago, and it was a good start for me; I lost 10kg of fat and gained 3kg of muscle in the required 3 months, following their guidelines of nutrition, resistance training and cardio.

Cheers

Grego

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  • 2 weeks later...
Fenriswolf New member

Fenriswolf

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Surely most people would agree it is a poor idea to entirely neglect cardio training? Bulk development notwithstanding, you need a strong heart to keep your body running, and doubly so if you're exceptionally muscular.

And as an aside, what is the generally accepted definition of "cardio" on here? As far as I'm concerned cardio is simply any extended exercise that raises your heartrate, but I get the impression that in the context of bodybuilding it refers to stimulating a specific % of max HR? Maybe? :-s

Cheers 8)

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