Workout: post-weight cardio

General Questions
#1

Hi there,

I’ve started running and gymming recently in an attempt to lose my nascent gut and build my skinny arms. Nothing too serious, maybe 5-6 hours a week total (including the showers!).

I have heard the following said…

  • when you do weight training at the gym you deplete your body’s energy store
  • so if you do some cardio after lifting you can burn fat very efficiently because your body has to go straight to the fat for the energy needed to move the rowing machine or whatever.

So what say you? Simplistic myth, or can you burn more fat than you’d expect in raw calorie terms by doing (say) a 1k rowing machine session after lifting weights?

Cheers!

pdts

#2

Right idea, but the actual mechanism is slightly different. Fat has to be removed from storage before it’s available for fuel, and it takes a little while to get it out. You can spend that little while doing more cardio, or lifting.