cardio or weights first ??

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deb9615
deb9615 Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
I've been going to the gym for years and always do a mixture of cardio, (usually HIIT, sometimes slow n steady) and moderate weights about 4 times a week. I let my diet slip and as a result put on about 10lbs. I'm really struggling to get rid of this excess fat but I know there are muscles underneath it all so it's not the scales I'm too bothered about, it's this tyre around my mid-section!

Anyway, my question is should I be concentrating more on cardio or weights ? Should I do my weights first and then cardio or the other way around, or does it not really matter?
Thanks for any input, much appreciated.
x

Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    depends on your goals for which one you should focus on more, but typically you shouldnt do cardio before lifting weights, the cardio will deplete glycogen stores in your muscles leaving you with little energy to lift. other than that it makes little difference
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    Do both. Focus more on weights. Calorie deficit for weight loss, exercise for fitness. Weightlifting will help retain lean body mass in a deficit along with a good amount of protein, ideally 1g per pound of lean body mass. While cardio is good for your heart and lungs and helps if there are discrepancies in logging.

    Fat loss is genetic. You cannot control where fat loss will come from so just be patient.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    I find that when I do cardio first, I don't give the weights my ALL like I should be. So weights first for me.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Depends on your objectives, personally I focus on running and cycling with minimal resistance training. I've lost a fair amount of weight, but more importantly reduced my body fat percentage by a third.

    As my priority is running and cycling performance I'll generally do resistance after a short run of 5-10km. Essentially if I deplete doing resistance work my form goes to pot, risking injury or a low quality run.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    Generally speaking I try not to do cardio on lifting days because it really tires me out and I can't do as well with my lifting. However, when I do decide to go for a run on lifting days I do it first otherwise my time will suffer.
  • greenwrapgirl
    greenwrapgirl Posts: 12
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    Every personal trainer I've had had had me do 10 minutes of light cardio as a warmup. Then I'd do the strength training and hit the cardio hard afterwards. Both cardio and strength are equally important. You can also alternate cardio and strength training days. Just make sure to do the light cardio warmup. It won't tire you out and helps get your blood pumping.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    warm up =/= cardio

    and cardio =/= warm up.

    Cardio V weights in terms of which comes first or which you should do more of is largely goal dependent.

    If you are training for a marathon- then cardio should always be priority.

    If you are training for a power lifting competition- then cardio isn't a priority.

    If you are just working out to get in a good sweat and maintain your health- do what you love doing- but keep in mind doing cardio prior to weight lifting will impede your lifting and fatigue you sooner.

    It is neither good nor bad- it's just a reality that your lifting performance may suffer- but- for OLD me- I know if I didn't do cardio first- I would never do it. So I knowingly took the hit on my weight training and I was okay with it.
    Now i organize it by goals and '"m okay with that.
  • Panthers89
    Panthers89 Posts: 153 Member
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    I always do my cardio first. I lifted weights for many years when I was younger so I can still concentrate on my form even after a heavy cardio section. I notice that my running form suffers when I am tired, probably because I am relatively new to running distances longer than a mile - a little over 3 years.

    I'm not sure if it is right but this is what works for me.
  • rbiss
    rbiss Posts: 422 Member
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    Weights first
  • deb9615
    deb9615 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you for everyone's input ! I do enjoy lifting weights more than cardio to be honest and try to get away with as little cardio as possible, I think I do the minimum amount and I wondered if this was making my fat loss slow or if it had more to do with my diet. :-)
  • Kazzam33
    Kazzam33 Posts: 210
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    I do cardio first, just light cardio so I'm nice & warm. Then I do my resistance work. :smile:
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I do enjoy lifting weights more than cardio

    Well pretty much any form of CV work inside a gym is boring as hel. The occasional time I have to go in there the people I see remind me why so many people dislike cardio; blank faces, transfixed by TVs, tablets, books and just burning calories on infernal torture machines.

    It's no surprise.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I do cardio first, just light cardio so I'm nice & warm. Then I do my resistance work. :smile:

    That's a warm up...
  • Kazzam33
    Kazzam33 Posts: 210
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    I do cardio first, just light cardio so I'm nice & warm. Then I do my resistance work. :smile:

    That's a warm up...

    Not exactly...
    1117 kjs burned doing light cardio
    1205 kjs burned doing my resistance work

    Same, same really. I just don't run my butt off then try to do weights... that doesn't work out well for me.

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