Question of the Day

It's another example of oversimplification. Your body doesn't "burn muscle tissue." That makes it sound like you have enzymes that start attacking your own muscle cells and begin to tear them away. It's in the same category as that dreaded "starvation mode" that seems to go around permanently damaging everyone's metabolism.

Let's put it in perspective based on science ... every day your muscle tissue breaks down. You can't walk the block without at least some muscle tissue being damaged. Impact cardio (like running) will damage more tissue but make no mistake, non-impact cardio (on a bike) damages tissue as well. Oh, and one of the biggest culprits for damaging muscle tissue? Resistance training.

So we know that happens. When the tissue is damaged, amino acids are released into the bloodstream. Fortunately our bodies are very efficient and the body can take those amino acids and use them to an extent.

So this happens all of the time, and then you are also always repairing tissue as well. The entire goal for training is to create some of this damage but then through the principle of overcompensation have the body rebulid the tissue to greater levels than before - i.e. hypertrophy or muscle gain.

So what does that require? It requires adequate rest and nutrition.

Now, that rebuilding process doesn't happen in some sudden spurt during or immediately after exercise. Safe the urge to down a huge protein shake because all that's going to do is be converted to energy ... might as well give the body more of what it needs, i.e. carbohydrate to replenish glycogen.

Muscle tissue is actually rebuilt in the DAYS following training ... not hours, but DAYS. So the recovery is important from a perspective of getting adequate rest, and then getting adeqate protein throughout the 24-hour period.

Personally I think the idea that doing cardio after weight lifting somehow burning tissue is junk science. In other words if you put on your blidners and look at one chemical reaction it looks good on paper but falls apart in the real world.

Why do I think this?

Because if it were really an issue then people would see this and steer clear. But the reality is that it is hotly debated. You have plenty of people who successfully lose fat and gain muscle doing their cardio after a workout, and then plenty of people who hotly debate it. If it were obvious (like it's obvious weights will do a better job of putting on muscle than cardio, or like it's obvious that if you want to run marathons you'll have to run for some distance because 20 minute sprints won't cut it) then there wouldn't be so much debate - everyone would agree, "Yes, look, I tried it and lost muscle" but there's plenty people (myself included) who tried it and didn't lose muscle ... we just lost plenty of fat.

Is doing cardio after a weight training session optimal? Some would argue no. I'd agree if your main goal is to gain muscle then you want to focus on all of those little things that help maximize muscle gain. But if your main goal is to burn fat then I think doing it the way you're doing is GREAT. Why? Because cardio takes 10 - 20 minutes to even warm up your body and elevate your heart rate to the point where fat is being used as that fuel source ... when you do it after training, you get a bonus because you've already "warmed up" so you can switch into that cardio mode more quickly.

And for the people who talk about it breaking down protein ... you burn the most protein the more intensely you train, i.e. with weights!

I don't argue that you damage tissue, but it has nothing to do if you train 30 minutes, if you train 30 minutes, rest 5 minutes, then train 30 more minutes on weihts, or if you train 30 minutes, rest 5 minutes, then jump on the treadmill for 30 minutes. You will use different energy systems but again, if you are using protein as a source of energy then you're not actively melting tissue to get to it - you're using what is there in your bloodstream. The issue of it not making it's way back to your muscles depends on how you consume protein over the next 24 - 72 hours, not in the window of the workout.

For more about cardio, listen to the "Maximize Your Cardio" CD, part of the Lose Fat, Not Faith Audio Program.

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