Certain order to working out?

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Clovermoth
Clovermoth Posts: 33 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is there a certain order to do my workouts that will maximize potential results?
My workouts are on one day: weights, cycle, Jillian's Shred
and on another day: ten min abs, running, walking
Curious.
TIA

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Well, it's hard to do weights properly when tired, so i would do them near the front.
    Likewise, running form can decline when fatigued, so i'd do it when fresh.
    I would definitely do abs near the end of any workout. :+1:
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    Basically do whatever you want to focus on first...

    If you are trying to focus on weights / building strength, you need to weight lift first. If you are running and training for a half and working on a speed goal, you need to run first. If you don't have specific goals, it probably doesn't matter at all what order so long as it works for you.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    Weight training then cardio, larger muscle groups with heavier compound exercises then smaller muscle groups and isolation movements.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    depends on what is most important to you.

    I don't run on leg days and go for a walk after leg day...but yesterday was OHP and I ran before I lifted...no biggy.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,288 Member
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    I always do a little cardio before my lifts to warm the muscles up and get the blood flowing except on heavy leg days. On those days, I don't do any cardio at all because my legs and glutes are typically destroyed and are pretty much useless for anything other than staggering out to my car.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    The only thing that comes after cardio is core. And that's only when both are assigned. Usually it's lifting only.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    What kind of weight training program are you doing that you can do that and then go into two other workout sessions? A good session in the weight room is going to leave me pretty well spent save for some pretty easy recovery type of cardio. Also, why the incessant exercise? You don't need to spend hours every day training and personally, I wouldn't recommend it unless you have some pretty specific fitness goals (like basically competition) that warrant that.

    I cycle a lot, and usually a ride is going to be anywhere from 15 - 30 miles depending on the day...I will occasionally throw in a 1/2 century, but I usually leave that for events. I lift full body 3x per week and that usually takes me about an hour. I usually do some easy cycling in the AM on lifting days...just flats at a recovery pace for about 15 miles as my primary focus on lifting days is lifting. I do more aggressive cycling on non-lifting days.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    blues4miles wrote: »
    Basically do whatever you want to focus on first...

    If you are trying to focus on weights / building strength, you need to weight lift first. If you are running and training for a half and working on a speed goal, you need to run first. If you don't have specific goals, it probably doesn't matter at all what order so long as it works for you.

    This.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,288 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    blues4miles wrote: »
    Basically do whatever you want to focus on first...

    If you are trying to focus on weights / building strength, you need to weight lift first. If you are running and training for a half and working on a speed goal, you need to run first. If you don't have specific goals, it probably doesn't matter at all what order so long as it works for you.

    This.

    Not really, it depends on the person. For example, professional bodybuilder Kai Greene (one of the craziest looking bodybuilders out there) swears by a 30 minute cardio session prior to his lifting routine. The reason most people say to lift first and cardio afterwards is particularly for two reasons:

    1. They don't want to burn through their glycogen with cardio instead of using it up on lifts.
    2. Doing cardio after you burn through your glycogen with strength training will force the body to focus on fat reserves for an energy source.

    It takes a lot of intensity to burn through your glycogen stores so you would have to do at least 40 minutes of moderate to heavy cardio to do it, dependent on the person and their genetics. Also, you'd achieve the same fat burning result for an extended period of time if your glycogen stores are exhausted after you lift and the body needs the extra energy for an extended period of time for repair. I don't think there's a one size fits all way of doing things. Everybody has to find what works for them.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2016
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    wilsoncl6 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    blues4miles wrote: »
    Basically do whatever you want to focus on first...

    If you are trying to focus on weights / building strength, you need to weight lift first. If you are running and training for a half and working on a speed goal, you need to run first. If you don't have specific goals, it probably doesn't matter at all what order so long as it works for you.

    This.

    Not really, it depends on the person. For example, professional bodybuilder Kai Greene (one of the craziest looking bodybuilders out there) swears by a 30 minute cardio session prior to his lifting routine. The reason most people say to lift first and cardio afterwards is particularly for two reasons:

    1. They don't want to burn through their glycogen with cardio instead of using it up on lifts.
    2. Doing cardio after you burn through your glycogen with strength training will force the body to focus on fat reserves for an energy source.

    It takes a lot of intensity to burn through your glycogen stores so you would have to do at least 40 minutes of moderate to heavy cardio to do it, dependent on the person and their genetics. Also, you'd achieve the same fat burning result for an extended period of time if your glycogen stores are exhausted after you lift and the body needs the extra energy for an extended period of time for repair. I don't think there's a one size fits all way of doing things. Everybody has to find what works for them.

    Sure, and that person has concrete goals and knows how to achieve them. And for most people it probably doesn't matter all that much. My #1 goals are cardio, and yet I sometimes lift first just because I need the gym to lift, my gym is next to my office, and it's easy to get in a cardio workout by running or biking home.

    But it makes general sense (though nothing is always true for everyone), if you are doing more than a warm-up type of cardio, to put first the thing you want to focus most on. People who say to do cardio after are often people most focused on weight training. In my triathlon group you get the opposite advice -- cardio first. That way you aren't already tired when doing a planned workout.

    So the advice I was agreeing with: depends on your goals, if you don't have specific goals, it probably doesn't matter at all what order so long as it works for you.
  • FabianRodriguez94
    FabianRodriguez94 Posts: 221 Member
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    I don't know exactly how this is affecting my training, but it is something that has worked for me. I am currently on a bulk, so my main focus is strength and mass so cardio might be more important in your goals.

    Low weight warm up on compound lift (bench, squat, or DL depending on the day).
    Stretch
    Working sets on compound lift
    Isolation Exercises
    Stretch
    On occasion, cardio

    While cutting I would still put cardio last, as I would usually only include it on days where my diet was not up to par. If you are training for speed and agility, you may want to put cardio first.

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