Lift or Cardio First??

NoXQuse
NoXQuse Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
My husband and I have been reading articles stating that it is better for you to lift and then do cardio as opposed to the other way around. We have been doing cardio first for the past few months and it seems to be okay. I just worry that if I save the cardio until the end that I may not be able to push it as hard. What about maybe switching it up and doing cardio first some days and weights first on others? Any suggesstions?
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Replies

  • bonitacash08
    bonitacash08 Posts: 378 Member
    Honestly there are a lot of opinions either way. I also do cardio first because I hate it (kind of like the whole "eat your veggies first to get them out of the way" mindset). I've read you should do whatever you want to be better at first. If you want to increase your cardio abilities, do that first. If you want to increase your lifting abilities, do that. I also think that whatever gets done first will have the most energy applied to it because you won't be as tired. Seeing as you're worried about being able to push through your cardio, I'd say you're doing fine as is.

    Just my opinion though..
  • goodtimezzzz
    goodtimezzzz Posts: 640 Member
    It doesnt really matter! If you are going balls out weights...then so that first..if you love cardio and are getting results from that the DO cardio first...I find it fun to do weights and cardio separately...as in morn and night...sometimes a secret is making your weights cardio like:)) in other words train hard with weights and give yourself 20 to 40 seconds in between sets..oh yeahhhhhh
    Kristian Rocco...good Timezzzzz
  • mk9562
    mk9562 Posts: 186 Member
    My husband and I used to do cardio first too. Over the last two weeks we have been doing cardio after weights and I'm able o still push through my cardio. I often feel like I do better this way.
  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    I wouldn't do cardio before lifting. Lifting/strength training uses glycogen as the primary fuel source. Cardio depletes glycogen stores so when you do cardio first, your glycogen stores will be depleted resulting in diminished results while lifting. In theory, this may or may not be true, when you lift first, then do cardio you will enter the fat burning mode quicker because the weight training depleted the glycogen stores, so when you do you cardio you have less glycogen to burn.
    Another option is to separate the two by a few hours. If that's not feasible I would lift and then do cardio as stated above. You will probably only need to do 12-15 min of cardio after lifting.
  • justmeg86
    justmeg86 Posts: 40 Member
    I do 20-30 min of cardio, followed by about 15 minutes of strength training and finish with about another 10-15 minutes of cardio. I used to just do cardio followed by weights. I don't know what the answer is, what the best option is, what works best....but I started doing this a few weeks ago and am going to stick with it for awhile to see if I get any results.
  • jen81uk
    jen81uk Posts: 177 Member
    I do mine on seperate days. If I do weights, I'll do a ten min warm up cardio but when I do weights I designate my workout to just them. Sometimes I'll hula at home a lot before or after the gym or a cardio class, just cos I can and it's easy to do in front of the tv xx
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Let your goals dictate which you do first... which ever you want/need to go harder during, do that first.

    That said, if you lift second, just be careful you can handle the weight.
  • MistressAella
    MistressAella Posts: 99 Member
    I wouldn't do cardio before lifting. Lifting/strength training uses glycogen as the primary fuel source. Cardio depletes glycogen stores so when you do cardio first, your glycogen stores will be depleted resulting in diminished results while lifting. In theory, this may or may not be true, when you lift first, then do cardio you will enter the fat burning mode quicker because the weight training depleted the glycogen stores, so when you do you cardio you have less glycogen to burn.
    Another option is to separate the two by a few hours. If that's not feasible I would lift and then do cardio as stated above. You will probably only need to do 12-15 min of cardio after lifting.

    This^ only I'm currently doing 30 minutes of cardio after, :D
  • dwall1872
    dwall1872 Posts: 48
    i opt for the lifting first, get the muscles juiced up and blood flowing then hit the cardio directly afterwards. Been working awesome. 1 hr lifting 40 mins cardio
  • mrswhitiam
    mrswhitiam Posts: 2 Member
    I always do cardio fist, only because it take a lot more energy to me. Also, I do cardio for a longer period of time versus weights.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    i do cardio first as i have more energy then, if i do it the other way round i am so tired after strength that i cant even jog!
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member
    I wouldn't do cardio before lifting. Lifting/strength training uses glycogen as the primary fuel source. Cardio depletes glycogen stores so when you do cardio first, your glycogen stores will be depleted resulting in diminished results while lifting. In theory, this may or may not be true, when you lift first, then do cardio you will enter the fat burning mode quicker because the weight training depleted the glycogen stores, so when you do you cardio you have less glycogen to burn.
    Another option is to separate the two by a few hours. If that's not feasible I would lift and then do cardio as stated above. You will probably only need to do 12-15 min of cardio after lifting.
    ^ This.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    i do cardio first as i have more energy then, if i do it the other way round i am so tired after strength that i cant even jog!

    Then you should have lifting days and cardio days, or separate them by a few hours.

    Like someone else said, strength training before cardio is more effective for everything. Cardio before strength is less effective. It might be working for you, sure, but not as well it could be.
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
    I warm up 10-15 mins doing cardio (running/jogging) or if I'm feeling good, I do intervals for 20mins or 1/2 hour.

    Then I do my weights, I do however much I feel like and I don't give myself a limit - usually about a 1/2 hour

    Then I finish with 10-12 mins of cardio, usually the eliptical because my legs are done after squatting and lunging, then stretch for about 5-10 mins and I'm done.

    A trainer once told me to incorporate at least 10 mins of cardio after each weight training session. I'm not sure why? I think he said it's to flush out your muscles or something like that.
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
    I wouldn't do cardio before lifting. Lifting/strength training uses glycogen as the primary fuel source. Cardio depletes glycogen stores so when you do cardio first, your glycogen stores will be depleted resulting in diminished results while lifting. In theory, this may or may not be true, when you lift first, then do cardio you will enter the fat burning mode quicker because the weight training depleted the glycogen stores, so when you do you cardio you have less glycogen to burn.
    Another option is to separate the two by a few hours. If that's not feasible I would lift and then do cardio as stated above. You will probably only need to do 12-15 min of cardio after lifting.

    Yes this!
  • crossfit_lover
    crossfit_lover Posts: 230 Member
    Depends on your goals but I would suggest a warm-up, I go with 5mins of Cardio to get the Heart-Rate working and then do lifting but include cardio every 10mins...that's just me.
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
    I've experimented with both for the past few years and honestly, as soon as I started spliting it into weight int eh am and cardio in teh pm - I've seen amazing resutls. I have the energy to kill it with them both because I'm not exhaused. Just a suggestion
  • DostThouEven
    DostThouEven Posts: 148
    I would rather lift first so i am not worn out when holding heavy things on my back\over my head\over my neck.
  • redwngs13
    redwngs13 Posts: 194 Member
    I wouldn't do cardio before lifting. Lifting/strength training uses glycogen as the primary fuel source. Cardio depletes glycogen stores so when you do cardio first, your glycogen stores will be depleted resulting in diminished results while lifting. In theory, this may or may not be true, when you lift first, then do cardio you will enter the fat burning mode quicker because the weight training depleted the glycogen stores, so when you do you cardio you have less glycogen to burn.
    Another option is to separate the two by a few hours. If that's not feasible I would lift and then do cardio as stated above. You will probably only need to do 12-15 min of cardio after lifting.
    Quoting again for emphasis!

    I have also heard it this way: Your muscles have two types of fibers, "fast twitch" and "slow twitch". When you work out, your fast twitch fibers get fired off first for that initial explosion of energy, then after the fast twitch fibers run out of energy (ex. glycogen stores depleted), the slow twitch comes into play for more steady-state type stuff. In cardio I would equate running out of fast-twitch energy as "hitting a wall" and then the slow-twitch comes into play allowing you to continue to power through. When you do cardio first you're using up all your fast-twitch energy that is essential for creating the explosions of a good lifting session!
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    I try my best to alternate every other day Weight Day,Cardio Day,Weight Day,Cardio Day. I think that helps. You may not drop the lbs as much as fast cuz you are building muscle too but you improve your posture and balance and the extra strength helps when you are doing your cardio as well. Especially if you are doing workouts where you have to do alot of push ups etc. I will try to find weight ones that have some degree of cardio in them also if I can like Kettlenetics, or Jari Love is "awesome" for that.
  • Rhonnie
    Rhonnie Posts: 506 Member
    While you get fanatics on both sides, it's mostly a personal choice... Whichever way makes it more likely for you to stick with an exercise program is best.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I want my optimal performance first and foremost in the Weight room and will do some light Cardio afterwards..... Best of Luck...
  • M______
    M______ Posts: 288 Member
    I wouldn't do cardio before lifting. Lifting/strength training uses glycogen as the primary fuel source. Cardio depletes glycogen stores so when you do cardio first, your glycogen stores will be depleted resulting in diminished results while lifting. In theory, this may or may not be true, when you lift first, then do cardio you will enter the fat burning mode quicker because the weight training depleted the glycogen stores, so when you do you cardio you have less glycogen to burn.
    Another option is to separate the two by a few hours. If that's not feasible I would lift and then do cardio as stated above. You will probably only need to do 12-15 min of cardio after lifting.

    That's interesting, thanks for sharing that. I'm cutting down some weight with a view to adding some muscle afterwards, I don't pretend to have anything other than an ignorant view on these things. I have a lot of incorrect assumptions taking up space in my brain that have been hard to budge. I'm slowly replacing them with a more correct view of a route to follow and I think your above info helps a lot with that. It's like an extra incentive to start on the weights right now.
  • jasonmclose
    jasonmclose Posts: 1
    i think this depends on your body type, as well as the lifting and the type of cardio.

    7-10 minutes of cardio is a good warmup, regardless of the body part. but after that, you may be taxing yourself. i will feel the effects of 15+ minutes of cardio big time if i do it before deadlifts or squats. but, i also do fairly heavy weight, and 5+ sets. if you're going to hit arms or shoulders, cardio isn't going to affect you as much. and if you do stair stepper for 10-15 minutes before your leg day, your legs are going to be really tight before you even start lifting.

    i prefer to do the cardio last. lifting can be an absolute battle for me. it's intense, painful, and heavy (if it's not this way for you, you should probably step it up). cardio really gives me some time to come down from that emotional trauma of the lifting. by the time i'm done with the cardio, i'm back to a normal mindset.
  • LioshaM
    LioshaM Posts: 129 Member
    Depends on your goals but I would suggest a warm-up, I go with 5mins of Cardio to get the Heart-Rate working.

    ^^^^ ME
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The point of lifting for me is strength gains...and linear strength gains at that. I try to go up 5 Lbs in weight for each routine, each workout. I can't do that if my body is stressed from cardio. I have to be fresh for my lifts. I don't do any cardio on lift days except walking. I only do aerobic cardio on non-lifting days...even that is starting to impact my lifts so I'm probably going to cut my jogging down to 1x weekly for a nice long 3-5 mile run and do farmer's carries or something on my other cardio days.
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    I do both at separate intervals. with at least two hours in between
  • wiltl
    wiltl Posts: 188 Member
    I wouldn't do cardio before lifting. Lifting/strength training uses glycogen as the primary fuel source. Cardio depletes glycogen stores so when you do cardio first, your glycogen stores will be depleted resulting in diminished results while lifting. In theory, this may or may not be true, when you lift first, then do cardio you will enter the fat burning mode quicker because the weight training depleted the glycogen stores, so when you do you cardio you have less glycogen to burn.
    Another option is to separate the two by a few hours. If that's not feasible I would lift and then do cardio as stated above. You will probably only need to do 12-15 min of cardio after lifting.

    This is how I was advised to go about it by a health coach at the gym for these reasons here. 5-10 minutes cardio warmup (usually brisk walk on treadmill), weight routine then 20 minutes cardio (usually recumbent bike). Then dinner!
  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    5-10 min of low intensity cardio before lifting is okay but you have to think about what you are going to train that day and the type cardio. If you are doing a fullbody or lowerbody workout then any type of cardio would be okay. If you are training upperbody then 5-10 min on the treadmill, stairstepper or bike is pointless.
  • NoXQuse
    NoXQuse Posts: 10
    Thanks all for your input. I think we will start trying a 5 min warm up, weight lifting, then finish off with cardio.

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