Cardio than Weights?

kalysta23

I've read you can burn more calories during strength training if you do at least 20 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio before you lift because your body will burn calories at a higher rate for a period of time after doing cardio. I've also read you will burn more fat if you strength train first then do cardio because your body will have burned through its glucose and glycogen storage during strength training so your body will have to use fat as its energy source.

Is any of this true? Does it make a big difference?

I am 5'5" and 118 lbs. My goal is to decrease body fat and increase lean muscle.

abuck_13

Just my opinion, while you might burn more calories that way, if you really hit the cardio hard, seems like you would tire the muscles ahead of time and not be able to lift as much or properly. Most of the trainers I've seen will have someone do light cardio to loosen up, then do any lifting....

bellaa_x0

typically most people i know lift and then do their cardio

darrensurrey

From a safety viewpoint, do you want to be pushing heavy weights above your head when you're tired?

By all means, do a 5-10 minute warm up to get the blood flowing, then do your weights routine, then bust your *kitten* on the gym bike or treadmill to burn the cals and finish yourself off.

Asher_Ethan

I once had a trainer tell me to do weights first (after an easy warm up) because your body isn't as tired as it would be after an intense cardio session so you could lift more. I've never looked up if he was correct though, I always just took his word for it.

ScorpioJack_91

I normally just do weight training and then cardio or just weight training only....doing cardio everyday is not good for someone like me who's trying to preserve muscle and is on a calorie deficit. Cardio gets boring anyway (unless you're near a hot girl on the treadmill >.> lol) strength training all the way especially free weights

AllanMisner

It makes no difference which order you mix lifting and cardio. The only reason to do one before or after another is to maximize your energy to complete the routine with intensity. For example, I want muscle mass and strength over cardiovascular conditioning. So, I would lift weights first so I’m fresh and can lift heavier.

All that said, I tend to lift on certain days and do cardio on other days. If I were to do cardio and weights on the same day, I’d do cardio in the morning and weights in the afternoon/evening.

sofaking6

*then
I was told not to do cardio before weights because you should be fresh in order to keep your form tight.

pittsingersg

I lift then run. They have it in body builder books to do this.

Hornsby

Depends on your goals. Depends on the type of weight training you plan on doing. Depends on what you will stick to.

EvanKeel

I like to do a little walking before weights as a warm-up, combined with stretches. Then I lift. Then I'll do some light-to-moderate cardio, depending on my mood. I think doing more cardio before would have a negative impact on my lifting and increase my risk for injury.

Of course, I could say the same thing about lifting making me tired and resulting in poor running form...increasing my risk of injury. But I hate running so I never do it. Problem solved.

Regardless, I'd prioritize lifting over cardio in terms of where my energy is going on that day. I can always do more low intensity cardio on rest days.

branflakes1980

Just my personal preference (not an expert) If I am going to be doing them both during the same session I do the weights first. Lately I have found it more convenient time wise to split up my workout into 2 sessions so at lunch I will do my cardio and then after work I will go back and lift.

Deena_Bean

I do about a 5 minute cardio based warm up (I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, so I need to shake the cobwebs loose) - and then lift. And then the non-lift days, I cardio up. I rarely do both in the same day - unless it's unplanned. I may get up and lift on a Sunday morning and then Sunday afternoon go for a walk or bike ride with the family, but I generally don't back-to-back any of it.

ScorpioJack_91

Deena_Bean wrote: »

I do about a 5 minute cardio based warm up (I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, so I need to shake the cobwebs loose) - and then lift. And then the non-lift days, I cardio up. I rarely do both in the same day - unless it's unplanned. I may get up and lift on a Sunday morning and then Sunday afternoon go for a walk or bike ride with the family, but I generally don't back-to-back any of it.

Yeah I think most other people either just hit the weights first, do a light warm up cardio session or just no do cardio at all.

fishgutzy

A Body pump class will get your heart rate way up while working muscles.
When I do weights in the weight room I prefer doing a lot of super sets. 3 or 4 lifts in sequence that work different/complimentary push pull areas so my heart rate stays elevated for a longer period of time.
I see a lot of people that sit and rest for several minutes between sets of one lift. I just can't bring myself to sit that long.
Some days my weight room session is after swimming 6000 yards.

pzarnosky

The whole weights before cardio thing is one of those gym norms that just seems to have always been around. It's what people have been doing for years so everybody assumes there's some scientific reason behind it. The idea that your cardio session will deplete your glycogen levels to where you can lift less makes sense, but isn't entirely accurate. It takes about an hour and a half of intense cardio (70% VO2 max) to really deplete your glycogen levels to a true fatigue point (this is what's known as "the wall" to runners). I really doubt there are many of us out there who routinely hit cardio that hard. 20-30 minutes of jogging on the treadmill or elliptical training probably won't make that much of a difference (diet can effect this). In general, do what feels right for you. Some days I run first because the increased heart rate wakes me up and helps me get focused. Other days I lift first.

kalysta23

Thanks Everyone!

Mr_Knight

kalysta23 wrote: »

I am 5'5" and 118 lbs.

Hold on a second....

nossmf

I've read both perspectives, but in my case I'm more pragmatic: I hate cardio, I love weights. If I lift first, I may or may not get any cardio done at all. If I do cardio first, I guarantee I will still lift.

I just be smart about which cardio I do on which lifting days to avoid tiring out certain body parts prematurely. No biking or hard running on leg day, so easy jog or elliptical. HIIT done on chest/back day.

ScorpioJack_91

nossmf wrote: »

I've read both perspectives, but in my case I'm more pragmatic: I hate cardio, I love weights. If I lift first, I may or may not get any cardio done at all. If I do cardio first, I guarantee I will still lift.

I just be smart about which cardio I do on which lifting days to avoid tiring out certain body parts prematurely. No biking or hard running on leg day, so easy jog or elliptical. HIIT done on chest/back day.

This

Azdak

pittsingersg wrote: »

I lift then run. They have it in body builder books to do this.

Are you a body builder? If not, then the information is largely irrelevant.