Aerobic training and the gym: when to do it?
Should you do cardio before or after the gym? Fasted in the morning, or only in the evening? Short answer: it depends on your goal and your daily schedule. The longer answer is below, with concrete numbers that I’ve used myself over the years and that Tom Venuto also recommends.
Why timing matters for aerobic training
Honestly, timing is overrated. What matters far more is that your training plan is well thought out and progressive, and that you stick to it as regularly as you brush your teeth. If your nutrition is a mess and you skip half your workouts every week, it makes no difference whether your cardio is at seven in the morning or six in the evening.
But once the foundation is in place — you eat properly and train consistently — the small details start to count. One of those details is when you do your cardio and your strength training.
Timing depends on three things:
- Your goal — whether you’re burning fat or building mass.
- Everyday life — work, family, free time.
- Whether you do only cardio, only gym work, or both on a given day.
Aerobic training for fat burning
If your goal is to lower your body fat percentage, 30 minutes of morning cardio first thing after waking up (fasted) is the classic choice. There are several reasons, but in short: morning glycogen is low, insulin is calm, and the body tends to use more fat as fuel.
So what do you do if you also want to go to the gym the same day — for example, a bodybuilder preparing for a competition before stepping on stage? There are two practical options.
Option 1: two workouts a day
You get up, do 30 minutes of fasted cardio right away, then eat breakfast. You do your strength training only around midday or in the evening. The sessions are separate, you have energy for both, and your metabolism gets a double boost. The only downside: not everyone can manage — or wants — to train twice a day.
Option 2: strength workout + cardio back to back
You get up, eat breakfast and head to the gym. First you do your strength training, and straight after it, your cardio. Then a second meal.
Note: Never do cardio before a strength workout — your lifts in the gym will be much worse. Try doing HIIT after 15–20 sets of squats and you’ll see for yourself.
Aerobic training during a bulking phase
During a bulking phase, the rules of the game change. Fasted morning cardio is no longer a good idea — you burn off calories that you actually need for muscle growth.
My recommendation for the bulking phase:
- Cardio 3–4 times a week, 20–30 minutes at a time.
- For pronounced hardgainers and ectomorphs, 3 times a week, 15–20 minutes.
- An especially extreme hardgainer can skip cardio altogether during a bulking phase.
If possible, keep cardio and strength training separate during the day — for example, the gym in the morning and cardio in the evening. After both sessions, load your body up with plenty of calories. The other option is cardio right after a strength workout, but keep it short and eat a proper meal immediately afterwards.
Two workouts a day offer a few tangible benefits: right after the gym you get nutrients in, your metabolism gets a boost twice, you have more energy for each session, and the risk of overtraining goes down. If twice a day doesn’t suit you, a combined workout (45 min of gym + 30–45 min of cardio back to back) adds up to a 75–90-minute session. Long and tiring, but it works.
Many people fear that such a long combined workout will start destroying muscle mass. In practice, the bigger risk is stress and too large a calorie deficit. As long as you don’t cut calories too much and don’t stretch your cardio out too long, your muscle mass stays. If you still start losing weight at the expense of muscle, it’s time to change the timing of your workouts.
One more thing: everyone has their own body clock. I’m a very early riser myself, but morning strength workouts don’t suit me — I tried them for one season, and both how I felt and my lifts in the gym were terrible. Whatever science says about the benefits of late-morning strength workouts, it just doesn’t work for me.
FAQ about aerobic training
Should you do cardio before or after a strength workout?
If you do both in the same session — always strength first, cardio after. Do it the other way round and your lifts will suffer.
How long should aerobic training be?
For fat burning, 30 minutes in the morning, fasted. During a bulking phase, 20–30 minutes, 3–4 times a week. For hardgainers, 15–20 minutes or less.
What time of day is best for training?
Whenever you can do it consistently. The best body clock is the one you can actually stick to — not the one somebody wrote about.
Final recommendation: come to the gym when it suits you or when you enjoy it, make it a habit, and train hard. Eat plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates. Getting lean and muscular takes persistence and patience, but it isn’t rocket science.
Answered by Tom Venuto. Further reading: http://www.howtobefit.com/workout-timing.htm
Author: Janar Rückenberg
Source: Trenažöörid
Come and train! ArtGym
