Cardio or Strength first?

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NicoleZamorategui
NicoleZamorategui Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm more interested in losing body fat first. I've heard it's best to do strength first no matter what your goal but recently I've been told, by a few health freak friends of mine, that I need to do cardio first. What would be best?

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  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Why do you have to choose one or the other? Do both together for best results.

    If you can only do one, strength training will most help you burn off fat while maintianing maximum lean muscle tissue. Cario will burn calories and help with weight loss but a higher % of that will be lean muscle mass than with strength training.
  • NicoleZamorategui
    NicoleZamorategui Posts: 6
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    What I've just started is a strength routine with cardio in it as well. But I am also running for 30-40 minutes before the strength workout. Is it okay to do this? Does it benefit me more to do cardio before the workout?
  • Sherylmarlee
    Sherylmarlee Posts: 224 Member
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    As a personal preference, I strength train first so that I have the mental and physical energy to focus on form. My gym cardio is much more of an auto pilot that I can do it no problem after lifting. I do keep the cardio on these days simple though. :)
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    What I've just started is a strength routine with cardio in it as well. But I am also running for 30-40 minutes before the strength workout. Is it okay to do this? Does it benefit me more to do cardio before the workout?

    The better choice is short (10 minutes or less( cardio warm up. Then strength, then longer steady state cardio. To do cardio first depletes glycogen and with reduce the effectiveness of your strength training. To do strength first allows for more fat burning when you do cardio for the same reason. You will deplete some glycogen and burn more fat as fuel during cardio.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    As a personal preference, I strength train first so that I have the mental and physical energy to focus on form. My gym cardio is much more of an auto pilot that I can do it no problem after lifting. I do keep the cardio on these days simple though. :)

    Great approach!
  • NicoleZamorategui
    NicoleZamorategui Posts: 6
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    Thank you all for your responses!
  • Jose2828
    Jose2828 Posts: 80
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    If you are not in the starvation mode the body has two sources of energy - glycogen and fat and you are always burning a mixture of both. Glycogen is stored in the muscle is used as a quick energy source when lifting. Whereas fat is primarily used in activities that are long and slow like jogging. Because lifting depletes glycogen faster than the body replace it. The recommendation is to start with strength training and follow immediate with at least 10-15 minutes cardio because in the absent of glycogen the body has no option but to burn 100% fat.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Why do you have to choose one or the other? Do both together for best results.

    I agree with Pags. I'm never sure of why this issue is always proposed like it's the main event of Friday Night Fights. Do both. Why can't people just do both?? If you don't have time to do both, do the strength training while eating at a deficit. If you're interested in losing fat, your calorie deficit will take care of that by itself, whereas the lifting will help shape your body the way you want.

    Before 30 people jump in here and say SHE HAS TO DO CARDIO FOR HER HEART, she didn't say she was exercising for her heart. She asked about getting rid of fat so that's what is being addressed.
  • dtenzie
    dtenzie Posts: 24
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    I would recommend Weight first then cardio. If your pushing it on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Would you really be able to lift at your max level after an intense cardio session?

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