Doing cardio training which usually indicates aerobic training such as a treadmill or bike.
Some people do cardio training before to warm up their bodies while others hit the treadmill afterwards. Which one is better in terms of increasing muscle mass?
What happens when you do weight training?
As soon as you start lifting weight, pituitary gland secretes growth hormone, cortisol and testosterone are produced until about 1 hour after the beginning of the training. After that 1 hour, your body starts to burn off and break the fat. This could last 6 hours to 24hours.
1, Cardio→Resistance training?
The study group researched if the prior aerobic exercise affects muscle gain. They split into two groups which are 5mins of bike pedalling and 60 mins of bike riding before the resistance training (both 50% of VO2MAX).
The study shows that endurance training followed by 60mins of endurance training inhibited the production of growth hormone. However, the group who did 60 mins of cardio and resistance training afterwards showed that it increases free fatty acids in the blood, which means the body uses fay as an energy resource.
2, Resistance training→Cardio
The study did 4 sets of weight bearing push-ups, sit ups, squats, take a break for 120mins before performing of bike riding which is as intence as walking. Then they checked the secration of growt hormone, free fatty acid, comsumption of oxygen and how much the body uses as an energy resourse.
As the table 2 shows that longer endurance training inhibits secretion of growth hormone.
3, Resistance training post submaximal exercise
Another study researched how hormone secretes post resistance training. They divided participants into 3 groups. Group one performed high-intensity sprint (25secs pedalling and 5secs rest times 8), 1hour rest and resistance training. The second group did same as the group one apart from 3hours of rest time between. The last group performed only resistance training. They check growth hormone secretion after 30mins of resistance training.
Table 3 shows that the group who did only resistance training had the best growth hormone secretion. This can say that sports teams who train before the weight training actually inhibit the growth hormone secretion. To make most of exercise, weight training before the practical training or have some rests like 3hours between.
4, resistance training only
As the table 3 shows that the group who performed only resistance training had the most secretion of growth hormone.
Conclusion
Long endurance training like longer than 30mins inhibits growth hormone from secreting.
To make most of resistance training to gain muscles, the best option is only doing weight training. However, if you need to do some cardio work, it is better to make it short like 5-10mins of warm-up.
Reference
- Kazushige Goto, Masao Higashiyama, Naotaka Ishii, Kaoru Takamatsu “Prior endurance exercise attenuates growth hormone response to subsequent resistance exercise” European Journal of Applied Physiology 2005 94 333-338
- Tomaras EK, MacIntosh BR, “Less is more: standard warm-up causes fatigue and less warm-up permits greater cycling power output” 2011 J applied physiology 111(1):228-235
- Kazushige Goto, Ishii Naotaka “Effects of resistance Exercise on Lipolysis during Subsequent Sub maximal Exercise” 2007 Medicine and Science in Sports and exercise 39-2, 308-315
