So am I the only one that has been doing it all wrong?

ibiaboochie

I just read this article from Yahoo Sports stating that for optimal fat burn I should be doing a quick 10 minute cardio warm up and then my weights and THEN my longer cardio?! This flies in the face of everything I ever thought I knew about working out. I always thought that by doing cardio first that whatever I did after would be done with an elevated heart rate (assuming you jump right into the weights without a cool down or "rest") and would be much more effective.

Any workout "kings/queens" in here to confirm this "new" info for me?

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201104/warm-cardio-then-go-weights-right-wrong

atlraine

No, I was doing it all wrong as well......at least on the days I was not working out at Curves. LOL!

Kirsty_UK

The various threads on this over the last day or two seem to agree with the article - burn off your quick energy sources doing your weights (after a warm up), then jump into the cardio after.

BflSaberfan

I was doing my cardio then lifting, my trainer advised me not to.

foxxybrown

My brother is a personal trainer and has always told me this. He also told me that I do too much cardio! But I enjoy cardio much more than strength training.

Soooze

interested to hear about this.... bump

SoldierDad

I have always lifted weights before cardio. I usually do a light 5 minute jog then jump into my weights. It depends on what your lifting goals are to how long you should lift weights but 30-45 is about right for most fitness goals. And then 30-45 minutes of interval training to finish it off is perfect. So often wee all tend to over train and it is not needed. I am a strong strong believer in interval training at the highest intensity you can handle.

farmgirlsuz

Isn't that crazy? Goes against everything I had previously thought but it won't hurt anything to give it a try! Definitely not a "queen" of working out by any means, but considering where I started from, just tying my shoes might be considered a cardio workout!

savlyon

If you do cardio first your muscles will be tired and will not respond properly to the weight training. I've had multiple trainers tell me this same thing.
Don't worry so much about the "rules"--just keep at it!

breezymom81

My last trainer always had me do 10 min **hard** bursts of cardio after every 3-4 weights moves, said it kept my heart rate up more and so I could burn more calories. After that I feel off the wagon but it was great while I did it! Then at the end of work out I would do 30-40min of cardio. He also said there is no such thing as too much cardio. I have started doing short amount during the day like before I do laundry...dont know if it helps me loose weight but it keeps my energy up all day!!!

MinnieInMaine

That article backs up what my trainer taught me a few years ago. I tend to still do my cardio first and then weights since I don't have a ton of time but on the days when I do have more time, I will do it the right way.

You'd be surprised at how quickly your heart rate drops once you're done cardio and how little it goes up while doing weight. Most of the time while I'm strength training, my HRM is beeping to tell my my heart rate has dropped below my target workout range. It'll stop while I'm lifting (or doing crunches, squats, etc) but start back up at soon as I stop moving.

darrenham

Who the hell gets their sports science from Yahoo?


Doing exercise burns calories. As far as is important it doesn't matter what order you do it in.

A real training programme probably wouldn't put cardio and resistance training in the same session anyway.

Heart Rate != Calories burned, and I have no idea why so many people on here think that it is.

MissAnjy

awesome!! i'm going to try this & start with my lifting (clx) before m running w/ c25k

jbug100

Yep. I read that yesterday as well. I too always do my intense cardio before moving to the weights. I always thought I could perform the weights better with warm muscles. Who knew! I'm not sure if I am going to change or not. I've done pretty well so far. Maybe it's worth trying. I also prefer cardio to strength training, so the thought of starting with strength training turns me off. What to do..what to do:)

MzChiz

Well shucks! I've been doing it wrong for years. I'll give it a try.

ibiaboochie

Who the hell gets their sports science from Yahoo?


Doing exercise burns calories. As far as is important it doesn't matter what order you do it in.

A real training programme probably wouldn't put cardio and resistance training in the same session anyway.

Heart Rate != Calories burned, and I have no idea why so many people on here think that it is.

Dang Debbie Downer...it was an article that was sent to me and the science behind it makes sense. I am pretty sure that most trainers would tell you to incorporate cardio into EVERY workout. Most will tell you that there is no such thing as too much cardio.

overit

I was doing my cardio then lifting, my trainer advised me not to.

Ditto

darrenham

Who the hell gets their sports science from Yahoo?


Doing exercise burns calories. As far as is important it doesn't matter what order you do it in.

A real training programme probably wouldn't put cardio and resistance training in the same session anyway.

Heart Rate != Calories burned, and I have no idea why so many people on here think that it is.

Dang Debbie Downer...it was an article that was sent to me and the science behind it makes sense. I am pretty sure that most trainers would tell you to incorporate cardio into EVERY workout. Most will tell you that there is no such thing as too much cardio.

I've just read the second paragraph, and no, the science does not make sense.

Losing weight happens when calories burned is greater than calories eaten. It doesn't matter what metabolic substrate the body is using when you're actually doing the exercise, because as long as it's not replaced, the body will have to dip into it's fat stores sooner or later.

ibiaboochie

Who the hell gets their sports science from Yahoo?


Doing exercise burns calories. As far as is important it doesn't matter what order you do it in.

A real training programme probably wouldn't put cardio and resistance training in the same session anyway.

Heart Rate != Calories burned, and I have no idea why so many people on here think that it is.

Dang Debbie Downer...it was an article that was sent to me and the science behind it makes sense. I am pretty sure that most trainers would tell you to incorporate cardio into EVERY workout. Most will tell you that there is no such thing as too much cardio.

I've just read the second paragraph, and no, the science does not make sense.

Losing weight happens when calories burned is greater than calories eaten. It doesn't matter what metabolic substrate the body is using when you're actually doing the exercise, because as long as it's not replaced, the body will have to dip into it's fat stores sooner or later.

As another poster eluded to, most often our heart rates are not high enough while doing weights to get the same result as cardio. The instant stress of weights burns the sugars off regardless of heart rate. Once those are burnt off then the body can dip into the fat stores and do so more consistently while doing cardio with NO sugar energy present.

Why does that not make sense?

darrenham

Who the hell gets their sports science from Yahoo?


Doing exercise burns calories. As far as is important it doesn't matter what order you do it in.

A real training programme probably wouldn't put cardio and resistance training in the same session anyway.

Heart Rate != Calories burned, and I have no idea why so many people on here think that it is.

Dang Debbie Downer...it was an article that was sent to me and the science behind it makes sense. I am pretty sure that most trainers would tell you to incorporate cardio into EVERY workout. Most will tell you that there is no such thing as too much cardio.

I've just read the second paragraph, and no, the science does not make sense.

Losing weight happens when calories burned is greater than calories eaten. It doesn't matter what metabolic substrate the body is using when you're actually doing the exercise, because as long as it's not replaced, the body will have to dip into it's fat stores sooner or later.

As another poster eluded to, most often our heart rates are not high enough while doing weights to get the same result as cardio. The instant stress of weights burns the sugars off regardless of heart rate. Once those are burnt off then the body can dip into the fat stores and do so more consistently while doing cardio with NO sugar energy present.

Why does that not make sense?

Because as I said, it doesn't matter what substrate your body is metabolising at the time of exercise, it's the net calorie deficit which sees you lose weight. And even if it did, the body will always prefer to metabolise carbohydrate, because it's a faster fuel.

Heart rate does not equal calories burned either, you can burn just as much if not more energy doing a proper weights session than you can plodding on a treadmill even though your HR is higher during the latter.

iplayoutside19

Unless you're a professional athlete, or a body builder cutting for a contest I wouldn't worry about "doing it wrong"

There's a lot of stuff you do need to pay attention to. I file this under : "Something I'm not going to worry about"

....and like most articles about exercise and fat loss it leaves out the most important part....nutrition.