How much cardio before workout?

[bloopsnlate]

Im just getting back into cardio and lifting and wanted to know where the threshold lies between getting a good warm-up and overdoing it. If you outrun your ability to supply oxygen to the muscles, they will fail prematurely and you will not fully stimulate them.

SO, i want to have the maximum amount of energy when i start lifting weights. Im increasing my cardio by a miunte a day to try and help me get back in shape.

 

[Powerbuilder333]

I'd suggest you do cardio after weight training - and then for 20 to 60 minutes depending on your goals.

 

[bloopsnlate]

i might just come back later in the day and do cardio. Like a split workout or something

 

[PoweredUp]

Im just getting back into cardio and lifting and wanted to know where the threshold lies between getting a good warm-up and overdoing it. If you outrun your ability to supply oxygen to the muscles, they will fail prematurely and you will not fully stimulate them.

SO, i want to have the maximum amount of energy when i start lifting weights. Im increasing my cardio by a miunte a day to try and help me get back in shape.

If you can avoid doing any cardio before lifting, then that is the way to go...

 

[chaos13]

if your going to do a split with your cardio and weights you should do your cardio say in the am, weights in the afternoon or pm

 

[hardrock]

If you are doing it at the same time as your work out-

10 mins warm up. Lift. 30-45 mins cardio immediately after. Better yet. 20 mins HIIT cardio.

 

[silverskyline]

Best is a split routine, Run in the morning then lift at night.

Next is 5 - 10 min warm up given intensity levels then lift with cardio after

or

Cardio on seperate days (off lift days or recovery days)

 

[solrosenberg]

Im just getting back into cardio and lifting and wanted to know where the threshold lies between getting a good warm-up and overdoing it. If you outrun your ability to supply oxygen to the muscles, they will fail prematurely and you will not fully stimulate them.

SO, i want to have the maximum amount of energy when i start lifting weights. Im increasing my cardio by a miunte a day to try and help me get back in shape.

Depends on your goals basically. Are you trying to lose weight , build muscle, or both. Cardio in the AM on an empty stomach is best for burning fat. When weight training, cardio first takes away some of my energy and motivation to life heavy.

 

[b fold the truth]

2-3 minute warm-up...if it is cold. Other than that I just do a lot of warm-up sets and stretching.

It is hardly ever cold here though. I'm normally sweating from the car ride to the gym.

 

[safety4lyfe]

I like the split idea...go with that.

 

[footballstud]

AM cardio, PM weights

This with a good diet is a recipe for success

 

[Tweakle]

am cardio is the best idea, but I'm not a morning person so not gonna happen ever.

I like to do 30 mins prior to the workout (20 mins fast walk to the gym, then 10 mins hard on the eliptical to wake up my CNS and get me sweaty) then the walk back after the WO is 20 mins cooldown

 

[Nick_Escalantes]

I have a stepper in my home gym, in the basement with my bench, rack, and weights. It's a Precor 525 I got off of craigslist for $35. I love it. Usually I jump on for 5 min to get the blood flowing, lubricating the joints before hitting the weights.

After lifting, I will do some strength-cardio back on the stepper for 10-30 min, depending on how I am feeling. It is tougher on leg lifting days. I refer to it as 'strength-cardio' because I feel steppers involve more muscular work than treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals, with less vascular exercise.

If I'm in the mood, I will hit my treadmill for some interval training, 1.5-2.0 miles at an incline of 5.5-8.5 %. Speed will vary between 5.0 MPH and 9.0 MPH. It usually takes 20 min. This gives a great vascular workout. I've almost blacked out a few times because of pushing too hard. There is nothing quite like the feeling of your heart attemting to burst out of your chest.

I've always done my cardio after lifting as I feel it's a good time to burn-out your body.