Feeling Good About Cardio!?
My goal this month is to do cardio after every weight lifting session. Period. Regardless of how tired I feel, how sore I am, post-workout cardio is a must. If I don’t do it, I’ll never know if what I’ve been reading is true, that post-workout cardio is an effective way to burn fat. I’ve always done some cardio and have gotten some benefits, but its been slow. As I work on my 2008 goal of seeing my abs, I know I’ve got to accelerate losing the fat that stands between me and my goal.
Yesterday I was active all day. Housework in the morning, yardwork mid-day, and a bike ride in the afternoon (including going for awhile with my young nephew who’s just learning), followed by a late-afternoon walk with my wife. A couple of hours for dinner and rest, then off to the gym at 8pm. I warmed up for 5 minutes on the bike, then had a great hour and a half session doing triceps, hamstrings and abs. By the end of it, I was exhausted. It had been a long day and I was ready to call it quits…but wait! I’m supposed to do cardio after lifting, ideally HIIT. The thought of it last night was not appealing. But the thought of waking up this morning and feeling that I had let myself down was even less appealing. So I dragged myself up over the stairs at the gym to where the cardio machines are and I pushed myself to do 15 min of HIIT on the treadmill. I was drenched with sweat by the time it was over, and not feeling too bad at all! Best of all was the feeling of accomplishment that I had for pushing through and just getting it done.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed about the impact the after-lifting cardio is going to have on my fat loss. My scale weight has been stuck at 210 for a few months now, even though when I look at myself in the mirror it looks like I’m still losing some fat. Hopefully my strategy this month will accelerate the fat loss and I can see some scale movement too. I would love to see how I look at a lean 200 pounds!
May 18, 2008 at 10:34 am
Okay, where to start…To find out what your reading has any absolute truth, maybe you should keep reading on. Starters, I am similar weight as yourself (205-210) around 9%bf. I aim to do cardio in the morning on a stomach filled with at least one aminio acid but during the week I find myself doing similar HITT routines post workout. Mornings are howeverthe BEST time to fulfill a cardio routine.
Now assuming you are completing a 45-60 min weight lifitng session, I find it very hard to swallow that you state "Regardless of how tired I feel, how sore I am, post-workout cardio is a must." Do you find anything wrong with this statment? Your body is telling you something if this is the case.."please rest my muscles so they can recover, PLEASE!!!. I’m not saying cardio post workout is harming even though it will contribute to muscle depletion (make sure you restore your gylcogen stores with liquid proteins and fast acting carbs.. i.e 4oz gatorade, proteing shake with just protein) immediatly after routine.
Now if you have the mentality that your magic number (LBS) will gauge results, you might have to revisit your goals. Personally, gaining muscle and retaining that hard earned sexy fiber on your bones is something that I strive for and cater an entire days worth of eating around that. Keep your muscle on those bones, and then tell me how your HIIT sessions have improved. so keep reading on and on and research what muscle will do for burning fat. You’ve earned it so keep it yours.
May 18, 2008 at 12:04 pm
HIT after weights works. I really started getting results and that was before my nutrition got right. There may be another way, possibly better, but I stick with what works until I get stuck. Good luck and keep up the hard work!