The division between adherents of cardio training and adherents of exclusively strength training is approximately the same. And no consensus As for which type of activity is better, they will pursue different goals. For example, cardio equipment is avoided by those who want to gain muscle mass, and strength equipment is avoided by those who are afraid of “pumping up” and want to lose weight. Is it possible to combine these two types of loads? How to do this correctly to achieve this or that effect? Let's take a closer look.
To avoid losing muscle?
If your goal is to build muscle mass and create definition, you should not do cardio after a strength session. This will undo all the effort you put into working out for an hour or more on weight machines. Moreover, if the strength training was quite intense, then you definitely don’t need to subject yourself to exhausting cardio after it. This will not only “burn” the muscles (by about 30%, according to research), but will also significantly reduce strength indicators (by about 15-20%) and increase the risk of overtraining.
To avoid losing muscle and lose fat at the same time?
Scientists from the USA have also proven that long-term cardio training, even of moderate intensity, will be much more destructive for muscles than short explosive interval training. So, if you want to keep the hard-earned muscles on your body, but also want to burn fat, you can do a short HIIT workout after your strength training. It will use type II muscle fibers (the so-called fast-twitch), which grow faster, provide more strength, and are not burned as quickly.
To get rid of fat?
Here, experts in the field of fitness clearly advise to distinguish between completely strength training and cardio training, doing them with a break of at least 6 hours, and even better - in different days. At the same time, it will be very useful to do cardio on an empty stomach, say, in the very morning, while strength training can be done in the afternoon - then the body’s strength indicators will be higher. In the morning, fat will also be intensively consumed, since our body will use it as energy instead of carbohydrates that have not yet been supplied with food.
Is it possible to do cardio after strength training?
As we said above, it is extremely undesirable - it simply will not make sense. If muscle mass is important to you, doing cardio after strength training will negate all your efforts. That is, you will burn the muscles that you tried so hard to build, and there will be no fat consumption, since the body will burn muscle fibers, and not fat deposits - because it is easier for it.
Many bodybuilders also mistakenly believe that cardio should not be done before strength training, as it will take away all the strength. It's not like running on a treadmill or brisk walking can worsen (and then only slightly) performance in squats or lunges - that is, affect only those muscle groups that were involved before. Barbell, bench press, biceps - all this will remain at its strength levels even after cardio.
Another thing is important, namely the isolation of two special enzymes that have the greatest effect on energy processing and muscle growth - the enzymes AMPK and mTOR. The first (AMP-activated protein kinase) will be responsible for processing glucose as energy during cardio training, and the second (mammalian target of rapamycin) will be responsible for muscle growth. If you do cardio after a strength training session, the first enzyme, AMPK, blocks the second mTOR, and muscle growth will not be observed.
Aerobic training- exercises in which the main source of energy is oxygen entering the blood from the lungs.
Aerobic activity heals the heart and blood vessels, increases lung capacity, and increases the body's endurance. These activities are considered the best for burning fat. Cardio exercise includes all active sports: swimming, running, cycling, jumping rope.
Definition of strength training, difference from aerobic exercise
Strength training - exercises with weights. As the body adapts to the load, the weight is increased.
During exercise with weights, not only muscles grow, but also strengthens tendons, bones, ligaments. In addition, metabolism accelerates and the risk of joint diseases is reduced.
The principle of training with weights- creating muscle tension using machines, dumbbells or your own body weight, such as in gymnastics.
Cardio and strength training: how to combine them, what the effect will be
There is a lot of controversy regarding the combination of aerobic and strength training. Some people believe that training cannot be done in one day, while others, on the contrary, believe that cardio is most effective after strength training. This is due to the fact that Strength and cardio exercises trigger different reactions in the body: Weight training is responsible for anabolic processes, and aerobic exercise is responsible for catabolic processes.
The goals of these two activities are also different.: Weight training is designed to increase muscle strength, density and size, while cardio is designed to increase cardiovascular endurance.
Calories, contrary to popular belief, is burned approximately equally in both types of activity.
During exercises with weights, not much energy is spent, but after the end of the training there is an increased consumption It lasts for another whole day. When doing aerobic exercise, calories are burned faster, but this effect persists after the end of the session. only about an hour.
Attention! When creating a training plan It is best to consult with a trainer, so as not to harm your health and choose the right load.
Cardio the day after strength training
Some athletes consider this training plan ideal, and many coaches recommend it. This option is especially good for athletes, those who want to save as much as possible muscle mass.
There are many advantages to separate training:
- Muscles have time to recover after exercise.
- Anabolic and catabolic processes are separated.
- More fat is burned during cardio.
The most important thing is to control your pulse during cardio, it should be in the range 60-70% of maximum, then muscle loss will be minimized, provided proper nutrition is followed.
Photo 1. Checking your pulse after training. Two fingers are applied to the carotid artery, time is counted using the second hand on the clock.
Separate training does not have a stressful effect on the body, They are suitable for both seniors and beginners.
Combination of classes in one day: first cardio, and then strength training
This option is chosen only a few bodybuilders, and, most often, having training experience of about 2-3 years. This training plan is not suitable for people who are severely overweight, because it will cause severe stress on the joints, especially if you choose running as cardio. Also not recommended for beginners Carry out cardio training before strength training, because you may simply not have the strength to perform high-quality exercises with weights.
The advantage of this exercise plan is that during aerobic exercise all the glycogen contained in the blood is burned. Thus, during the strength part of the training, energy is consumed from fat reserves.
Although this option is considered difficult You should definitely try it when your level of physical fitness allows you to do so.
For some athletes, cardio before strength training is more effective than other forms of exercise.
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Another alternation: strength exercise first, and cardio immediately after.
This is the training plan is chosen by most athletes. Conducting an aerobic session after exercise with weights is considered the most favorable for burning fat and losing weight.
It is optimal to do cardio after strength training because trained muscles are supplied with oxygen and recover faster. During exercise with weights, glycogen contained in the blood is consumed, and during cardio, fat reserves are burned and weight loss occurs a little more intensely.
The disadvantage of this load plan is that after an intense session with weights You may not have enough energy for a quality aerobic workout.
If after strength exercises there is an abundance of energy, then it is likely that they were not performed very conscientiously.
Carrying out both cardio and strength sessions on the same day - quite a serious load that will require physical training and is not suitable for beginners, the elderly and people with a lot of weight.
How to properly alternate workouts on different days: a sample lesson plan
The complete separation of strength and aerobic exercise suggests that exercises will be performed on different days. It is important to create a training plan and follow it, while maintaining an appropriate diet. The load plan for each athlete will vary, depending on the goals of the training: weight loss, weight gain, drying, healthy lifestyle.
Rough plan classes for losing weight for a week:
- Monday
Rest. During this period, it is important to drink a lot of water, follow a diet, and you can even arrange a fasting day. A rest day is perfect for stretching.
- Tuesday
High intensity interval cardio session. These activities will help burn fat and increase endurance. Any cardio machine or jump rope is suitable for training. 20 seconds the exercise is performed at the limit of strength, and 10 seconds at a slow pace, just 8 approaches.
Photo 2. The process of training on a treadmill. The trainer allows you to select the required running intensity.
- Wednesday
Strength session with medium load. Strength exercises are necessary, even if the goal of training is to lose weight. Exercises with weights strengthen and develop muscles. The more muscle you have, the more extra calories your body burns during normal activities throughout the day.
- Thursday
Low intensity cardio session. Use any cardio machine at an average pace for 60 minutes. Pulse range 60—75% . Walking, running, swimming are suitable.
To get the fastest and most noticeable results from, you need to be able to correctly combine cardio and strength training. Only the skillful interaction of these two types of load will help you achieve the desired result in a relatively quick time. Cardio and strength training– these are integral components of one whole, the goal of which is weight loss. And only through the right approach to these workouts will you lose weight not through muscle mass, but through fat burning. So let's figure out how to combine correctly cardio and strength training.
There are several ways combine cardio and strength training:
- Complete separation
- Partial separation
- Without separation (combined training)
- Strength aerobics
Let's look at each option separately.
Complete separation of cardio and strength training
This method assumes that strength training is done on a separate day from cardio. For example, Monday, Wednesday, Friday are strength training, and Tuesday and Thursday are cardio. This method is suitable for girls who have enough free time at their disposal. I also recommend it to girls who are new to fitness, as this method is easier than the other two.
There is also an option when cardio is done in the morning, and strength training is done a few hours later (in the afternoon or evening), but this option can be afforded by people who have a lot of free time, mostly athletes, so we will not consider this option.
When there is complete separation strength and cardio training, then it’s worth spending time on cardio sessions. If this is low-intensity cardio (jogging, elliptical, walking on a treadmill, exercise bike, etc.) with a heart rate of 60-70% of the maximum, then your workout should take an average of 35-50 minutes.
If this is a high-intensity workout (75-90% of maximum heart rate), then your cardio session should take from 20 to 35 minutes. This type cardio includes with changing speeds, elliptical and exercise bike with changing speeds and resistance, stepper with changing load, etc. The main thing in this type of cardio is the constant alternation of the tempo of the load: from slow to very fast.
Partial separation of cardio and strength training
When we talk about partial separation cardio and strength training, then this means that cardio is done either before strength training, or immediately after strength training.
I don’t recommend doing cardio before training, because after well-done cardio, you simply won’t have enough strength for strength training. So that leaves cardio after strength training.
This type of cardio will allow you to burn the fat that has come out of your fat cells after strength training. Therefore, I consider it one of the most effective methods fight fat. Moreover, it requires less time compared to the first option.
If you do cardio at a slow pace, you should do it for an average of 30-40 minutes.
If you prefer high-intensity interval cardio, then your cardio session can take only 15-25 minutes.
Without separation (combined training)
Cardio and strength training without division - this is the option when you do strength exercises mixed with cardio elements. I really like to practice this method myself.
For example, you do a superset of two exercises: lunges + hamstring curls, and then immediately jump rope for 1 minute at an intense pace.
Or another example, do 20 squats with a barbell, and then immediately jump on the step 15 times.
This combination allows you to keep your heart rate in the fat burning zone all the time and effectively lose weight not only during training, but also after it.
Strength aerobics
This method is a little similar to the previous one, but there are still differences. Here you work at a very intense pace using the principle of circuit training or supersets and trisets. A high training tempo and relatively light weights designed for multiple repetitions create ideal conditions to burn fat since you are working in an aerobic mode, but the added bonus is dumbbells, barbells and machines that only speed up this process. Therefore, it turns out cardio and strength training you are not separated at all, but serve as one whole.
The duration of such a workout should be on average about 1 hour, plus or minus 5-10 minutes for warming up and stretching.
These were the main points regarding cardio and strength training and their correct combination. Choose the most comfortable and suitable option for yourself and have fun. And remember that cardio and strength training must be combined, their presence is simply mandatory in your training, the goal of which is fat burning.
And sincerely yours, Skripnik Yanelia, was with you!