Run every workout?

[IFMJohn]

I'm trying to drop lots of weight. Previously I would run upwards of two miles (inclined) a day on a treadmill. I have never had problems with my knees.

I was looking at http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/13wee...ingworkout.pdf and he only has one day of running listed? Should a person trying to loose fat run every workout before and after the workout or not?

I used to run 15 minutes before workout and around 30 minutes after. Does this harm fat loss?

[Commander]

Well that workout doesn't have "one day of running". It has one day of cardio to be done as posing, HIIT, bike, elliptical or running.

Here is what it says:

Cardio

I realize allot of you are saying to yourselves, " cardio! I refuse to do it! " I
agree that too much can burn muscle. Which is why I will give you three
options of cardio, two of which are not traditional!
1. Posing - This is the first option and is actually the most sport specific of all
three. What you will do is pose, flex and tense your muscles as intensely as
possible for a total of 30 minutes. This will not only burn calories, but also
improve the shape, separation and condition of your muscles. Moreover it will
allow you to get in touch with them, creating a stronger mind muscle
connection that will serve you endlessly in the future! I suggest hitting a pose
and holding it for at least 5-10 seconds before switching to another pose. The
whole point is again to flex, your muscles with an unmatched intensity for the
duration of the workout!
2.

HIIT Aerobics - High intensity interval training has gained great favor in the
world of bodybuilding
You can read about it, if you haven't already in the article highlighted in Blue.
I suggest 15-20 minutes of HIIT training.
3. Traditional Cardio - All you do here, is get on the bike, track or elliptical and
ride or run on it for a methodical 30 minutes. Your intensity should cause you
to breathe, but not so much that you cannot talk. I would suggest keeping
your heart rate within the following:

Fitness Heart Zone 60-70 percent of Maximum Heart Rate
Aerobic Heart Zone 70-80 percent of Maximum Heart Rate

You can find out how to take your heart rate in the workout section of our site.

I point that out because I don't want you trapped in the idea that you have to do tons of jogging to burn fat.

Jogging is hard on joints and puts you in a crappy state hormonally speaking.

How overweight are you?

Don't expect to drop a ton of fat all at once by dieting hard and jogging all the time. Plan to eat well, train hard and gradually take off the fat. Fat loss is mostly accomplished by eating properly, NOT by jogging/cardio. Trust me, I have gotten bodybuilding level lean with no cardio.

In answer to your question, no a person trying to lose fat should not run before and after a workout. Running before decreases strength/energy for the workout. This is not good, when trying to lose fat, you are obviously in a caloric deficit. Guess what? Your body wants to lose muscle as well, it doesn't care that you want to keep the muscle and lose the fat. All your body knows is that you are not eating enough. Therefore, strength workouts are the priority. You must give your body a reason to retain the muscle you do have.

Occasionally doing cardio after your workout is acceptable. But don't overdo it, and don't always pick jogging. Try HIIT, try posing (trust me, try posing). If you have access to battlling ropes, farmers walks or sleds, try those as well, mix it up. You will have more fun and your body will thank you.

[drhunter]

It is important to have reasonable goals and workouts. Losing more that a pound or two per weak will be hard to maintain and increase the likelihood that you loose muscle as well. So try to lose that much per week on average (your weight varies by a few pounds day to day due to several non-fat related factors). If I were you, I'd start with 20-30 min cardio in the am before breakfast daily. See how much you lose with your current diet and workout plan. Adjust cardio (longer, more intense) and diet according to your progress.


HH

Originally Posted by IFMJohn

I'm trying to drop lots of weight. Previously I would run upwards of two miles (inclined) a day on a treadmill. I have never had problems with my knees.

I was looking at http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/13wee...ingworkout.pdf and he only has one day of running listed? Should a person trying to loose fat run every workout before and after the workout or not?

I used to run 15 minutes before workout and around 30 minutes after. Does this harm fat loss?

[Commander]

Originally Posted by drhunter

It is important to have reasonable goals and workouts. Losing more that a pound or two per weak will be hard to maintain and increase the likelihood that you loose muscle as well. So try to lose that much per week on average (your weight varies by a few pounds day to day due to several non-fat related factors).

Agreed

Originally Posted by drhunter

If I were you, I'd start with 20-30 min cardio in the am before breakfast daily. See how much you lose with your current diet and workout plan. Adjust cardio (longer, more intense) and diet according to your progress.

Definitely disagree for multiple reasons.

1. To maintain fat loss, your plan must be something that the person can follow long term. Forgetting whether it is even optimal, most people will not be able to consistently do pre-breakfast cardio.

2. Fat loss is mostly accomplished with healthy eating (furthermore, healthy eating is also the way to keep fat off if the client happens to not be very active). Muscle is maintained by strength training. No where in those two statements does daily cardio become necessary to achieve fat loss goals.

3. Fasted cardio is a tool in the fitness tool box, but probably not the best tool to use for someone who is really overweight and has a ton of fat to lose. Fasted cardio is something to get off that last bit of stubborn fat for a near-contest lean bodybuilder. And even then, it is best kept at a low intensity and used sparingly. See below link for more info:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat...t-loss-qa.html

4. Fasted cardio doesn't take into account the long term picture, see below

http://alanaragon.com/myths-under-th...rthoughts.html

Fasted cardio is not optimal for reasons spanning beyond its questionable track record in research. There’s unavoidable positive metabolic synergy in fed (read: properly fueled) training, regardless of sport. This effect increases with intensity of training; even in untrained subjects, whatever fat oxidation is suppressed during training is compensated for in the recovery period by multiple mechanisms, many of which are not yet identified.

5. Fed cardio increased performance, see below

http://alanaragon.com/myths-under-th...ed-cardio.html

Further supporting the evidence in favor of fed cardio in trained men, Febbraio’s team investigated the effects of carb ingestion pre & during training in easily one of the best-designed trials on this topic [10]. Subjects exercised for 2 hrs at an intensity level of 63% VO2 max, which is now known as the point of maximal fat oxidation during exercise. Result? Pre & during-training carbs increased performance - and there was no difference in total fat oxidation between the fasted and fed subjects. Despite the elevated insulin levels in the carb-fueled groups, there was no difference in fat availability or fat utilization.

[Darnell22]

In response to your query, no a individual trying to reduce fat should not run before and after a exercise. Operating before reduces strength/energy for the exercise. This is not good, when trying to reduce fat, you are obviously in a calorie lack. Think what? Your system wants to reduce muscular as well, it doesn't care that you want to keep the muscular and reduce the fat.