Weight Loss Information

Weights Before Cardio: Stop Working Against Yourself


Just because you're working hard, doesn't mean that you're working smart. I see it every day. People come into the gym and hop on a treadmill for 30-60 minutes and then head over to the weights to do their resistance training. Even though my initial reaction is to walk up and smack them in the back of the head, the reality in the matter is? How would they know any better? Which is why I thought this article was so appropriate. After all, for years I've heard people say that if you do your cardio first, you'll burn more fat during your weight training. Making your weight training an extension of your cardio.

Let's look at why this isn't true and see if we can save some people a little wasted effort. We'll start out by looking at how your body uses the food you consume for fuel. You may have heard that you will burn more fat if you do your cardio on an empty stomach. The truth is that you will actually burn more fat during cardio if you have depleted your body of carbohydrates. You can eat proteins and dietary fats without affecting the way your body burns fat. In other words, you could eat some egg whites, chicken breast, or even a protein shake without any carbs in it, and still burn the same amount of fat during your cardio session as you would if you did it on an empty stomach. But if you ate an apple or a piece of bread before your cardio, you wouldn't.

When you eat carbohydrates, your body stores them as glycogen in your liver and waits for your body to use them as fuel. When performing an aerobic activity, like walking or running on a treadmill, your body has the option of using glycogen stores or fat stores. The problem is that your body won't use any fat stores until your glycogen stores are used up. On the other hand, during anaerobic exercise, like weight lifting, your body can only use glycogen as fuel.

So here's how it plays out. Studies have shown that it can take as much as 29 minutes of cardio to burn your glycogen stores. So if you start your workout off with 30 minutes of cardio, not only did you burn fat for a whopping one minute, but you also depleted your body of the fuel it needs (glycogen) to do your resistance training. Now, in order to manufacture glucose (glycogen) during your weight training session, your body may actually break down muscle tissue to use certain amino acids as your fuel. You could end up losing muscle instead of gaining.

To make things simple, if you do your weight training first, you can use your glycogen stores as fuel. Then, when you move over to your cardio, you're right where you want to be? with depleted glycogen stores, giving your body the opportunity to burn fat as a fuel source.

To learn more on how to use these facts for your "cardio only" days, read "Use Nutrition to Boost Your Cardio" here: http://www.shapeyou.com/weights_first.html

You may reprint or publish this article freely as long as you include a visible, active link to http://www.shapeyou.com

Tony Hale is a certified personal trainer with 12 years of experience servicing clients in the entertainment industry throughout the Hollywood area. He is also the editor in chief for ShapeYou.com

To train online with Tony visit http://www.shapeyou.com/trainers.html


MORE RESOURCES:

The Money Times

Orexigen drug shows 9.3 pct weight loss, shrs fall
Reuters - 14 hours ago
The US Food and Drug Administration has said obesity drugs need to demonstrate weight loss at least 5 percentage points above that seen with a dummy pill. ...
Orexigen Falls After Weight-Loss Pill Fails to Meet FDA Goal Bloomberg
Orexigen claims weight-loss pill is effective The Money Times
Orexigen says obesity pill works San Diego Union Tribune
TheStreet.com - PR Newswire (press release)
all 45 news articles


eFluxMedia

US expanding list of illegal weight-loss drugs
Dallas Morning News, TX - 21 hours ago
More than 70 weight loss pills sold in the US as dietary supplements contain drugs that aren't disclosed on the labels and can harm consumers, ...
FDA Expands Warning on Weight Loss Pills Natural Products Marketplace
Weight loss pill warning WSLS.com
FDA sends out more diet pill alerts; criminal charges possible USA Today
Newsinferno.com - WSET
all 23 news articles


Reality TV Magazine

National weight loss challenge to help local food bank
Muncie Star Press, IN - 5 hours ago
Viewers that night learned about the show's collaboration with General Mills and national food banks to sponsor a weight loss and fundraising effort to ...
Weight loss program benefits Winchester News Gazette
Be Valley’s biggest loser Youngstown Vindicator
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI FOOD BANK, FEEDING AMERICA, GENERAL MILLS AND ... Southeast Missourian
Trading Markets (press release) - Muncie Star Press
all 16 news articles


Better Business Bureau warns about fraudulent weight-loss endorsements
Anderson Independent Mail, SC - 10 hours ago
The Better Business Bureau is warning customers of online ads relying on celebrity endorsements to sell acai berry-related weight loss products. ...
Call 4 Action: Marketing Of 'Weight Loss' Berry Drawing Fire MSNBC
BBB warning consumers of weight-loss scams Columbus Dispatch
BBB warns of acai berry weight-loss scam WalletPop
Fort Worth Star Telegram - CBS 11
all 85 news articles


Earthtimes (press release)

100-calorie packs don't help much with weight loss, experts say
Newsday, NY - Jan 7, 2009
Rothstein lost 40 pounds four years ago -- and kept it off -- after trying "every weight loss program you can name." She credits her success to a change in ...
Weight loss tip of 2008: 'The Write Diet' Examiner.com
The key to weight loss: portion control Globe and Mail
EAT THIS, NOT THAT! SUPERMARKET SURVIVAL GUIDE The No-Diet Weight ... Earthtimes (press release)
PR Newswire (press release) - Boston Globe
all 35 news articles


Weight-Loss Organization Reaches Out to Members of LA Weight Loss
Cherry Creek News, CO - 18 hours ago
MILWAUKEE, WI – With the balance of LA Weight Loss centers closing across the country, TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nation’s oldest ...
TOPS members recognized for weight loss at fall rally Delta County Independent
TOPS will have an open house Port Clinton News Herald
all 3 news articles


Examiner.com

Holiday weight loss blues? New Year's resoltions are not the answer!
Examiner.com - Jan 8, 2009
by Leslie Seppinni, Mental Health Examiner New Year’s resolutions do NOT make weight loss dreams come true. False starts and stops will only increase the ...
New Years Weight Loss resolutions? Now Casting Realitywanted
The lowdown on the ever-popular Top 10 diets nwitimes.com
New Year's Resolution to Lose Weight? It's Tough: Ask Oprah NewsReleaseWire.com (press release)
abc13.com - Statesman Journal
all 21 news articles


ABC News

Steve Jobs' weight loss may be linked to his earlier cancer ...
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Jan 5, 2009
But they said pancreatic surgery patients sometimes do suffer such weight loss and have been been successfully treated with oral supplements. ...
Video: Steve Jobs Weight Loss Due to Hormone Imbalance AssociatedPress
Apple's Steve Jobs blames 'hormone imbalance' for weight loss Computerworld
Jobs: Hormone imbalance causing weight loss CNNMoney.com
Bloomberg - Taipei Times
all 2,472 news articles


Resurrection Offers Weight Loss Program
Garden City News,  USA - 1 hour ago
Every year, Americans spend billions of dollars on weight-loss programs and products. Many are on a search for a quick fix, unwilling to consider permanent ...


PerezHilton.com

Wynonna Finds a Weight Loss Ally With Alli
CMT.com, TN - 15 hours ago
So many of us resolve to lose weight at the start of every year. But if you have a lot to lose, your odds of getting the weight off are better if you don’t ...
Judd Signs on For Weight Loss Brand San Francisco Chronicle
Wynonna Endorses Weight-Loss Aid Great American Country
Wynonna Partners With Weight Loss Aid Country Weekly
CJDC - BNET
all 43 news articles

Weight-Loss - Google News

home | site map
© 2006