Cardio before or after weight lifting?

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24

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  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
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    I do it after when I workout at the gym so I don't get the weight equipment all sweaty and gross, because I sweat a ridiculous amount, and smell really bad after my runs.
  • embercakez
    embercakez Posts: 141
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    I typically do it after.

    but I like to mix things up as well, sometimes I'll do it before. Or both before and after.

    Do your workouts ever work the same muscles? i.e. do you go run after leg day? or do you only run after upper body work?

    If one can run after leg day, then they might want to reconsider their workout routine.
  • mdbs2004
    mdbs2004 Posts: 220
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    After. Its to hard and probibly not safe to properly lift weights when I'm tired.
  • BruhManFif
    BruhManFif Posts: 136 Member
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    I do a 10 minute warmup, do my weight lifting, then follow with 15-20 minutes of HIIT cardio. On lower body strength training days I skip cardio since my legs feel like jello afterward.

    I was going to say exactly this. Great minds think alike...
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
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    After.
  • RedHeadDevotchka
    RedHeadDevotchka Posts: 1,394 Member
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    Go after. You need all the strength you can get for the weights!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I typically do it after.

    but I like to mix things up as well, sometimes I'll do it before. Or both before and after.

    Do your workouts ever work the same muscles? i.e. do you go run after leg day? or do you only run after upper body work?

    If one can run after leg day, then they might want to reconsider their workout routine.

    That was my thinking. I can barely stand up after a heavy leg day... never mind do any kind of serious running or biking.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
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    Always lift before cardio.
  • tom_olech
    tom_olech Posts: 139 Member
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    I typically do it after.

    but I like to mix things up as well, sometimes I'll do it before. Or both before and after.

    Do your workouts ever work the same muscles? i.e. do you go run after leg day? or do you only run after upper body work?

    If one can run after leg day, then they might want to reconsider their workout routine.

    Hahaha, what an awesome response! ...As for me, i do it before simply because after weights, i do not want to. Added bonus: doing cardio before weight training acts as a warm up...
  • hughtwalker
    hughtwalker Posts: 2,213 Member
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    During

    start on bike or cross-trainer for 20 0r 30 minutes (depending on whether I've had my banana or not) then do a set of weights then do another 20 or 30 minutes of cardio then do more sets then finish with a stroll on the treadmill
  • msmarieann
    msmarieann Posts: 26
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    my trainer used to have me do 10-15 minute warm up on elliptical or treadmill then weights, then finish with a cool down of 10-15 on the elliptical or treadmill.

    It helped to keep my soreness to a minimum.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    I generally do my cardio before lifting. I do a full body workout and elevating my body temperature like that helps loosen everything up.

    I do about 30 minutes of elliptical befoe lifting, this is not enough to tire out my muscles. I generally do an hour of cardio on non-lifting days and I will try to get the point where I'm just a bit sore at the end of the workout then.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    I'd say cardio after weights.

    If you fall off the tredmill, big deal. If you drop the bar on your neck, its going to hurt/kill you.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    my trainer used to have me do 10-15 minute warm up on elliptical or treadmill then weights, then finish with a cool down of 10-15 on the elliptical or treadmill.

    It helped to keep my soreness to a minimum.

    I don't think warm up/cool down counts as cardio work.
  • byrnet18
    byrnet18 Posts: 230 Member
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    I do weights first, cardio second. Don't know if it really matters when it comes to fat burning though.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    After
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I do my strengh training on days I'm doing cardio, but for awhile I was doing "mild" cardio (just jogging) after strengh training because Jamie Eason recommends doing cardio AFTER lifting, because there's a "better chance to burn fat that way."

    I don't know how much I ascribe to that, but I do know I stopped doing both on the same day because I felt exhausted within a few hours, versus energized like I do when I do ONLY cardio or ONLY strength training on a day.
  • bsix3
    bsix3 Posts: 291
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    for me doing cardio first gets my heart rate up to the anerobic zone so when it's time to hit the weights my heart rate is in the fat burning zone during my weight training.
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    :noway: JUST DO BOTH!

    it cant hurt! :drinker:
  • Asavitzk
    Asavitzk Posts: 66
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    Ideally I try to do both. Light cardio (ie - walk/jog/hike on the treadmill) first, then weights, then heavy cardio (ie - run on treadmill or high intensity elliptical).

    The thinking behind starting with some light cardio is to at least get the heart rate elevated which will let me burn a few more calories during the lifting. Maybe not a huge difference but enough of one that I care. I try not to burn too much energy on the pre-weight cardio though otherwise I won't have enough left to put in a good lifting session.

    I find the sandwiching of it with cardio at the beginning and end works best for me.

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