which do you perform first?

La5Vega5Girl
La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
just curious what others do: weights first or cardio?
(assuming that i have time for both in one session at the gym)

i have been doing weights first, then cardio, but wondered what others might do and why. TFS :smile:

Replies

  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
    Always weights before cardio for me.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Weights first, because strength is my primary goal right now.

    When endurance/speed is my goal, cardio is my focus.
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Weights first, because strength is my primary goal right now.

    When endurance/speed is my goal, cardio is my focus.

    thanks - right now, i am looking for strength :smile:

  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
    cardio first ,then strength.
    as recommended by Pt, something about afterburn and zones thats way to techie for me.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If you are doing both on the same day/during the same workout, which ever you do first will generally take away from the second... so if your primary goal is strength, do weights, first.

    IMO, if you are doing both as part of your routine, keep them on separate days - weights one day, cardio the other. The only exception to this is HIIT... weights and HIIT on the same day.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    cw106 wrote: »
    cardio first ,then strength.
    as recommended by Pt, something about afterburn and zones thats way to techie for me.

    FWIW, afterburns and zones, at least how they are generally discussed, is a bunch of BS. You may want to question your PT about it.

  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
    Weights then cardio IF you're even going to do cardio. For me, more time at the gym means more time hitting the weights!
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    If you are doing both on the same day/during the same workout, which ever you do first will generally take away from the second... so if your primary goal is strength, do weights, first.

    IMO, if you are doing both as part of your routine, keep them on separate days - weights one day, cardio the other. The only exception to this is HIIT... weights and HIIT on the same day.

    i have never heard to keep cardio on a separate day than weights. but i can try that for sure. thanks for the tip.

  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I've heard either way is good. Sometimes I do 5-10 min of cardio first, sometimes I just jump right into strength. And if I've already got DOMS, like today, I'll do more like 15-20 min of cardio first. If I'd tried to squat before cardio today, my form would've been crap but getting on the elliptical for 18 min helped me loosen up.
  • DoctahJenn
    DoctahJenn Posts: 616 Member
    I cardio first, but that's because it's an old habit to make sure my body is warmed up before I do anything that could cause an injury - something they teach in martial arts classes by the ton. It probably doesn't apply to weightlifting, but it's hard to remove the nagging voice from inside my head that says I should.
  • lemonlime006
    lemonlime006 Posts: 27
    I try to do them separately. I'll go run, then later on in the day I'll do weights. If I don't, I like to incorporate circuits so it gets my heart rate up, sort of incorporating a cardio within my weight training.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    I always do cardio first followed by weights or my PT sessions, depending on the day. For some reason, if I don't do a full cardio session before weights, I will likely hurt myself! Of course, I am dealing with body inflammation, a side effect of my ulcerative colitis and proctitis, both of which are actually in remission. It seems, once you have an auto-immune disorder, inflammation can hang around, even if the problem itself goes dormant. That is what I deal with.

    With that said, I can do a full out cardio, either HIIT or cranking the elliptical all the way to 100 resistance level, and I can still do quite well with my lower body workout. At least, I am still progressing, increasing weights every few weeks.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I try to do my heavy lifting before my cardio classes but once in a while I have to lift after my class. I much prefer lifting before class but I can still do it after
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 368 Member
    Weights. After cardio I am way to sweaty to go and lift weights. No one in the gym would appreciate following me to a bench after I was done. Even with a wipe off.

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