BetterU News Issue #60
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Cardio Training For Fat Loss - Should I Do It BEFORE or AFTER My Weight Training For Best Results?

Training for fat loss is not easy and proper cardio training is an important part of the process. But if you're doing your cardio at the WRONG time, you could be shooting yourself in the foot! Find out the best time to do it and why.

When it comes to fat loss, one of THE most frequently-asked questions I get is "to maximize fat loss, should I do my cardio before or after my weight training?"

I know there are times when I like to be kept in suspense…

But I'm not going to do that to you here…

Physiologically speaking, if maximum fat loss is your goal and you want to incorporate cardio into your training schedule, you're better off doing your cardio training immediately AFTER your weight training.

Here's why:

1. When you do weight training first, you have more energy and strength for that weight training.

I know cardio junkies won't want to hear this, but intense, QUALITY weight training is actually MORE effective for fat loss than cardio training. Why the emphasis on quality? Well, if you go to the gym and just flail around with light weights for 30 minutes, it's not really going to be very effective for fat loss.

However, if you really put some effort into it and train hard, the metabolic boost you get from weight training (in terms of not only calories burned while doing it but the increase in metabolism after AND the increase in muscle mass you get from weight training) is greater than the boost you get from cardio training. And, when compared to slow, long-duration cardio training, that boost is MUCH greater. So by performing your weight training FIRST, while you're fresh, you're going to have more energy to put into it and you're going to be stronger. This will increase metabolic and muscle mass stimulation and therefore overall fat loss. It's a win-win situation!

That's not to say you can't do a couple of minutes of cardio as a general warm-up before starting into the weights...just don't do an entire cardio session before weight training. Always keep in mind that the weight training is the REAL engine behind your fat loss efforts.

And if THAT isn't enough to convince you to do cardio after weights, I've got another reason for you…

2. Performing weight training first decreases available blood sugar and puts the body in "fat burning" mode.

When you train with weights, you're performing short, intense muscle contractions. Glucose (blood sugar) is the preferred fuel for driving these intense contractions. As you go through your workout, your body gradually uses up its readily-available supply of sugars and starts mobilizing fat for energy.

Here's the key…mobilizing bodyfat for energy is a process that takes time. If you do your cardio first, your body will be initially working on that blood sugar before getting started on the bodyfat. By the time you're done with cardio and move to weights, THAT is when you're in the optimal fat-burning mode.

But the problem is, fat is NOT an efficient fuel for weight training. By doing cardio first, you use up all the "good" stuff for weight training and force your body to make do with a less powerful fuel source. Your weight training workouts will decrease in quality and your cardio efforts won't be as effective for achieving fat-burning, which is your primary goal!

So basically, you're shooting yourself in the foot TWICE!

Think of your body as a hybrid gas-electric car. This car uses gas to provide more power for acceleration and electricity to provide long-term power for maintaining speed. Now think of blood sugar as gas and weight training as powerful acceleration. When you press the pedal (performing weight training), you're going to get much better acceleration when you're using the proper fuel (i.e. gas). If you try and power the acceleration with electricity, you'll go forward but not nearly as quickly as if you were using gas.

The bottom line is this…perform your weight training first so you use up the "fast" energy first. Then, by the time you hit the cardio, you're ALREADY in fat-burning mode and every single second you're doing that cardio is going to be burning more fat than if you did it first.

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These two reasons apply no matter if you're doing slower, long-duration cardio or high-intensity interval training (which I recommend). The key thing to keep in mind is that WEIGHT TRAINING is what's going to help you change your body FAST…cardio is a useful tool for improving your results but it's NOT what drives your fat-loss results.

And that being said, if you absolutely feel you MUST do your cardio first, I'm NOT going to tell you it's the worst thing in the world…the fact that you're doing SOMETHING trumps doing nothing ANY day of the week!

But if you're looking for maximum impact for the time and effort you're putting your training, DEFINITELY hit the weights first and cardio after.

If you're interested in more articles and information on fat-loss, interval training and programs, check out the following links:

How To Lose Fat NOW - A Basic Fat-Loss Program That You Can Put To Work Today!
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue49.htm

BASIC Nutrition - A Quick, Common-Sense Guide To What You Should Be Eating to Stay Healthy and Get Results Right Now
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue43.htm

What Do You Mean Low-Intensity Training Isn't The Best For Fat Burning?
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue7.htm

The Insider Secrets of Interval Training - Learn How Now!
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue26.htm

8 Week Cardio Interval Training Blast! Get Increased Fat Loss AND Take Your Cardio Fitness To A Whole New Level
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue51.htm

Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss http://www.fitstep.com/metabolic-surge/metabolic-surge-rapid-fat-loss.htm

Secret Training Tip #2403 - Bodyweight Preacher Curls For TRASHING Your Biceps

You want big arms? This is an exercise that is going to BLOW UP your bi's FAST. This one combines the unique angle of the Preacher Bench with the brutal effectiveness of a bodyweight exercise to deliver a growth punch like nothing else!

My Four "No Fail" Principles For Quick and Easy Weight Gain

If gaining weight is something YOU got into weight training for, THIS is the info for you. Learn my four powerful "no fail" principles for putting on mass no matter what your metabolism or body type!

I got into weight training to gain mass and put on weight so believe me when I tell you…when it comes to wanting mass I know EXACTLY where you're coming from. Because when I started training, I weighed 145 lbs soaking wet. Today, I'm a lean 210 lbs (at a height of 5'10")!

I've got four "no fail" principles that I recommend to people who are trying to build muscle mass and gain some weight.

And I'll tell you right up front - these principles are NOT rocket science…these are the basic things you SHOULD be doing if you want to gain mass, yet I see plenty of people only doing one or two of them and wondering why they can't put on any mass!

Combining these four principles consistently will definitely get the job done!

1. Train heavy and to muscular failure

In order to gain muscle mass, you need to give your muscles a REASON to grow. Training with heavy weights (relatively speaking, of course - what's heavy for one person may be light for another) to muscular failure is the stimulus that starts the process.

And by muscular failure, I mean the point where you physically can't perform another rep WITH GOOD FORM - reps done with terrible form don't count! The best rep range to train for muscle growth, in my experience, is between 6 to 10 repetitions per set. Training in the range below that (1 to 5 reps) will primarily lead to strength gains rather than muscle gains. Training in the higher rep ranges (for the most part, unless you're using specialized high-rep techniques) will primarily work on muscular endurance with minimal effects on muscle mass. Training to muscular failure is VERY important for muscle gain.

Muscles will not grow unless they are pushed beyond what they're used to. Doing your sets only up to a certain number of reps and stopping on that number regardless of whether the muscle has been worked or not is a very common mistake made by both men and women alike. Counting reps and stopping on an arbitrary number will NOT work the muscles fully and will hamper weight gain.

So to train for optimum muscle gain, select a weight that will cause you to reach muscular failure in the 6 to 10 rep range.

2. Utilize basic exercises for most of your training

Dumbell tricep kick-backs will NOT help you gain weight. The Pec Deck will NOT help you gain weight. Leg extensions will NOT help you gain weight.

These exercises are not bad exercises; they're just NOT the exercises that are going to give you the results you want. In fact, doing exercises like these at the expense of the basic exercises can actually detract from weight gain, especially if you have a hard time gaining weight. They will use up your valuable time and energy!

Basic exercises are the exercises that use the most muscle mass. They are the HARDEST exercises…the ones you either love or hate. This "make or break" challenge is what makes them the most productive for building muscle.

Basic exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press, barbell curls, barbell bent-over rows, dips, chin-ups, lunges, and calf raises. This is not a comprehensive list but it will give you an idea of what a basic exercise is. Essentially, a basic exercise is an exercise that you can use a lot of weight on and that requires the most effort.

Use these basic exercises consistently for the majority of your sets and you WILL gain muscle.

3. Eat good quality nutrition in sufficient quantities.

Now that you've stimulated your muscles with hard, heavy training, it's time to feed them. Gaining weight, a.k.a. building muscle, requires a caloric intake in excess of what it takes to maintain your current bodyweight.

Basically, you need to eat more.

The amount of calories you require to gain weight will vary greatly depending on several factors, primarily your current amount of muscle mass, your daily activity level and your metabolic rate.

The more muscle you already have and the more active you are, the more calories you're going to need to eat in order to gain weight. If you are already thin, you probably have a fast metabolism (i.e. you lose weight quickly and gain it slowly), and you're going to need to eat even MORE.

In order to keep your muscles supplied with nutrients, you're going to need to eat frequently throughout the day. It's best if you can manage to eat 5 or 6 meals over the course of the day. Naturally, these meals will be smaller than your regular meals if you currently eat 3 per day. The idea is to keep feeding your muscles so that they always have nutrients available to grow. If you go without food for long periods of time, your body will turn on its own resources (e.g. your muscles) to provide needed nutrients for repair and recovery.

And whatever you do, if you want to gain weight, DO NOT skip breakfast! If you do, it will kill your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Besides sufficient caloric intake, protein is also critical for muscle gain. Protein is the structural nutrient that your muscles are made of. You must feed your body protein in order to help your muscles rebuild.

Good protein sources include fish, poultry, dairy, meats, soy, legumes (beans), eggs, and whey. A typical recommended protein intake for a person looking to gain muscle would be around 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. For example, as a 136-pound person, this would have you eating 109 to 136 grams of protein per day.

Supplements can also be extremely useful for weight gain. Whey protein, creatine monohydrate, and the amino acid glutamine are among the most effective supplements.

And I'll tell you right now, there's no need to get crazy with your supplement purchases… manufacturers will often prey upon your strong desire to gain mass and try and sell you a TON of supplements you really don't need.

Keep it simple and get your training and eating in order. THAT is what builds an impressive body - not a boatload of bizarre supplements.

So to sum it up: eat a lot, eat frequently and eat plenty of protein.

4. Get enough rest

Your muscles don't grow while you're training. Your muscles actually grow AFTER your training session is done. One of the best things you can do to help you reach your goal of gaining weight is to learn to relax. This is especially important both after a workout and at night.

Immediately following a workout, your body is in an emergency situation. You've just put a lot of stress on your body and your body needs time to recover from it.

If you immediately have to rush off to do errands or some other stressful chore, you're not going to get optimal recovery and that means you're not going to get optimal muscle growth. If you can manage it, try to schedule your workouts for when you have a little time to relax after. Heck, take a nap about an hour or so later if you can!

Getting some good, solid sleep at night is also very important. A large part of your growth process occurs at night. If you don't get enough sleep or your sleep is restless, your body will not be able to take full advantage of the growth you've stimulated with your training.

Conclusion:

If you want to gain mass, you HAVE to do the basic things right…train hard with heavy, basic exercises, eat well and get plenty of rest. As I mentioned above, this ain't rocket science, yet you'd be surprised at how many people miss more than one of these items!

Don't stop yourself before you even get started - make sure you're got these four "no fail" principles down pat!

Check out more articles related to these mass-building principles:

My Practical "Lazy Cook" Recipes For Building Muscle! So Easy Even a Caveman Can Make Them...
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue52.htm

Training on the Edge - Learn How Overtraining on Purpose Can Get You Maximum Results FAST!
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue22.htm

Rest-Pause Training
http://www.powerfultrainingsecrets.com/trial-membership/12-rest-pause-mass-program.htm

Eight Mistakes I've Made In My Training and How You Can Avoid Them
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue14.htm

The Most Critical Lessons I Learned In My Very First Year of Training That Can Help YOU Maximize Muscle and Fat Loss
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue44.htm

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