Weight training-before or after cardio and calories burned?

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jessspurr
jessspurr Posts: 258 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi! I REALLY need to start weight training. I know I do. I know that it is one of the best things you can do for fat loss. However, I really enjoy my cardio time because I can more easily calculate the calories I have burned.

So, my question would be this---how many calories would a 214lb, 5'6", 28 year old woman burn doing 30 minutes of a full body circuit (30ish pounds 12 reps, 2 sets, etc)? I don't know if I trust the estimates I have found and I was just wondering if anyone else had come up with a good estimate. I would really hate to overestimate.

Also, if I was going to do 30 minutes of weight training and 30 minutes of cardio each day, which is better to do first? I've heard it both ways. Any advice would be awesome!

Replies

  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
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    I am doing both and would say definitely do your weights first. You need the power and energy to lift a decent amount of weight and will be worn out if you've already done cardio, reducing the effectiveness of a weight workout.

    Because cardio is a slow burn I find that after a few mins rest I can still do a decent cardio workout even if I've done weights first. (Although I can be a bit jelly legs to start with) You could also look into interval training if you wanted. This is often recommended as a good combo with weights as it works in a similar fashion, a minute or two of high intensity cardio followed by a couple of minutes of 'slower' lower intensity work and so on!!

    Good luck!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I know it can be difficult, but you should try to set fitness goals that go beyond just calorie burn. You honestly don't burn a ton of calories lifting...I never even logged them or anything...I just had an extra protein shake at the end...about 140 calories and called it good. Lifting is a much more long term investment in your body composition, strength, bone density, etc...not so much about actually burning calories. Also, you're going to burn more calories after the fact with muscle repair over the next 48 - 72 hrs...how much is pretty much impossible to tell, but I guarantee you, you get ravenous when you lift.

    Circuit training is different than actually weight training/strength training. If you're doing a circuit, it's really going to be variable based on you intensity. Circuit training is basically cardio with some weights or use of body weight. I do circuit type stuff all of the time to train for my Goruck...I don't count it towards my lifting, I do it on cardio day along with a run.

    You shouldn't weight train every day...even if you're doing a split, you should really only do about 4x weekly and make sure you're really doing a good split. You don't want to hit those same muscles and muscle groups every day...if you do, you're pretty much wasting your time because the true benefits of lifting come with rest...the lift is just the catalyst.

    When I lift, I'm f'ing lifting and lifting heavy...I'm pretty much shot to **** after my session, so no cardio afterwards and I don't do it right before either because it's going to interfere with my lifts and I won't be able to give it 100%. I do jog at lunch on lift days, but I have a good 5-6 hrs rest from then until I lift.

    More strictly defined fitness goals will help you determine when to lift and how often vs how much cardio, etc.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    as to the calories burned if you want to properly eat them back and really fuel improvements from the workout during the rest - use MFP's estimates.
    They may seem small compared to cardio, and that is absolutely true during the workout.
    The extra fat burned during the rest and repair process hardly needs to be eaten back, so no need to count it.
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
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    the more weight and more reps you push, the greater the burn. but aside from that rule, the is no way to calculate.
  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
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    Also, would recommend reading New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's a pretty good place to start!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    Do HIIT and get both done at the same time in the the 30 minutes.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
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    Hi! I REALLY need to start weight training. I know I do. I know that it is one of the best things you can do for fat loss. However, I really enjoy my cardio time because I can more easily calculate the calories I have burned.

    So, my question would be this---how many calories would a 214lb, 5'6", 28 year old woman burn doing 30 minutes of a full body circuit (30ish pounds 12 reps, 2 sets, etc)? I don't know if I trust the estimates I have found and I was just wondering if anyone else had come up with a good estimate. I would really hate to overestimate.

    Also, if I was going to do 30 minutes of weight training and 30 minutes of cardio each day, which is better to do first? I've heard it both ways. Any advice would be awesome!

    Do 10-15 Minutes of Cardio Before and 15-20 Minutes After. And get a HRM to measure calories burned.

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