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When Should You Do Cardio For Maximum Lean Muscle Gains?

By Russ Howe


If you are trying to maximize lean muscle growth, should you do cardio before or after weights? This question is regularly asked in gyms around the world by folks trying to learn how to build muscle quickly and today we'll answer it with the latest scientific findings.

Thanks to the ongoing scientific research being performed in the health and fitness industry, many of the old myths and theories which were used for years have now been either confirmed as fact or condemned to ancient myth. This area is the latest to go under the microscope.

Over the last five years or so, there have been a number of tests on subjects to figure out the definitive answer to this popular fitness myth.
The video today will explain whether you should do cardio before or after weights in the gym.


Contrary to mainstream opinion, you should be performing your cardiovascular workout prior to hitting the weights if you want to get the most out of the gym. This will surprise a few people out there, because one of the most common mistakes is to presume that you'd exhaust the muscles if you did your aerobic activity first.

Up until recently that theory made a lot of sense. However, when scientists carried out tests they found that those who performed aerobic activity prior to lifting weights actually enjoyed superior lean muscle growth as well as superior fat loss!

What about HIIT? The same results applied here too.

This happens because of the release of two enzymes in the body during physical exercise. They are known as AMPK and mTOR. AMPK is the body's call to action to help you adjust to aerobic activity.

On the other hand, mTOR is pumped into the body immediately following a resistance workout and is designed to be the switch that activates the process of recovery, i.e. building more lean muscle. The bad news for you is that AMPK stops the release of mTOR, meaning if you jump on a bike after you finish weight training you'll actually switch the muscle building process back off.

The release of mTOR signals the beginning of the muscle building process in the body, meaning this golden window lasting around one hour is a fantastic time to consume quality nutrition to enhance your results further. This period lasts a total of 6 hours, so you ideally don't want to be performing aerobic activity during this time.

This information comes in very handy for those who like to separate their workouts into two separate sessions per day. If you keep six hours between each workout you'll be able to get the full benefits of the muscle repairing process switched on by mTOR enzyme before you release any AMPK during cardiovascular activity.

While discovering how to build muscle can often be confusing and misleading due to the number of myths out there, science is helping every day to make things clearer. If you were previously unsure whether to do cardio before or after weights you now have the research to enhance your results.




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