Many people struggle with weight loss because there are so many mixed messages regarding the proper way to eat, exercise and approach a weight loss program. The following are two common myths regarding weight loss that need to be debunked.

Myth #1 – Its Best to do Cardio Before Weight Training

Wrong. Doing five minutes to get your joints lubricated, and your blood flowing is not a bad idea, especially during the winter months in colder climates, however doing cardio to burn fat before weight training is NOT advisable for many reasons. (1) If you do cardio before weight training you will deprive your body of what it needs for energy that enables you to train hard and strong:  glycogen. (2) Cardio sessions to burn fat (not a 5 minute warm up) can tire you, especially if you are dieting and are on a carb restricted diet.  This can leave you more prone to inattentiveness or in some cases weaken a muscle and possibly increasing the chances of injury.

Myth #2 You will Burn More Fat if you do Cardio on an Epty stSomach.

Wrong. You will burn more stored body fat if your body is depleted of carbohydrates when you do cardio. You do NOT and should not be depleted of protein and dietary fats.  In fact high protein/very low carb protein drink can in fact provide you with an energy and muscle development edge, since this combo will provide the muscle with building and repairing nutrients (good fats will also provide energy especially if you bare on a carb restricted diet). Also of key importance: the body will not burn fat until glycogen stores are depleted (carbohydrates are stored in the form of glycogen, excess carbs are stored as fat). So, until you burn all your stored carbs, the body will not turn to your fat stores for energy and no fat will be burned. Therefore do NOT eat carbohydrates before your cardio session. For this reason, weight training first is advisable because it gives your body time to burn additional glycogen stores so that when you are ready to do your cardio (after weight training) your body has depleted its glycogen stores and is now ready to burn stored fat. I say ready, because the next important part of the equation is how you do your cardio. How cardio is performed will also determine whether you burn fat, protein/muscle, glycogen, all, etc. Refer to my other articles regarding how to do cardio to optimize the burning of stored body fat.

About the Author

Jeff Behar, MS, MBA