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Strength Train First, Cardio Second, or Reverse?
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For personal preference reasons only, I have always done cardio first. The only point I will add is that I have never experienced a problem with form or incurred any risk of injury, even when lifting 4-8 RM weights after 45-60 min of hard cardio. I have achieved PRs in both squats and bench press after 45 min of tempo running. I almost certainly do fewer total exercises/sets than I would have otherwise, but I do as much as I want. The body can be trained to do a lot of things.
Not that it matters because PRs are awesome, have you set PRs on non cardio days and then beat them after cardio or have they always been after cardio? I ask because I am curious if your PRs would be higher without cardio?
It is tough one measure because you can never reset the baseline for an accurate test so there is always that wonder if you really had 10 lbs more in you without the cardio.
I wasn't trying to prove the point one way or the other--just pointing out that I could do improving maximal lifting after some very tough (and long) cardio workouts and questioning that lifting after cardio put one at higher risk of injury due to "poor form". And that I was able to lift as heavy as I wanted (in the 4-8 RM range) without any problems.
Research suggests pretty strongly that doing a lot of cardio first can/will have a detrimental effect on subsequent lifting, so any personal experience I might have had would be insignificant.
So, again, it goes back to priorities. For me, lifting heavy first might give me a 95% quality strength session but only a 20% quality cardio workout. Doing cardio first gives me a 95% quality cardio workout and an 85%-90% quality strength workout--so for me it's a no brainer. Others might have a completely opposite reaction.
Wasn't trying to challenge you, just something that I find interesting when trying to decide how much cardio I might want to do before lifting. I agree that conceptually it will have an impact but no way to test that theory with any real controls.
I didn't take it as a challenge at all--just an honest question. Had to dash off the answer while I was at work--sorry if it sounded terse.
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Personally I know to eat well before doing strength training bc u need to feed your muscle.you can feel dizzy and get a headache without eating a carb.unlike cardio that is best on empty stomach
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The answer is very simple.
Do a light cardio warm up to wake your body up.
Then lift. Then cardio.
Cardio first burns the glucose out of your system. How are you supposed to lift anything worthwhile after that?
Message me if you'd like the science behind0 -
Cardio always last and only 3x a week.0
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My trainer has me row for ten minutes then 1mile on the treadmill before weights, bands and free weights to warm me up and get my heart rate up. It stays up pretty well while I'm doing resistance. I do cardiovascular only on alternating days and swim an hour once a week. I'm trying to loose 30 more pounds while maintaining muscle. I'm down 65 lbs overall but have also added 18 lbs muscle in the process. This mixed approach has worked well for me for my personal goal. I only see my trainer every 2 weeks now and he tweaks my routines.0
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I lost 90% of my weight through cardio first. I only just started adding strength training. tried doing both and failed. I went 3 months with no real visual results. I was stronger, but it still made me look huge because of not focusing on burning fat. I am happy at 115, would like to get to 105, but right now I am at a weight where toning exercises show and won't make me look fat.0
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keegan2149 wrote: »
If you're trying to lose weight I would do cardio first. Heart rate is the most important factor in weight loss. If you raise your heart rate with 10 minutes of cardio or so it should stay north of 128 - 130bpm for the duration of the strength training. In addition to fatiguing your muscles your body will burn more fat simply because your heart rate is higher. Also, doing cardio every day surpasses your appetite. If you do it right you'll be doing cardio and strength training at the same time every day. That said the increase in heart rate will slow your muscle growth after a certain point. You'll grow a little and become more lean but you won't see body builder style gains if you're exercising this way. There are also some risks if you have hypertension or any sort of heart condition.
Energy deficit is the most important factor in weight loss...2 -
I agree. Right now, I prefer to do cardio (elliptical) first because my top priority is cardiovascular fitness, then weight loss, then strength and flexibility. Once I get to my CV and weight goals, I may switch over to strength training first--although, I really do like an intense cardio session, followed by weights, so we'll see....0 -
Started out the summer doing HIIT 4 times a week and lifting 5..WAY too much especially in calorie deficit.. switched to a 3 day lifting routine and 2 hiit, 1 steady state run..MUCH better..alternate days..1 day cardio..next day lift, rinse, repeat..Had to realize I'm almost 46 now. Was a long time runner..started lifting and almost quit running.. now I've got a good balance while I'm cutting..beer gut is shrinking away! Next step this winter is a lean bulk to put on muscle and keep my waist size down after the hard work I've put in..0
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Lift first. Lift second. Disregard cardio.0
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