THE SECRET TO GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CARDIO

So if you're like many of us, cardio can tend to be a bit of a chore... right? We can mostly all agree on this from time to time but none the less it is great for your body !

I always get questions about how to be most effective with the time you put into doing cardio. One specific question I often get ask is when the best time to actually do your cardio is.

I always do my cardio AFTER I lift. You can warm up before you lift with 5-10 minutes of low intensity cardio such as jogging/walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. But I always save my real cardio work for after I lift.

If you don’t wait to do your cardio after your workout, the first 20 minutes of your cardio you are likely only burning stored glycogen, instead of the unwanted fat most people are trying to lose by doing cardio.

The body breaks down most carbs we eat and coverts them to a type of sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of fuel for our cells. When the body doesn’t need to use the glucose for energy, it stores it in the liver and muscles. This stored form of glucose is called glycogen.
When you lift before your cardio, you burn off the glycogen so that when you start your cardio your body is ready to start burning that unwanted fat!

Another way to avoid 20 minutes of not burning fat is by doing your cardio first thing in the morning when you wake up and before you eat. Since your body has been fasting it is ready to burn fat not glycogen. With that being said the best time in my opinion for your cardio workout is after you do you lifting/strength training for the day or first thing in the AM!!