Cardio First or Last

drewzaun

Interesting. I was told to do cardio first. The reasoning is that when you hit the weights the activity can keep your HR up higher if it is already there, and you get an extra cardio bonus during strength training.
Typically for me though I hit the gym at lunch for strength training and then again after dinner for cardio so I rarely put this into practice....

yellow_pepper

But if you have a healthy heart, your heart rate should fall back to normal pretty quicky. That's why I don't get the rationale for warming up only to stop doing cardio while you lift/train for more than 5 min.

songbyrdsweet

But if you have a healthy heart, your heart rate should fall back to normal pretty quicky. That's why I don't get the rationale for warming up only to stop doing cardio while you lift/train for more than 5 min.

Warming up will prevent injury while you lift. You don't have to do it with cardio. You can use dynamic stretching. This semester I'm doing some research on the negative effects of static stretching on strength, so I don't recommend static stretching, and especially not without some rhythmic movement beforehand. The aerobic activity or dynamic stretching improves laxity in connective tissues to prevent tears/sprains. It's not for your heart at all, but for your limbs.

Tamishumate

for me it depends on what I am doing. If I am doing lower body with weights, I need to do the cardio first, cause the weights kick my butt so much , that I dont have the proper energy for cardio after ,and I feel like I didnt get a good workout... if that makes sense?

mrhappy

:noway:

I'm confused... Other than a ten-minute warm-up, so you can then do stretches, I always thought you alternate cardio & strength training by days... I've never done both in the same day, much less same session.

Thoughts?

:glasses:

rosered51

I met with a trainer who said to do 10-15 minutes warm up on the treadmill to loosen up the muscles and get the juices flowing, then to do about 45-60 minutes of weight training following by 30 minutes more of the treadmill.

What he told me was that as I was doing light weights with more reps because I didn't want to build bulging muscle but was looking for toning and definition (as a woman), I could do this on a daily basis. Whereas he (as a man) was working on building muscle so he would altenate the muscle groups he worked on...say today would be legs, tomorrow arms...etc...

Does that help at all?

metalpalace

After all the studying I have done on exercise science and the bodys response to all difference modalities of exercise both acute and chronic I can very confidently say that if you are going to combine cardio and weights you should NEVER do cardio first unless both workouts are going to be relatively short in duration, otherwise you risk breaking down and eating away at your own muscle tissue to extract protein for energy. It only takes a little less than an hour of vigorous exercise to deplete muscle glycogen. If your weight lifting routine is going to last a half hour to an hour there is no reason to do a cardio workout first. If your reasoning to do cardio first is because you just may not feel like doing it next, then take that chance and lift weights instead. There is nothing more counter productive then catabolizing your own muscle tissue, except injury. Lift weights first! And dont forget to warm up with light to moderate cardio and stretching for 5 - 10 minutes before lifting.

An ideal day of doubles with the goal of loosing weight would be this:
1. Get up out of bed, drink some water and do 20 - 30 minutes of light to moderate cardio never exceeding 60% of your maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate Karvonen Method = 220 - age

2. Eat, rest.

3. Hours later and preferably two - three hours after you last ate lift weights for 30 minutes to an hour.

4. Eat a high glycemic carbohydrate with some whey protein right away.

5. Enjoy the rest of your day and eat your last meal 2 to 3 hours before bed time.

Fitness_Chick

:noway:

I'm confused... Other than a ten-minute warm-up, so you can then do stretches, I always thought you alternate cardio & strength training by days... I've never done both in the same day, much less same session.

Thoughts?

:glasses:

I do cardio 6 days a week and 3 days of strength training (ST every other day), so the days I do ST I'm also doing cardio as well, whether it be a class or machines... But I enjoy my time at the gym and usually spend 2-3 hours there daily if I can. It's just really positive environment for me to be in. I toss in some Mind & Body classes in the mix as well..:flowerforyou:

ST first then I do my cardio...but I do warm up a bit before jumping right into Strength Training or I feel it otherwise:ohwell:

FC

RKJR925

Warming up will prevent injury while you lift. You don't have to do it with cardio. You can use dynamic stretching. This semester I'm doing some research on the negative effects of static stretching on strength, so I don't recommend static stretching, and especially not without some rhythmic movement beforehand. The aerobic activity or dynamic stretching improves laxity in connective tissues to prevent tears/sprains. It's not for your heart at all, but for your limbs.
[/quote]

What you are studying is very interesting to me because I have read that static stretching before a workout can actually weaken your muscles during the workout following the static stretching.

Now this may be just gains made from working out but since I started doing 10 minutes on an elliptical before lifting instead of 10 minutes of statict stretching, I have noticed several differences in my workout including increased intensity, my HR stays higher (1 minute rest between sets), and the Delayed muscle soreness is not as significant

MisoSoup79

I personally like to split my cardio in half when I do weight training. I'll do about 20 mins on the elliptical, then my 30-60 mins of lifting, then another 20-30 on the elliptical or treadmill.

For my body, I've learned through trial and error that I just don't have the energy or motivation to lift unless I start with cardio. I have to do something for a good 15-20 mins just to build up motivation and get into the proper mental state. Without it, I lift lower weights and tend to feel exhausted through my session, yawning a lot... And then I get sore faster and give up sooner.

I do the cardio again afterward because it really helps me loosen up and avoid extreme stiffness later in the day or the day after.

Also, when I was in the Air Force, I would get to the gym early on the day of my annual fitness test and use the elliptical before the timed run. If I did not get my 15-20 minute warm-up cardio, I just couldn't push myself during the run. And I would get cramps and practically be unable to walk the next day. I just can't "work" on cold muscles. For some people, peak performance is right at the beginning of the workout, but for others like me, peak performance only comes after the first 20 minutes at a minimum.

This is what works for my body... so I do it. I'm getting results and I'm happy about the way I feel after my workouts. Whatever works for you may be different.