Cardio or Weight Training First? AND Weight Training Question

nissa5575
nissa5575 Posts: 21 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
I was wondering which I should do first at the gym; cardio or weights? I feel like when I do weights first I have a better cardio workout...but it could be in my head.

Also, my goal is to lose weight first, then to tone, but I know that building muscle is important to help with weight loss, so how many sets/reps should I be doing? Right now I just do what feels right, but I am wondering if I am not spending enough time weight training.

Thanks!

Replies

  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    I would do at least a 10-15 minute cardio warm up before lifting to prevent injury. You don't want to lift with cold muscles. Otherwise, I think it's just personal preference. Some will say that you should lift first, so that you have more glycogen to fuel your muscles, and you can lift the max amount of weight. I have never noticed a difference, but I'm not a power lifter, nor do I try to lift the absolute max amount I can. Right now, I am focusing more on strengthening and rehabing a knee injury, but that's off the topic...
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    My opinion is to do weights first. Pick an established program to follow. Full body 3x a week.
  • bigd66218
    bigd66218 Posts: 376 Member
    I do cardio first then weights. I'm not a trainer and for years I would do cardio and ignore weights and now I realize by lifting weights with more muscle you will burn more calories at rest. I try to do up to 12 sets of weights/3 days a week.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Warm-up, lift, cardio.
  • dipeshlshah1
    dipeshlshah1 Posts: 5 Member
    edited June 2015
    Hi,

    I go to GYM in morning. I was overweight and my goal is to reduce 40 pounds. I have lost 26 pounds as of now.

    I used to do cardio first and then weights for couple of months. I saw great reduction in my fat and protein weight remained constant since I was on high protein diet.

    Conclusion: If you do cardio first then you will burn calories which you could have used in weights and lift some more weight. The problem with this routine was when I burn calories in cardio, while weight training i might have also burned proteins as a source of energy.

    Later I switch to new routine as follows:
    Do warmup and stretching. Do weights and then cardio.
    With this routine you prevent injuries due to warmup but save calories then you can use in weights for lifting more weight. If you do cardio after that then the extra required energy will be used from body fats instead of proteins.

    Now it depends on your goal, If you are already having high protein diet and you do not want to muscle up then first one is good. But in my case I wanted to increase my overall body protein mass, so I can conserve it by following later routine.

    --Stay healthy, Stay awesome... :)
  • Ironmaiden4life
    Ironmaiden4life Posts: 422 Member
    Do your strength training first then your cardio. The body utilizes 2 different energy pathways to fuel cardio and resistance work. If you do your cardio first you'll use up glycogen stores leaving you little in the tank so to speak to fuel your resistance workout. Obviously this is dependent on type and duration of cardio, a 10 minute light warm up on the treadmill isn't a problem, although I personally prefer using very light sets of the exercise I'm doing before moving into my working sets.

    As to your goal..... weight loss and toning will go hand in hand if you combine a solid diet plan in line with your goals with a good work out program that incorporates resistance work. Toning really means reducing fat mass and increasing lean mass, and as you know the more lean mass you have the better your metabolism will run. And no you will not get bulky so lift heavy :) (with good form of course)

    Rybo nailed it.... as a beginner you would be better looking at a full body workouts starting with 3 times a week. You need to focus on compound exercises to begin with and there's a number of solid training programs out there to choose from. I always recommend either Ripptoe's Starting Strength or New Rules Of Lifting For Women, both are excellent for beginners (both available on Amazon).

  • mirlredmann
    mirlredmann Posts: 28 Member
    I was at the same point a couple of weeks ago, after experimenting with increasing my focus on lifting, I fully endorse what most people here have said so far: warm up, do your weights and then cardio. I usually cycle for ten minutes to warm up, then I am sweaty already but not tired yet. After a 50minute lifting session I now have it depend on what I plan for the rest of the day whether or not and how much time I spend on cardio. Cardio at the gym, after some months of intensive experimenting has really become an option, not a priority. I now mostly prefer to do fun stuff instead of spending time on a cardio machine: cycle outside, swim, yoga, go for a run, hiking..
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    In overall terms, it doesn't make a difference whether your lift or cardio first (although a short warmup is good in either case). The one you do first, you will have more energy and less "zapped" muscles to apply to. So if increasing your cardio endurance is your priority, do that first. If getting stronger is your priority, lift first.

    I am a runner, and twice a week I run hard in the mornings and lift in the evenings. (Runner's credo: keep the hard days hard and the easy days EASY. I don't want to squat on my easy days.)

    Cardio may not help as much with weight loss (it can increase your calorie deficit), but it is *fantastic* for overall health. Strength training is, too. Build muscles = protect bones!

    You won't really build much muscle if you're eating at a steady deficit (there are newbie gains, I guess). Really what you want is to prevent *losing* muscle--you want your body to burn its fat stores for energy, not its muscle! And you should be lifting heavy enough weights (that you can only lift for a few reps, i.e. 5x5) to gain the benefits. The suggestions above to go with a program like Stronglifts, Starting Strength, or Strong Curves are good ones.
  • erojoy
    erojoy Posts: 554 Member
    lisalsd1 wrote: »
    Warm-up, lift, cardio.

    Agreed, but I'm not a trainer. Haha. This is just what I do. Though my brother keeps yelling at me to not run too much because I'm negating the progress I make in my lifts. Whether that is true or not. I have no idea. I hate running so I'd be happy to know it was so I could stop. :wink:

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Exercise order depends on program goals, workout goals, and personal preference. All the talk about "energy systems". "fat burning", etc, is either wrong or irrelevant to 95% of exercisers.
  • nissa5575
    nissa5575 Posts: 21 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    Exercise order depends on program goals, workout goals, and personal preference. All the talk about "energy systems". "fat burning", etc, is either wrong or irrelevant to 95% of exercisers.

    That kinda evoked more questions than it answered :)
  • nissa5575
    nissa5575 Posts: 21 Member
    edited June 2015
    Ironmaiden4life wrote: »
    Do your strength training first then your cardio. The body utilizes 2 different energy pathways to fuel cardio and resistance work. If you do your cardio first you'll use up glycogen stores leaving you little in the tank so to speak to fuel your resistance workout. Obviously this is dependent on type and duration of cardio, a 10 minute light warm up on the treadmill isn't a problem, although I personally prefer using very light sets of the exercise I'm doing before moving into my working sets.

    As to your goal..... weight loss and toning will go hand in hand if you combine a solid diet plan in line with your goals with a good work out program that incorporates resistance work. Toning really means reducing fat mass and increasing lean mass, and as you know the more lean mass you have the better your metabolism will run. And no you will not get bulky so lift heavy :) (with good form of course)

    Rybo nailed it.... as a beginner you would be better looking at a full body workouts starting with 3 times a week. You need to focus on compound exercises to begin with and there's a number of solid training programs out there to choose from. I always recommend either Ripptoe's Starting Strength or New Rules Of Lifting For Women, both are excellent for beginners (both available on Amazon).

    Thank you so much Ironmaiden. Your answer made sense and was both relevant and informative!
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