cardio before weight training?

mmmicheller

Why is it always recommended to do cardio before strength training? This may seem like a stupid question but if I do pilates without doing cardio before, would it make me bulky?

rmhand

Pilates will not make you bulky. I believe the cardio is just to warm up your muscles to get them ready to work so you can do strength and stretching without causing injury.

TXGirl821

I didn't think cardio before strength training was recommended, to be honest. I really only do strength training with my trainer and he's never made me do cardio beforehand.

kwest_4_fitness

I thought the opposite was true. Oh boy, hope I haven't been doing it wrong, lol.

journalistjen

I don't think you would get bulky because it really depends on the type of weight training you are doing. I do Body Pump before or after the cardio classes at my gym, and it's all about toning and not bulking up. I think it's recommended so you get a full range workout.

Captain_Tightpants

There's constant debate about this. Personally I don't think it makes a difference, except in one respect - if your cardio wears you out too much to do lifting, then you should do it last. The lifting is more important imo.

spdoman7

Cardio before weight training elevates your heart rate which carries through your weight training session and ultimately helps burn more calories.

splashwags

My trainer had me do 5-10 minutes of cardio to warm up the muscles, and get the heart rate going a bit. Most people I know that do both in the same day, either doit at separate times, or will lift then cardio.

FrugalMomsRock75

I was told by the trainers at my gym to do a very short cardio burst to start (as a warm up to get the muscles warm and ready), then strength train, and then do the longer cardio session AFTER the strength. Something to do with the glycogen... but I couldn't tell you the rest... lol

A typical gym workout for me [on a strength training day] is 15 minutes on the elliptical, 30-45 minutes on the strength machines and free weight room, 30-40 minutes of elliptical, arc, or treadmill (10% 4.0 MPH). Then I hit the pool and steam room.

Pspetal

I've read everywhere that you should do weights before cardio. But on the days that I do both one after the other (can't help it because the gym has classes back to back), I always do cardio first. Once I do any kind of strength training, I feel so depleted of energy, I'm too sore to even walk. After strength training, the only thing I have strength to do is eat. I tried cardio after strength training and couldn't manage more than 5 minutes.

Jacwhite22

Cardio before weight training elevates your heart rate which carries through your weight training session and ultimately helps burn more calories.

Source?


Generally the rule is lifting first......Warming up cardio is fine. But generally you should lift first because of form/strength issues if you do cardio first.

manderson27

I do not think there is any way on earth that you could bulk doing pilates whether you do cardio before or after so I wouldn't worry about that.

Women on here, including me, are heavy lifting without bulking, it isn't possible for women to bulk we are not genetically predisposed to it. Personally I do cardio after lifting so I can lift more.

I am sure you will get some good advice and info from other posters.:flowerforyou:

cibilbee

Me trainer always wanted me to get about ten minutes of light to moderate cardio in before we started and we did weights a lot

myfitnessnmhoy

I thought the opposite was true. Oh boy, hope I haven't been doing it wrong, lol.

No. It's impossible to do it wrong.

If you do full-on cardio first, you'll have less energy to lift, and therefore your lifting performance will go down a teeny bit and you won't get a 100% effective lifting session.

If you do the lifting first, you'll have less energy for the cardio, and therefore your cardio intensity or duration might suffer a bit and you might burn fewer calories.

So do what you feel is the most important beforehand. Or don't worry about it because the difference is probably not all that significant.

Jacwhite22

Decent link

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/11/07/cardio-before-or-after-weights/

myfitnessnmhoy

Me trainer always wanted me to get about ten minutes of light to moderate cardio in before we started and we did weights a lot

This is probably good advice. It allows you to warm up without depleting energy. A few minutes of lifting at lighter intensity would also work, as would walking briskly to the weight section (if it's a long walk). Anything that gets the blood flowing and the muscles loosened.

lizziebeth1028

I always thought it was opposite, weight then cardio. You might want to do a few full body dynamic stretches to warm up before weights but nothing that will drain your energy.

Pilates will not make you bulky.

supplemama

I always walk a quick mile before hitting the weights, it helps loosen things up.

Jacwhite22

Why is it always recommended to do cardio before strength training? This may seem like a stupid question but if I do pilates without doing cardio before, would it make me bulky?

Eating at a large surplus of food will make you bulky.....Not cardio, pilates or strength training.

Tat2dDom624

I always do 5 minutes on the treadmill to warmup the muscles, then i do my exercises with two minute cardio intervals, and then i end with 15 min of HIIT. So far, that seems to be working for me.......

AprilRenewed

There's constant debate about this. Personally I don't think it makes a difference, except in one respect - if your cardio wears you out too much to do lifting, then you should do it last. The lifting is more important imo.

This.

I used to do cardio first to get it out of the way. But then, when I went to lift, the weights felt twice as heavy. Whereas, I've found if I do weights first, I'm so pumped up from how well I did (usually lol) that I still have the energy for the cardio. Even when I'm doing high intensity like an Insanity video or HIIT training on my elliptical.

holeshottdr

There's constant debate about this. Personally I don't think it makes a difference, except in one respect - if your cardio wears you out too much to do lifting, then you should do it last. The lifting is more important imo.

I'll second this.

spdoman7

http://weighttraining.about.com/od/techniquesandstrategies/a/cardio_weights_2.htm

I have read several article in Bike rags as well to support cardio vs. weights first, however to pull the article and date of the mag would be redonculous

sundaywishes

I do a 10min cadio warm up, then hit the wights, then do my actual cardio workout. I do this because I have more energy to lift if I do cardio last--if I do it first, I can't lift nearly as much or as well.

I also read many articles (was a while back so I don't have the sources, but you could find them online) that you burn glucose stores before moving on to burning fat. The body can run on glucose or fat and glucose will be used first, before the body taps into its other fuel sources. So I like to think I'm burning those glucose storages while doing my warm up and weight training and (hopefully!) by the time I get to my cardio, I'll be into the fat burning stage for the duration of my cardio workout.

AprilRenewed

There's constant debate about this. Personally I don't think it makes a difference, except in one respect - if your cardio wears you out too much to do lifting, then you should do it last. The lifting is more important imo.

I'll second this.

I already did. So technically, you third-ed it.

wellbert

If your weight training doesn't suffer from cardio (aside from maybe a 15 minute walk) then your weight training isn't hard enough.
Likewise, if you can do cardio more intense than walking after weight training - then your weight training wasn't hard enough.

Suzieintexas

I only mix the two 1 of out my 5 gym workouts each week. In that case, I warmup 5-8 minutes cardio, do weights (half the reps I do on weights only days), then 30 minutes cardio (mix treadmill + ellipitcal, half what I do on cardio only). I do use the treadmill to warmup and cool down for weights, but I don't really count either as a workout. This is per instruction from my trainer. It seems to be working well for me.

Nutrition1st

For weight training, your muscles "NEED" protein and carbs. For cardio your body uses fatty acids. But, during cardio your body also burns muscle, fat, carbs, protein etc. If you do cardio before weights and deplete your muscles of the carbs and proteins they need, then your workout will be spent in a catabolic mode. Your body will break down muscle tissue of it amino acids then turn around and feed those muscles the amino acids they have been depleted of. Your body will continue to break down muscle tissue and convert those amino acids to glucose in the absence of those carbs. It's not a matter of what you feel or see in the mirror. It's a matter of what is happening behind the scenes. Whenever your body is forced to feed off itself, it goes in to a fat storage survival mode for reserve energy. If you are serious about your health the last thing you want to do is make your body store fat or make your body break down muscle tissue. In the bigger picture, this is how alot of "apparently fit" people get diabetes or other heart diseases.

When glucose levels are low, the Pancreas releases a hormone called Glucagon whose function it is to stimulate the liver to convert and release its stored glycogen (glucose) into the bloodstream (Glycogenolysis). When liver stores are exhausted, catabolic and cannibalistic enzymes and hormones are released into the blood that break down amino acids, blood proteins, and body tissues (mostly muscle), for energy. If a low blood glucose condition is prolonged and extreme, metabolic acidosis and death may occur as a result of the toxicity of the bi-prod-ucts of protein and body tissue cannibalism (Ketone bodies).

-NFPT

Here is the test I have put every client that I train through IF they are adamant about doing cardio before the workout. On Week 1 I will put them through a 30 minute total body workout routine. Week 2 I will have them do 20-30 minutes of cardio then put them through a 30 minute workout routine. In 4 years of training, I have yet to have 1 person successfully make it through the workout if they did cardio 1st. In our minds most people think that since they are that tired and sweating, they had a good workout and burned alot of fat. What's happening behind the scenes is completely different. Their pancreas and liver are working triple overtime.

E

AprilRenewed

For weight training, your muscles "NEED" protein and carbs. For cardio your body uses fatty acids. But, during cardio your body also burns muscle, fat, carbs, protein etc. If you do cardio before weights and deplete your muscles of the carbs and proteins they need, then your workout will be spent in a catabolic mode. Your body will break down muscle tissue of it amino acids then turn around and feed those muscles the amino acids they have been depleted of. Your body will continue to break down muscle tissue and convert those amino acids to glucose in the absence of those carbs. It's not a matter of what you feel or see in the mirror. It's a matter of what is happening behind the scenes. Whenever your body is forced to feed off itself, it goes in to a fat storage survival mode for reserve energy. If you are serious about your health the last thing you want to do is make your body store fat or make your body break down muscle tissue. In the bigger picture, this is how alot of "apparently fit" people get diabetes or other heart diseases.

When glucose levels are low, the Pancreas releases a hormone called Glucagon whose function it is to stimulate the liver to convert and release its stored glycogen (glucose) into the bloodstream (Glycogenolysis). When liver stores are exhausted, catabolic and cannibalistic enzymes and hormones are released into the blood that break down amino acids, blood proteins, and body tissues (mostly muscle), for energy. If a low blood glucose condition is prolonged and extreme, metabolic acidosis and death may occur as a result of the toxicity of the bi-prod-ucts of protein and body tissue cannibalism (Ketone bodies).

-NFPT

Here is the test I have put every client that I train through IF they are adamant about doing cardio before the workout. On Week 1 I will put them through a 30 minute total body workout routine. Week 2 I will have them do 20-30 minutes of cardio then put them through a 30 minute workout routine. In 4 years of training, I have yet to have 1 person successfully make it through the workout if they did cardio 1st. In our minds most people think that since they are that tired and sweating, they had a good workout and burned alot of fat. What's happening behind the scenes is completely different. Their pancreas and liver are working triple overtime.

E

Wow. Thank you for that post.

So...I'm doing it right then. When I get up in the mornings to workout (I didn't today), I do my lifting. Then I go home and do a 30-40 minute cardio routine. HIIT in some form or fashion.

When I don't get up early, like today, I still do the lifting first, but I go immediately to the cardio to finish my routine for the day.

I'm good?