How do you balance your workout?

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mk834
mk834 Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I used to do my cardio first and weights afterwards, but now I find that if I break up my cardio, I get a better workout. This morning, for example, I did 25 minutes on the elliptical, plus 4 minutes of cooldown, then did 30 minutes of weights, and then did 15 additional minutes on the elliptical. What is everyone else's routine like? Is there a specific way you're supposed to balance your workout to maximize effectiveness?

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  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    Always do big lifts first. Your form will be compromised by your fatigue if you do cardio first (beyond a dynamic warm-up, of course).

    I do some form of cardio five days per week (my cardio is typically of the HIIT variety though, no steady-state nonsense for me), but on days that I do strength training, I always do it before the cardio.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I personally never do Weights/Cardio together. If you're truly working out hard, the one you choose to do last will suffer due to fatigue. I either do them on separate days or do them both in one day with one in the AM & the other in the PM
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Right now I do most of my cardio on sepearte days from my lifting, but I do HIIT after I lift most days. I do longer runs on my non lifting days. Before I was doing an actual running program, I was doing an upper lower split and would do a "warm-up" mile before I did upper body, but I never did anything other than warm-ups sets before doing lower body.
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
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    I used to be alllllllllllllll about lifting...I've being doing cardio only (I know i know) but HIIT training only.
  • rhall9058
    rhall9058 Posts: 270 Member
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    Your muscles only have 20 mins of "burst" energy! Get your weights done first to maximize that burst, then go for the cardio to work the rest if your going to combine them. But like everybody else said, the item you do last will suffer the most because of fatigue.
  • Whipppets
    Whipppets Posts: 267
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    I do push ups all day at work between 500-1000... We find the time somehow.
    Go to the gym and do pump, or spin depending on the weekday.
    Weekends no push ups but do a cardio kick class, and then spin.
    I do all group work as it is just alot more fun.
  • NicholeElizabeth92
    NicholeElizabeth92 Posts: 186 Member
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    I do cardio and weights everyday (except some wednesday). Due to my schedule I can't break them apart from each other...however I alternate what I do. Someday it's cardio first, or mat work, or weights, my workout are never the same except I do 30-45 minutes of cardio a day.
  • josavage
    josavage Posts: 472 Member
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    I agree with the others that said not to do cardio (other than a warm up) before lifting. Give 100% to lifting and do your cardio after or on separate days.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I personally never do Weights/Cardio together. If you're truly working out hard, the one you choose to do last will suffer due to fatigue. I either do them on separate days or do them both in one day with one in the AM & the other in the PM

    This. My feeling is that if I do both on the same day, I am not particularly effective at either.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    I don't do heavy cario and heavy weights on the same days.

    On cardio days, I run anywhere from 2-4 miles and/or take a spin class. On strength days, I do a 5-7 minute cardio warm up, lift for 45 minutes, cool down and that's it. Occassionaly (very occassionally) I might run a mile or two after weights....but at a very slow pace. That only happens like once a month at most.
  • mom2kpr
    mom2kpr Posts: 348 Member
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    I guess I'm different then everyone else. For me I do what you do. I do elliptical 30 min (fairly intense), then 30 min weights, then if I have time 20 min on elliptical (less intense). I find that I do better with weights this way because my muscles are warmed up. When I go straight to weight, I have a harder time lifting.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Separate days.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I guess I'm different then everyone else. For me I do what you do. I do elliptical 30 min (fairly intense), then 30 min weights, then if I have time 20 min on elliptical (less intense). I find that I do better with weights this way because my muscles are warmed up. When I go straight to weight, I have a harder time lifting.

    What kind of weights routine do you do?
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    When I did cardio and yoga last month I always did cardio first and then yoga. Mainly because this way the yoga felt like a really extended cool down from a tough cardio session and I found my body was warm enough after cardio to get really deep into stretches I struggled with otherwise. It really helped with my flexibility this way!
  • mk834
    mk834 Posts: 17 Member
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    Thanks for the input! I go to the gym 4–5 days per week and do a lot of walking on my off days. Do you think it would be best to go every morning and switch between cardio and weights, dedicating each morning to a different area of the body for weight days, instead of my current routine?
  • mom2kpr
    mom2kpr Posts: 348 Member
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    I guess I'm different then everyone else. For me I do what you do. I do elliptical 30 min (fairly intense), then 30 min weights, then if I have time 20 min on elliptical (less intense). I find that I do better with weights this way because my muscles are warmed up. When I go straight to weight, I have a harder time lifting.

    What kind of weights routine do you do?

    I just do the weight machines, I don't feel comfortable w/free weight yet. Mon. - upper or lower, Tue, - whichever I didn't do Mon, Thur & sometimes Sat- whole body. i do 3 sets of 8 - 12 reps, depending on the weight I choose.

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