When should I do cardio?
This is the dilemma of lots of people when it comes to cutting season. If I do it pre workout I won't get as good as workout, if I do it post workout I will lose mass, should I do it fasted? These are all questions I get asked all the time and there is no simple answer, but hopefully the following will kind of explain it slightly, helping you make a decision.
Cardio firstly doesn't mean going on a run or sitting on a bike for an hour, it can also be done through weights. When I want to start cutting down I include a lot more tri sets (three exercises) and giant sets (four exercises) into my programme. This doesn't just get your heart rate up into the aerobic phase for burning fat but also conditions the muscle more, which whilst cutting it what you want as you are no longer looking for mass. This was all brought to my attention by Shaun Stafford who is WBFF champion and he uses this a lot in his workouts. You can also make your workout more circuit based as oppose to just perform four sets of 10 reps of one exercise then moving on. Bring the weight down but keep the same rep scheme. This is a huge favourite of Mister International 2010 Ryan Terry. Furthermore at the end of each set add 5 burpees on the end or hold the plank for half of your rest period. This being another great alternative.
Now fasted cardio is next. This is a great tool and some people swear by it. My first point would be make sure you take on some BCAA prior to starting in order for your body not to go catabolic, basically using the muscle as a energy source. Again this works for some and doesn't for others. Your body is working off of an empty stomach and therefore as there is no energy source will start using your fat reserves as a form of energy, targeting what you want to get rid of. However, due to the little energy source your body can recruit I don't believe you can fully push yourself using this form. Yes a slow, steady 3mile jog is fine, but if you want to start hitting the intervals then it's kind of a no go area. Living next to Hyde park, I often run into work fasted however my body is just then craving food all day and when your restricting calories as it is, it's not a temptation you want.
Pre workout cardio I would defiantly say is a no go. It may work for you so give it a try but personally I don't like it. Your either going to hold back in order to save some energy for the main bulk of your workout or max out then have a poor workout. Yes you can make it your warm up and yes you may burn more calories in the main workout however you still won't get the both out of both parts of the workout. Give it a try first and see what you think.
Post workout cardio is last but not least. This is what I am regularly doing on top of my crossfit cardio based workouts I mentioned a few posts back. Your muscles are fully depleted at this point and your body is feeling tired so you really have to be up for it. Many people are worried about muscle break down from doing cardio post workout but I'll let you into two tips. Make sure you drink BCAA throughout your workout and make both parts short and simple. For example I like to do HIIT post workout cardio but still have some corporation to the weight workout I've done prior. For example, yesterday was Chest so I performed 250m row max effort with the rest time being 15 hand release press ups. This I performed 6 times, no rest between efforts and was over in 6 and a half minutes. I was benefitting from the cardio but also exhausting my chest at the same time. You can do the same with any muscle groups, jump squats/burpees for legs, pull ups/inverted row for back, clean and press for shoulders. Or short and sweet and makes you fill great after a workout. You can use all different types of cardio equipment as well, I just like the rower as its a full body workout. Add this on post workout and I know you'll love it.
Give these all a try and see what you think. Different times work better for others and they all have their advantages and disadvantages.
Jack
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