Cardio first or Strength first? (Insanity included)

spamantha57
spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've heard different arguments for both sides.

I just started Insanity a little over a week ago & thinking about adding some lighter work out for about 20 mins before or after Insanity. Not sure if I should do something lighter & be warmed up for Insanity, or if it would be better to do after & keep my HR going?

Any thoughts? Doesn't have to be Insanity specific...

Replies

  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    As you've already found, there's agruements for each. It doesn't really matter, do whatever you feel works best for you.
  • delonda1
    delonda1 Posts: 525 Member
    I do both....i usually do strength for about an hr earlier in day paired with abou a 15min run and then insanity later....Starting back up insanity next week!
  • Matt_Wilken
    Matt_Wilken Posts: 188
    Strength > Cardio...ALWAYS
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
    Strength1st...always. Especially early in the morning. You have about 20 minutes of stored energy in you body (glycogens), after you go thru that your body starts tapping into other resources. You want that glycogen to fuel your lifting so it's as intense as possible. Once you start your cardio you'll be using stored body fat as energy. It's a double win win.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    Do what feels comfortable for you. I warm up by swimming 1/2 mile then doing the upright bike. I finish with weights. After a few weeks i change up the cardio and weights, but still warm up with swimming.
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
    I would do strength first. Be careful of volume though if you're restricting your calories. You might be better off waiting until you finish insanity, but as with anything in fitness - try it.
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    Strength first, but warm up by using lighter weights for a first set on each of (at least the first few) different lifts you want to do.
  • camrunner
    camrunner Posts: 363
    I always do strength first. I won't say that it doesn't have any impact on my cardio, even though that is often true simply because most of the leg work I do IS my cardio, but it's a hell of a lot more practical than trying to do strength when I'm dripping sweat everywhere...
  • nicolmiller
    nicolmiller Posts: 4
    I think its a good idea to do something lighter workout before doing strength workout. :explode:
  • kborton1122
    kborton1122 Posts: 914 Member
    I usually start with some cardio, do my strength training, and end with a bit more cardio.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Arguments for both, but I really can't see how it matters for Insanity™.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    I've done it both ways and frankly it doesn't matter unless you are at some elite level.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    stick to insanity. the programming is setup to do on its own..............


    that being said you should do a light warmup, then strength train. I typically won't even do "cardio" or conditioning on the same day. Regardless of the level you're at, you can't weight train to your full potential if you spent 30 minutes running beforehand.
  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
    We're talking about coupling Insanity with something else, right? The comments got a little off track I think...

    First, Insanity has a warmup. If you workout before Insanity, you WILL not be able to go as hard as you would have -- so why even do Insanity? I burn 830 calories during the month 2 workouts. What else are you wanting to accomplish? MORE calorie burn? I'm on my second round and LAST week (thank you Jesus) of Month 2 and I still get sore. I can't imagine going and doing a leg workout and expecting to 1. get results from it and then 2. do Insanity tomorrow.

    Gah...people just need to CALM DOWN. Insanity is super hard -- that's why like 15% of the people that start it actually finish it. It works if you do it. What 60 day goal are you trying to reach that you're afraid it won't accomplish?
  • LMurrieta540
    LMurrieta540 Posts: 15
    I always do what my target for that day is first, if its weight training, I weight train first and then do carido after, if its carido then I do that first and weight train after
  • serenapitala
    serenapitala Posts: 441 Member
    From what I've read, it depends on your goals. Whichever one you are more focused on should go first because your muscles will be tired on the second one. So, if you're going for weight loss, cardio first. If you're toning, strength first. There's a whole bunch of explanation behind it, but that's the gist. I agree with all the other posters who said to do what feels right for you.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
    Weight Train then do 15 minutes of cardio afterwards.

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