Thread: cardio with weight training?

Hi, welcome to the forums and to lifting in general! Congratulations on your results so far, thats great! It takes a lot to get started so well done for sticking with it up to now!

As for losing fat, 80% of your effort should go into diet management because thats where you'll see the most results stemming from. Just assume exercise does absolutely nothing towards fat loss because diet really is that important.

With your question about cardio, since you're already exercising 6 days a week (and personally i think another rest day or two would do you the world of good) i wouldn't add the extra cardio in the evenings. Contrary to popular belief you really don't need an excessive amount of cardio to lose fat.

If you want to add something else to your routine i would drop one of your cardio days (take the weekend off and enjoy yourself!) and add a few minutes of high intensity cardio to the end of your weight training days. HIIT is great for promoting fat loss.

Could you provide us with some stats about yourself and your diet so we can help improve some things?

Height/weight/BF% if you know it, etc.

Are you tracking your calories/macronutrients every day? If so what are they?

I also highly suggest you give this a read:
*** READ ME FIRST - Homework #1 for Newbies ***

Right before bedtime tends to elevate your metabolism, which might be counterintuitive. I'd be very careful with that time period.
Why not just do active recovery cardio on your days off to help speed the process of healing and create a calorie deficit. You might also want to google intermittent fasting to also help create a deficit.

i didnt take my bf% when i started but i'm 5 ft 10.. i was about 205 but i'm down to 193 right now i do maintain a diet.. right now i'm doing 50/30/20 protein/carb/fat at the moment but in about another week or two i'll switch to 40/40/20 as it is my understanding that much protein can be pretty rough on the kidneys and i'll need more carbs for energy as i run out of fat to burn.. my cardio regiment is plyometrics on tuesdays, interval hi/lo intensity on thursdays. Saturdays i usually do something different but its mainly geared towards calorie burning. All are anywhere from 40 min to an hour in length. it was really hard to get started in the beginning because i had to get up 2 hours earlier than i'm used to start working out but its been worth it so far! another quick question.. i have to work out super early and i dont have time to eat prior to working out.. is this an issue? also.. i forgot to add.. i'm eating roughly 21-2200 calories a day right now.. again... also... i eat 5-6 small meals a day instead of 3 big meals...

Your understanding needs a bit of tuning up. Perhaps .5g x bodyweight to start
Definitely increase your fat intake. Shoot for at least 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight.
Carbs-I go super low, but that might not be for you. Play around with it and see how you feel.
Early morning weight training in my opinion REQUIRES a meal before training. It's not written in stone, especially with low impact cardio but I get the pukey feeling when I dont eat.

For now, forget calories and ratios and concentrate on grams of protein, fat and carbs. Multiply your bodyweight x 12-15 to see how much you need to maintain that calorie intake.

i'll try to squeeze in a small meal before i work out... about how early do i need to eat prior to working out? my intake now puts me at about .7g carbs and 1.4 - 1.6ish protein per pound at the moment.. but my fat intake is pretty low.. i'll up my fat and lower my carbs a little more and see what happens i feel great right now at where i'm at im just trying to get the most i can out of my workouts.. if i have to get up at 5 am and work out i atleast want to get the most out of it thanks for all your help!

Originally Posted by calaja52

i'll try to squeeze in a small meal before i work out... about how early do i need to eat prior to working out? my intake now puts me at about .7g carbs and 1.4 - 1.6ish protein per pound at the moment.. but my fat intake is pretty low.. i'll up my fat and lower my carbs a little more and see what happens i feel great right now at where i'm at im just trying to get the most i can out of my workouts.. if i have to get up at 5 am and work out i atleast want to get the most out of it thanks for all your help!

Eat a cup of greek yogurt with fruit.

Originally Posted by juggernaut

Eat a cup of greek yogurt with fruit.

I hope this thread doesn't turn into a "fart thread" too after this advice ...

Originally Posted by assassin

i hope this thread doesn't turn into a "fart thread" too after this advice ...

lol

Or simply weight train on an empty stomach.

I trained heavy squats empty (at two PM) the other day and I was fine. My hunger went away until after I trained - and I didn't end up eating until three PM.

Originally Posted by Built

I trained heavy squats empty (at two PM) the other day and I was fine. My hunger went away until after I trained - and I didn't end up eating until three PM.

Bet the first meal was incredibly satisfying. I'm tempted to try this, but events day will require food.

Originally Posted by juggernaut

Or simply weight train on an empty stomach.

Never weight train on an empty stomach. Eat something first for energy!

Originally Posted by microtel

Never weight train on an empty stomach. Eat something first for energy!

Really? Ever hear of intermittent fasting and weight training on that empty stomach?

Originally Posted by microtel

Never weight train on an empty stomach. Eat something first for energy!

Eating something first for energy is more for long, intense cardio like distance running or a long bike ride. The only problem you might have lifting on an empty stomach is being a bit hungry at the beginning of your workout. It'll pass.

I do cardio everyday I lift. I personally lift then, drink my protein shake, then do about 5 minutes on the bike to warm up, and finally run on the treadmill. I am getting stronger and seem to be thinning out. I'd say it's fine.

I wake up and do cardio before breakfast. Lift in the afternoon. That way I have more energy for lifting since I have eaten several times since cardio.