Cardio or strength first?

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  • AlphaCajun
    AlphaCajun Posts: 290 Member
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    I lift first, cardio after.. Reason for me is fatigue, every lift session is leg day and trying to squat 5x5 after a 30 minute jog is a bit rough lol
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
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    Whichever you favor in your training.

    If you want to focus on cardio training, then do cardio then weights. If you want to focus on strength/muscle gains, do weights then cardio. The first will always sap energy reserves from the second.
  • wonko221
    wonko221 Posts: 292 Member
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    chalaivy wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    chalaivy wrote: »
    JoshuaMcAllister wrote: »
    These are all just really opinions, there is no right or wrong answer. Why don't you try both and see what suits you? If it were me I'd do a week of each to gauge the difference in recovery each evening and over rest days, by following the same eating plan you may also be able to gauge weight loss if that's your aiming for.

    I like that idea. My goal is to lose weight, but I also want to be able to run, and lift.. lol but neither is really my primary goal right now, and I have been doing my running first and strength after for a couple of weeks so far, i just started strength first today.. But if cardio first is better for weight loss should I just stick with that?

    no- calorie deficit is better for weight loss.
    Weight lifting = optimizing fat loss and minimizing muscle loss
    cardio = good for your heart AND can also HELP with a calorie deficit- but it's a slippery slope relying on that solely as your deficit.

    I am in a calorie deficit. I'm doing both of these things on top of my deficit and my goal is weight loss first, but I'm also trying to be in better shape just overall and I was asking to see if doing one first is better for some reason or another.

    By eating at a caloric deficit, your body sheds weight. Some of it fat, some of it muscle. This is unavoidable.
    • By strength training while in a deficit, you will maintain more muscle, and therefore lose fat, specifically, more quickly.
    • Focusing on pure cardio while help increase the deficit some, as long as you don't eat back all the calories burned. This will increase loss of body weight, both fat and muscle, generally.

    Play around with both, figure out your goals, and start doing it!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Here's what's working for me to lose weight and get stronger:
    M/W/F - walk 60 mins during lunch, Stronglifts after work
    T/Th - run 60 mins
    Sat- Run 5+ early, then have fun
    Sun- several slower walks with dog or swim for 45 minutes


  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
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    My decision is more pragmatic than anything. My gym has six "good" treadmills, so if the gym is busy and a treadmill is open, I grab it first, then use the weight machines. If all of the good treadmills are taken I lift until one is free. If the gym isn't busy and there are plenty of treadmills, I lift first because I hate lifting and want to get it over with asap.
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I have done both and choose to do cardio first because it gets my blood going. I prefer lifting, no question, but I want cardio health. Plus doing it first gets it over with quicker. lol
  • Officially_Rosey
    Officially_Rosey Posts: 73 Member
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    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »
    I have done both and choose to do cardio first because it gets my blood going. I prefer lifting, no question, but I want cardio health. Plus doing it first gets it over with quicker. lol

    Yep, I'm the same^ :smile:
  • blueeyez939
    blueeyez939 Posts: 35 Member
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    I like doing my cardio first. I just find that I have more endurance and lift a little more when I do cardio first. My personal theory is that the cardio gets me mentality pumped up, plus it gets my muscles warmed up and ready to go. Just seams that I run farther and faster during my cardio and I am able to do more weight and reps when I do the cardio before the weights, when I do weights first I have no endurance and my running always suffers for some reason. But everyone is different! Try both ways a couple times, it won't take long for you to decide what works best for your body!
  • cadpro78
    cadpro78 Posts: 125 Member
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    shagerty777 wrote: »
    Lifting builds muscle which helps burn more fat long term. But, cardio helps you outrun the zombies... :smiley: I do both since I still have a ways to go with fat loss to reach my first goal.

    What shagerty77 said... do both to lose that weight and fat. I do situps and stretches at home and use the gym's machines for the bodybuilding and cardio workouts.
  • chalaivy
    chalaivy Posts: 101 Member
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    I think I'm finding that I like cardio better when I get it out of the way first, and I do feel a little more pumped for weights as long as I cool down for a little bit after cardio....

    Is it too much to do cardio and weights both 5 times a week? I try to do cardio for my first 20-ish minutes of my workout then go over to weights for about 40ish min. Does that ruin the effectiveness of either regimen?
  • DreesPerformanceTraining
    DreesPerformanceTraining Posts: 187 Member
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    Doing them on separate days is probably ideal, but if you do them on the same day, the research I have read says that it is actually better to perform cardio first. Without getting too in-depth, doing cardio after lifting turns off the muscle building signal within the body. This is probably minor and for most people it doesn't really matter which you do first.
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
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    chalaivy wrote: »
    I think I'm finding that I like cardio better when I get it out of the way first, and I do feel a little more pumped for weights as long as I cool down for a little bit after cardio....

    Is it too much to do cardio and weights both 5 times a week? I try to do cardio for my first 20-ish minutes of my workout then go over to weights for about 40ish min. Does that ruin the effectiveness of either regimen?

    I don't know what stage of your goal you are at the moment but I wouldn't over complicate things for yourself right now. The ideal is doing both, there is no reason why you can't to both each time you go in, if it is helping to work towards your goal. The only issue I would foresee is you possibly over working certain muscle groups over that period. Look into structured programs, the last thing you need is to gain any injury from over working something.

    You'll see results from either cardio/weights, weights/cardio as long as you stick to the deficit. Most arguing either for one or the other seem to have set goals, like myself. On heavy weight/strength training days I start with that, for all the reasons stated above. If I'm training light with calisthenics, bodyweight and circuits, I'll start with cardio because I'd like a greater burn. I wouldn't necessarily think it will ruin the effectiveness of your regimen, when you get closer to you target weight and begin maintenance you may wish to re-evaluate but for now keep at it.
  • Officially_Rosey
    Officially_Rosey Posts: 73 Member
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    chalaivy wrote: »
    I think I'm finding that I like cardio better when I get it out of the way first, and I do feel a little more pumped for weights as long as I cool down for a little bit after cardio....

    Is it too much to do cardio and weights both 5 times a week? I try to do cardio for my first 20-ish minutes of my workout then go over to weights for about 40ish min. Does that ruin the effectiveness of either regimen?

    For me it doesn't seem to be too much (and as for this month I've been going everyday). I aim to do at least 30mins of cardio then 30-45mins strength-training, but then again the heaviest I'm currently lifting is 40kgs in deadlifts which is probably not much to others. Guess it depends on how intense your strength training sessions are.
  • chalaivy
    chalaivy Posts: 101 Member
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    JoshuaMcAllister wrote: »
    chalaivy wrote: »
    I think I'm finding that I like cardio better when I get it out of the way first, and I do feel a little more pumped for weights as long as I cool down for a little bit after cardio....

    Is it too much to do cardio and weights both 5 times a week? I try to do cardio for my first 20-ish minutes of my workout then go over to weights for about 40ish min. Does that ruin the effectiveness of either regimen?

    I don't know what stage of your goal you are at the moment but I wouldn't over complicate things for yourself right now. The ideal is doing both, there is no reason why you can't to both each time you go in, if it is helping to work towards your goal. The only issue I would foresee is you possibly over working certain muscle groups over that period. Look into structured programs, the last thing you need is to gain any injury from over working something.

    You'll see results from either cardio/weights, weights/cardio as long as you stick to the deficit. Most arguing either for one or the other seem to have set goals, like myself. On heavy weight/strength training days I start with that, for all the reasons stated above. If I'm training light with calisthenics, bodyweight and circuits, I'll start with cardio because I'd like a greater burn. I wouldn't necessarily think it will ruin the effectiveness of your regimen, when you get closer to you target weight and begin maintenance you may wish to re-evaluate but for now keep at it.

    I'm just starting. I need to look for a trainer to talk to so that I can be sure I won't hurt myself. I just made today my second day where I ran a mile straight (slower speed) but my shins hurt for a little bit and went away. Also have already hurt one of my calves and my elbows (everything is better now)... So I'm trying to slow it down and not push myself too hard.
    Thanks for the advice :)

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