Glycogen question

[clairebear]

I read in another thread:
"Even among people who don't do atkins and eat relatively high carb, some of them know to do their cardio AFTER weights because your body has burned through glycogen and is primed to burn fat"

I've been going to the gym three mornings a week and it looks like I have been doing things the wrong way around.

My normal schedule is:
Brisk walk to the gym - 5 min
Rower - 5 min
Cycling - 15 min
Cross-trainer - 15 - 20 minutes (I think this may be a.k.a. eliptical machine?)
Weights (various fixed machines, upper and lower body, 3 sets of 12) - 20 minutes.
Stretching - 5 min
Relaxed walk home - 5-10 min (feeling on top of the world)



Should I change things around and be doing my fixed weights first and then heading to cardio?

Can someone explain this, or post a good link as to why I should do it this way (in laymans terms?)

Thank you!

[Iapetus999]

Re: Glycogen question

No that was a silly statement.
I'd recommend doing the cardio first because your body will be looser and you'll be less likely to injure yourself.
What you could do is 10-15 mins cardio, weights, then if you are on a cardio day to 30-45 more mins of cardio.
I tend to do all my cardio first. Lately I've been running a 3-mile loop around the block near my gym and then working out. Or sometimes I run around lunch and lift after work.
As far as the glycogen goes if you are doing cardio right you shouldn't really burn much.

[clairebear]

Re: Glycogen question

Thanks for the reply!

Sometimes I do a longer period on the x-trainer _after_ my weights, just to change things around a little... it all depends on the mood I'm in I guess

[ttdriver]

Re: Glycogen question

To me, it matters not which order, just do it!


Betty

[cajunthunder]

Re: Glycogen question

You may have to change this as you go along. I was doing cardio first, then my workout with my trainer. As I increased cardio and our workouts got more intense, I was burning out with her. I had to up my carbs and eventually switched my cardio to after my workout with her.

Due to dwindling finances and a new job that won't start for a month, I had to cut back to one day a week with my trainer (from 3), so it's now only an issue for one day a week. I do some at home training she gave me to do a couple of days a week, but it's in the afternoon, apart from my cardio, which I do 6 days a week.

I have increased the intensity of my cardio and I doubt I could do it this way and then work out with her.

I like reading the why's and whatnot's on subjects, and this one evokes varied responses, not just here, but from all of the so-called experts who have articles on the web.

[Kent]

Re: Glycogen question

It comes to a matter of preference. If you are working towards a goal (such as weight lifting or a mile in a certain amount of time), you want to do that work first or after a reasonable warming up period. If you are doing both just to get in shape, it should not matter in what order you do them. I personally split my cardio and lifting by 6-8 hours and get reasonable performance in both. What works for one might not work for all as we have different priorities.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Glycogen question

okay a little science is needed here
intense workout of a muscle uses the stored phophogen energy (that would be the ATP and the P molecule attatched to the sugar molecule stored in your muscles as glycogen and yes Atkineers have glycogen stores in their muscles too) then it sends out a call for the reserves to kick in for making more of those P energy relaseing when broken bonds. And depending on what you are eatting those reserves will be more sugars or fatty acids and ketones. Since the actual weight lifting is a short extreme workout you want to have your phospogen energy levels at theri highest so you'd do best if you workout to warm up first do your weights and finsh with your cardio unless your cardio is an all out sprint then it wouldn't matter as your muscles would be sucking air to speak either way.

Teh less instense cardio allows your nuscles to rid themselves of the toxins they have built up during the high intensity weight lifting bursts too. You can go longer at a lower intensity workout like a cardio because you can make ATP from your fats and burn them and theose muscles not being actually exercised can be burning ketones for fuel too.

[clairebear]

Re: Glycogen question

As always, a wealth of information. Thanks everyone!