weights and cardio

klkc2005

I'm a little confused. I've been going to a gym and the trainer there said to do cardio before weights but everything I read says you should do weights first while your muscles are fresh. Which is best cardio before or after weights. I'm trying to lose weight and tone up. My second question is when to eat? I've found that my stomach gets upset if I eat anything before a good workout. Is it bad to work out on an empty stomach? I usually eat within an hour after a workout. thanks.

jjpptt2

There is no best.

If you're lifting heavy, then I'd suggest lifting first while you are fresh... but ultimately your own goals/priorities should dictate which you do first. If you prioritize cardio, then do that first. If strength/weights, then do that first.

As for eating... do whatever works for you. There is no need to eat before a workout, especially if it ends up bothering your stomach.

BrianSharpe

The general rule is to do weights before cardio so that you're not already dealing with glycogen depletion / fatigue that may impact both your form and your ability to get a great workout. Having said that the importance of order depends largely on how heavy you're lifting and your goals.

If you're doing a full body workout with relatively light weights the order is less important.

My solution is to either do them on different days alternating cardio & strength or, on days like today, do my cardio in the morning and strength in the evening (I have a lot of twice a day workouts).

As to working out fasted....I hate swimming, running or rowing with food in my stomach, I can ride my bike shortly after a light meal and don't have a problem with strength if I wait at least an hour after eating but everyone has their own personal preferences. If I'm going for a longer run (later stages of a training plan) I'll have something light like a banana & yogurt an hour or so before running but assuming you're eating enough your body has enough glycogen stores to get you through 90 minute of moderate exercise.

cwolfman13

It really just depends on the workout and intensity of your training. I like to optimize both, so I typically do them on separate days. My lifting program at the moment is fairly basic, but it's still pretty intense...It would be sub optimal at best to have an intense cardio training session before getting under a loaded barbell...conversely, I'm not going to have a particularly good training ride after I lift.

My lifting program takes me about 40 minutes to work through...I typically get on the stationary bike for about 20 minutes afterwards, but it's just an easy spin to spin out my legs...it's not really a training session...I do training rides on non lifting days.

Meal timing isn't particularly important for most people just trying to up their fitness and be healthy. I typically lift in the evenings after work, so I've had plenty to eat throughout the day. As riding goes, it just depends on the ride and timing of that ride. In the summer I often ride fasted as most of my weekday rides are in the early morning...or I might just have a banana or something if I'm going to go further than about 20K on my ride.

Alpha12

There is no best and depends on your personal preference, the intensity or your strength training and what works for you. I prefer to do cardio before weights to completely warm up and loosen up my body/muscles before I lift weights.

TomHayward78

I prefer cardio first or else I find I'm a bit unsteady on the treadmill

J72FIT

klkc2005 wrote: »

I'm a little confused. I've been going to a gym and the trainer there said to do cardio before weights but everything I read says you should do weights first while your muscles are fresh. Which is best cardio before or after weights. I'm trying to lose weight and tone up. My second question is when to eat? I've found that my stomach gets upset if I eat anything before a good workout. Is it bad to work out on an empty stomach? I usually eat within an hour after a workout. thanks.

There is no best. All depends on your goals. If muscle gain is your priority, then weights first. If endurance is your priority, then cardio first. For me, I always did them on different days...

MelanieCN77

It makes sense to do fresh the moves you want to gain the most out of, but I always feel weird if I don't do a 20 minute cardio warmup of some kind. It probably hasn't hindered me much as my strength stuff is pretty casual.

NorthCascades

BrianSharpe wrote: »

The general rule is to do weights before cardio so that you're not already dealing with glycogen depletion / fatigue that may impact both your form and your ability to get a great workout.

The other really common advice is to do whichever one is most important to you first. For pretty much the same reason, give your all when it matters. They're both right.

I prefer not to eat much before riding my bike, I just don't like having a lot of food in my stomach for it. There's nothing wrong with that.

pondee629

On my weights day I like to start with 15 minutes on the rowing machine. I need a dynamic warm up before any lifting routine. Even after the rowing, I start very light with my squats working my way up to my training weight. I'm not sure if anyone would call 15 minutes of rowing a cardio workout, but I need something with which to warm up. On my cardio days, I usually finish with some body weight exercises, push ups, pull ups, dips, (weighted) hip bridges; all before my stretching ending routine which is done on all days.

You do what feels right for you and works for you.

sijomial

Which is best cardio before or after weights?
Depends.

Could be either, for most people and their workouts more likely to be completely irrelevant either way and purely just personal preference or just something trivial like not liking to be sweaty while lifting.
My personal best most of the time is to do them in separate workouts. Your personal best might not be the same.
Talk to your trainer - ask why they recommend this style of mixed training for you.

I'm trying to lose weight and tone up.
The order in which you exercise is unlikely to be significant for those goals.

I've found that my stomach gets upset if I eat anything before a good workout. Is it bad to work out on an empty stomach?
No.
You have plenty of fuel onboard, unless your sessions are 2hrs or more then concentrate on what results in the most effective workout for you.