Cardio vs Strength Training

candice4462

Which do you do first?

sccamero

I do cardio first. It gets me pumped up for strength training.

JennsLosing

i prefer to do strength training first, then do cardio. If i do cardio first i just flat out wont do my strength training, because ill tell myself im too tired = /

joycemhall

I have been told it's best to mix it up so maybe do both....cardio one day and strength the next day? I tend to do more cardio myself, I just feel like I get better results from it

MissLuana

Depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If it's weight loss, cardio is a must. Strength training also helps but cardio is definately #1. A friend of mine was a trainer at a local gym and put together a routine for my specific needs. It included 45-60 minutes of cardio every day followed by alternate strength training each day. For example, I get on the elliptical for 45-60 minutes every day then go do all arm strength training one day and all leg strength training the next day. But the elliptical (my machine of choice for the cardio work out) is every day.

HeidiMightyRawr

If they had to be in the same session I would do maybe a 5-10 minute warm up on a cardio machine such as a bike, then go onto strength training and finish off on cardio. This is because my performance in the strength training would suffer alot if I did all my cardio first.
Preferably I'd say to put them on separate days though

MaggieLaBranch

It depends on what you want to focus on. I usually do strength training first because I know I will get the most out of my workout that way.

meggonkgonk

I actually do them on separate days :blushing:

oshmom

Actually I just recently read a thread that it is important to do strength first. Your muscles will continue to burn calories into the cardio and beyond.

A typical day for me is a 20 minute "metabolism booster" video that mixes strength with cardio bursts and then I hit the elliptical for 30-40 minutes.

tgh1914

For me I've found that if I really spend myself on strength training, it doesn't really affect my ability to also do some good cardio afterward. But the opposite is definitely not true. If I first go hard on cardio, it will affect my strength workouts afterward. Maybe everyone isn't the same, but I've sure seen a difference.

But, yes, ideally they're on separate days or one in the morning & one in the evening.

luvgreen25

Usually, I do cardio first as a warm-up, but sometimes I'll switch it up and just do a quick warm-up and then do strength training followed by cardio. I don't like to get into a rut, so I try changing things up each time I workout.

edorice

I usually split them up, however I believe it is best to do strength training first.

rileysowner

I mainly do Cardio Strength Training also known as Metabolic Resistance Training. It is basically a hybrid of HIIT and Strength Training. As I have done more and more of this, I have more and more phased out long duration steady state cardio. All that time spent doing the same thing over and over increases the possibility of repetitive strain injuries. Add to this that HIIT and Metabolic Resistance Training burn far more fat that long duration steady state cardio, and my interest in spending all that time doing cardio starts to disappear. While cardio might look better based on the seemingly huge burn of calories over that 60 minutes, the extra calorie burn stops when you stop exercising. For HIIT/MRT the increased metabolic effect lasts up to 36 or 38 hours later. So even though you stop exercising, you body keeps burning afterward. On top of that, the continuing burn is mainly fat. The one research study after it took into account the time difference between long duration cardio and HIIT found HIIT burned fat at 9 times the rate of long duration cardio.

I have not completely stopped my cardio stuff, but the vast majority of my exercise is Metabolic Resistance Training or some sort of High Intensity Interval Training. Rarely does a workout last longer than 30 minutes for me, and I am seeing great changes in my body composition after only 2 weeks of this. This is week three, and I am looking forward to seeing how things look after a month or two. I wish I knew about this when I started this journey to health and fat loss.