Cardio than Weights?

kalysta23
kalysta23 Posts: 8 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
I've read you can burn more calories during strength training if you do at least 20 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio before you lift because your body will burn calories at a higher rate for a period of time after doing cardio. I've also read you will burn more fat if you strength train first then do cardio because your body will have burned through its glucose and glycogen storage during strength training so your body will have to use fat as its energy source.

Is any of this true? Does it make a big difference?

I am 5'5" and 118 lbs. My goal is to decrease body fat and increase lean muscle.

Replies

  • abuck_13
    abuck_13 Posts: 382 Member
    Just my opinion, while you might burn more calories that way, if you really hit the cardio hard, seems like you would tire the muscles ahead of time and not be able to lift as much or properly. Most of the trainers I've seen will have someone do light cardio to loosen up, then do any lifting....
  • bellaa_x0
    bellaa_x0 Posts: 1,062 Member
    typically most people i know lift and then do their cardio
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    edited April 2015
    From a safety viewpoint, do you want to be pushing heavy weights above your head when you're tired?

    By all means, do a 5-10 minute warm up to get the blood flowing, then do your weights routine, then bust your *kitten* on the gym bike or treadmill to burn the cals and finish yourself off. :)
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member

    I once had a trainer tell me to do weights first (after an easy warm up) because your body isn't as tired as it would be after an intense cardio session so you could lift more. I've never looked up if he was correct though, I always just took his word for it.
  • ScorpioJack_91
    ScorpioJack_91 Posts: 5,241 Member
    I normally just do weight training and then cardio or just weight training only....doing cardio everyday is not good for someone like me who's trying to preserve muscle and is on a calorie deficit. Cardio gets boring anyway (unless you're near a hot girl on the treadmill >.> lol) strength training all the way especially free weights :)
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    It makes no difference which order you mix lifting and cardio. The only reason to do one before or after another is to maximize your energy to complete the routine with intensity. For example, I want muscle mass and strength over cardiovascular conditioning. So, I would lift weights first so I’m fresh and can lift heavier.

    All that said, I tend to lift on certain days and do cardio on other days. If I were to do cardio and weights on the same day, I’d do cardio in the morning and weights in the afternoon/evening.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    *then
    I was told not to do cardio before weights because you should be fresh in order to keep your form tight.
  • pittsingersg
    pittsingersg Posts: 29 Member
    I lift then run. They have it in body builder books to do this.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Depends on your goals. Depends on the type of weight training you plan on doing. Depends on what you will stick to.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
    I like to do a little walking before weights as a warm-up, combined with stretches. Then I lift. Then I'll do some light-to-moderate cardio, depending on my mood. I think doing more cardio before would have a negative impact on my lifting and increase my risk for injury.

    Of course, I could say the same thing about lifting making me tired and resulting in poor running form...increasing my risk of injury. But I hate running so I never do it. Problem solved.

    Regardless, I'd prioritize lifting over cardio in terms of where my energy is going on that day. I can always do more low intensity cardio on rest days.
  • branflakes1980
    branflakes1980 Posts: 2,516 Member
    Just my personal preference (not an expert) If I am going to be doing them both during the same session I do the weights first. Lately I have found it more convenient time wise to split up my workout into 2 sessions so at lunch I will do my cardio and then after work I will go back and lift.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    I do about a 5 minute cardio based warm up (I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, so I need to shake the cobwebs loose) - and then lift. And then the non-lift days, I cardio up. I rarely do both in the same day - unless it's unplanned. I may get up and lift on a Sunday morning and then Sunday afternoon go for a walk or bike ride with the family, but I generally don't back-to-back any of it.
  • ScorpioJack_91
    ScorpioJack_91 Posts: 5,241 Member
    Deena_Bean wrote: »
    I do about a 5 minute cardio based warm up (I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, so I need to shake the cobwebs loose) - and then lift. And then the non-lift days, I cardio up. I rarely do both in the same day - unless it's unplanned. I may get up and lift on a Sunday morning and then Sunday afternoon go for a walk or bike ride with the family, but I generally don't back-to-back any of it.

    Yeah I think most other people either just hit the weights first, do a light warm up cardio session or just no do cardio at all.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    A Body pump class will get your heart rate way up while working muscles.
    When I do weights in the weight room I prefer doing a lot of super sets. 3 or 4 lifts in sequence that work different/complimentary push pull areas so my heart rate stays elevated for a longer period of time.
    I see a lot of people that sit and rest for several minutes between sets of one lift. I just can't bring myself to sit that long.
    Some days my weight room session is after swimming 6000 yards.
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
    The whole weights before cardio thing is one of those gym norms that just seems to have always been around. It's what people have been doing for years so everybody assumes there's some scientific reason behind it. The idea that your cardio session will deplete your glycogen levels to where you can lift less makes sense, but isn't entirely accurate. It takes about an hour and a half of intense cardio (70% VO2 max) to really deplete your glycogen levels to a true fatigue point (this is what's known as "the wall" to runners). I really doubt there are many of us out there who routinely hit cardio that hard. 20-30 minutes of jogging on the treadmill or elliptical training probably won't make that much of a difference (diet can effect this). In general, do what feels right for you. Some days I run first because the increased heart rate wakes me up and helps me get focused. Other days I lift first.
  • kalysta23
    kalysta23 Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks Everyone!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    kalysta23 wrote: »
    I am 5'5" and 118 lbs.

    Hold on a second....

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,595 Member
    I've read both perspectives, but in my case I'm more pragmatic: I hate cardio, I love weights. If I lift first, I may or may not get any cardio done at all. If I do cardio first, I guarantee I will still lift.

    I just be smart about which cardio I do on which lifting days to avoid tiring out certain body parts prematurely. No biking or hard running on leg day, so easy jog or elliptical. HIIT done on chest/back day.
  • ScorpioJack_91
    ScorpioJack_91 Posts: 5,241 Member
    nossmf wrote: »
    I've read both perspectives, but in my case I'm more pragmatic: I hate cardio, I love weights. If I lift first, I may or may not get any cardio done at all. If I do cardio first, I guarantee I will still lift.

    I just be smart about which cardio I do on which lifting days to avoid tiring out certain body parts prematurely. No biking or hard running on leg day, so easy jog or elliptical. HIIT done on chest/back day.

    This
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    pittsingersg wrote: »
    I lift then run. They have it in body builder books to do this.

    Are you a body builder? If not, then the information is largely irrelevant.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    kalysta23 wrote: »
    I've read you can burn more calories during strength training if you do at least 20 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio before you lift because your body will burn calories at a higher rate for a period of time after doing cardio. I've also read you will burn more fat if you strength train first then do cardio because your body will have burned through its glucose and glycogen storage during strength training so your body will have to use fat as its energy source.

    Is any of this true? Does it make a big difference?

    I am 5'5" and 118 lbs. My goal is to decrease body fat and increase lean muscle.

    There was one study that suggested that doing some cardio before strength training resulted in a modestly higher calorie burn and EPOC. However, to my knowledge, that effect hasn't been shown in other studies, so it should be considered with caution. In any case, the difference is likely not enough to justify changing anyone's workout.

    All the talk about fasted exercise or doing weight training first to burn more fat is mostly wrong. Even when those types of intervention change the exercise fuel substrate mix to increase the % of fat burned, it has no effect on overall fat loss.

    From a practical standpoint, the supposed "negative" effect on weight training from doing cardio first is overstated IMO. Doing a lot of cardio first does have some negative effect, but it's modest. People tend to talk about these things like it's all or nothing. However, the average person can lift heavy after doing cardio, lift safely, and likely not see that much difference in results. Lifting weights uses different energy systems and recruits muscle fibers in different patterns.

    The order of your exercise, if doing concurrent training, should be based on goals and personal preference. There is no right or wrong way to do it.

  • Joel33mfp
    Joel33mfp Posts: 23
    Body builders do a lot of things that are not correct for athletes or the normal person that's true as they are working for show... As far as lifting before weights... If you're lifting heavy for your legs or not heavy, but a leg day that's going to kick your butt then cardio after is the way the go as you may be to tired to keep good form. On those days I use the row machine for my cardio as I can get my upper body into it. Other wise it depends. There are times I run a 1/2 mile then do 2 set of body weight exercises and repeat until I have 3-4 miles. I hate running and this breaks it up nice and lets me push harder for the small bursts.
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