If you are trying to maximize lean muscle
growth, should you do cardio before or after weights? This question is
regularly asked in gyms around the world by folks trying to learn how to
build muscle quickly and today we'll answer it with the latest
scientific findings.
Thanks to the ongoing scientific research being performed in the health and fitness industry, many of the old myths and theories which were used for years have now been either confirmed as fact or condemned to ancient myth. This area is the latest to go under the microscope.
The last decade has seen a growing number of scientific studies in this specific area. Finally we're at a stage where definitive answers can be given on the topic.
The video today will explain whether you should do cardio before or after weights in the gym.
The answer may surprise you. Despite popular opinion, you should be performing your cardiovascular work before you begin weight training. Most instructors and fitness enthusiasts recommend doing it the other way around, the theory behind that approach being that if you hit the weights after a cardiovascular session your muscles will already be significantly worn out.
Despite the old theory that you'll exhaust your muscles if you do aerobic work before resistance training, science proves that the opposite is true. Test subjects experienced better weight loss and muscular hypertrophy when they did aerobic work first.
This also applied to individuals performing high intensity interval training, too.
How is this possible? It's mainly down to two enzymes which the body releases during prolonged exercise activity. Those two enzymes are AMPK and mTOR. AMPK is the enemy of building lean muscle tissue. It's released to help the body adapt to endurance exercise, so you'll notice this enzyme during cardiovascular activity.
When you finish a resistance workout, however, the body responds by increasing the release of an enzyme known as mTOR. This turns on the recovery process and helps you to build more lean muscle. The 2 enzymes don't work together well. In fact, having AMPK in your system will switch off the release of mTOR. So, by staying on a treadmill after your finish your weight training you'll significantly turn down your release of mTOR.
Once the body releases mTOR you enter the golden window for post-workout nutrition. This peaks at one hour in length, although mTOR levels stay increased for up to 6 hours in total. To get the most from this period, simply avoid releasing any AMPK during this time.
This information comes in very handy for those who like to separate their workouts into two separate sessions per day. If you keep six hours between each workout you'll be able to get the full benefits of the muscle repairing process switched on by mTOR enzyme before you release any AMPK during cardiovascular activity.
When you are trying to lean how to build muscle in the gym, you'll encounter many areas which are shrouded in mystery and doubt, often coming down to little more than personal opinion. Thanks to ongoing scientific research, however, the question 'Should you do cardio before or after weights?' is no longer something which falls into this category.
Thanks to the ongoing scientific research being performed in the health and fitness industry, many of the old myths and theories which were used for years have now been either confirmed as fact or condemned to ancient myth. This area is the latest to go under the microscope.
The last decade has seen a growing number of scientific studies in this specific area. Finally we're at a stage where definitive answers can be given on the topic.
The answer may surprise you. Despite popular opinion, you should be performing your cardiovascular work before you begin weight training. Most instructors and fitness enthusiasts recommend doing it the other way around, the theory behind that approach being that if you hit the weights after a cardiovascular session your muscles will already be significantly worn out.
Despite the old theory that you'll exhaust your muscles if you do aerobic work before resistance training, science proves that the opposite is true. Test subjects experienced better weight loss and muscular hypertrophy when they did aerobic work first.
This also applied to individuals performing high intensity interval training, too.
How is this possible? It's mainly down to two enzymes which the body releases during prolonged exercise activity. Those two enzymes are AMPK and mTOR. AMPK is the enemy of building lean muscle tissue. It's released to help the body adapt to endurance exercise, so you'll notice this enzyme during cardiovascular activity.
When you finish a resistance workout, however, the body responds by increasing the release of an enzyme known as mTOR. This turns on the recovery process and helps you to build more lean muscle. The 2 enzymes don't work together well. In fact, having AMPK in your system will switch off the release of mTOR. So, by staying on a treadmill after your finish your weight training you'll significantly turn down your release of mTOR.
Once the body releases mTOR you enter the golden window for post-workout nutrition. This peaks at one hour in length, although mTOR levels stay increased for up to 6 hours in total. To get the most from this period, simply avoid releasing any AMPK during this time.
This information comes in very handy for those who like to separate their workouts into two separate sessions per day. If you keep six hours between each workout you'll be able to get the full benefits of the muscle repairing process switched on by mTOR enzyme before you release any AMPK during cardiovascular activity.
When you are trying to lean how to build muscle in the gym, you'll encounter many areas which are shrouded in mystery and doubt, often coming down to little more than personal opinion. Thanks to ongoing scientific research, however, the question 'Should you do cardio before or after weights?' is no longer something which falls into this category.
By Russ Howe
About the Author:
On the author: See how to build muscle with easy steps from the UK's leading fitness instructor Russ Howe PTI. Discover whether you should do cardio before or after weights to increase performance with this free report.
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