To cardio first or not to cardio first

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j_love10
j_love10 Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Someone told me its better to do weights first and then cardio after...
Ive always done cardio first and then weights.... Have i been doin it wrong this whole time!? Why is it better to do cardio last??
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Replies

  • KrisisOD
    KrisisOD Posts: 43 Member
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    From what I understand the idea behind it is to do a few minutes of a warm up, weights, and then cardio because the weights boost your metabolism and you're burning fat a lot longer with weights than with cardio (think instant, but not sustaining) weight loss. So you're already burning fat once you've lifted weights, and therefore might burn even more while you're doing your cardio.

    I'm sure there are people more knowledgeable than I am that could give you a better answer than I did, but that's kinda a short summary of why people suggest weights before cardio. When I was working out all the time (working on getting back into it now) I would do a half hour of cardio before weights as a warm up, an hour of weights, and then another half hour to hour of cardio, but I loved cardio at the time.
  • j_love10
    j_love10 Posts: 15 Member
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    KrisisOD wrote: »
    From what I understand the idea behind it is to do a few minutes of a warm up, weights, and then cardio because the weights boost your metabolism and you're burning fat a lot longer with weights than with cardio (think instant, but not sustaining) weight loss. So you're already burning fat once you've lifted weights, and therefore might burn even more while you're doing your cardio.

    I'm sure there are people more knowledgeable than I am that could give you a better answer than I did, but that's kinda a short summary of why people suggest weights before cardio. When I was working out all the time (working on getting back into it now) I would do a half hour of cardio before weights as a warm up, an hour of weights, and then another half hour to hour of cardio, but I loved cardio at the time.

    Thank u mam! Appreciate the advice
  • rlaramee2
    rlaramee2 Posts: 29 Member
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    Better yet, just do metabolic conditioning workouts (MetCon, CrossFit, Meta-Shred, etc) and do them at the same time :)
  • j_love10
    j_love10 Posts: 15 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Depends on goals. Glycogen levels get reduced by exercise and if you're trying to get better a lifting, then it's more efficient to lift before cardio since glycogen levels are highest at the beginning of any workout.
    If you're working on your endurance and cardio fitness more than strength and muscle toning, then you can do cardio first.

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    Im looking to build muscle in my legs and flatten my stomach... I have a body type to wear i only gain weight from the waist up which is very frustrating
  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
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    Pull petals to decide :p
  • AmandaHugginkiss
    AmandaHugginkiss Posts: 486 Member
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    Unless you're already super fit and working toward some goal that mandates you shave off 30 seconds from your already impressive 5K speed, or you're at a low body weight and trying to gain that last pre-competition bit of muscle or lose that last bit of water weight to look stage ready, it doesn't matter at all.

    Don't bog yourself down with the stuff that doesn't matter. Work out.
  • solarpower03
    solarpower03 Posts: 12,159 Member
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    What you have been told. Lifting first then do some cardio if you want to
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
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    AmandaHugginkiss wrote: »
    Unless you're already super fit and working toward some goal that mandates you shave off 30 seconds from your already impressive 5K speed, or you're at a low body weight and trying to gain that last pre-competition bit of muscle or lose that last bit of water weight to look stage ready, it doesn't matter at all.

    Don't bog yourself down with the stuff that doesn't matter. Work out.

    This.
    Yeah it's true glycogen is used as energy when you exercise. But unless you're running a long distance, say 10 miles or more before your lifts, it isn't going to matter. You will have more than enough glycogen circulating from your liver to sustain a workout.

    To be honest, the only time I think it really matters is leg day lol. I always run before I lift anyways, but definitely on leg day... running with rubber legs from squats is no fun!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    Depends on what you're wanting to get out of it. I use lifting days to lift and that's where my effort goes...If I do cardio on those days, it's usually a walk in the AM or a zone II ride...I want to be able to put all my energies towards my lifts.

    Conversely, I have specific cycling goals and follow a training program...I want/need to be able to put my efforts into cycling on cardio days. If I were to lift before a tempo ride, my tempo ride would suck *kitten*...if I were to do a tempo ride and then lift, my lifts would suck *kitten*.

    I tend to focus on one or the other.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Where those calories come from first will ALWAYS be glycogen. The percentage from energy sources will change dependent on the exercise, but the percentage of fat burned during exercise isn't that significant. Fat is EXCLUSIVELY used for fuel at REST, not while exercising

    This doesn't even stand up to the common sense test. A well trained man has 2,000 to 2,500 kCal of glycogen when he's well recovered. Less than that is actually available for use during exercise; if you're riding a bike, you can't move the glycogen from your arm muscles to your legs.

    If exercise only used glycogen, it would be impossible for anyone to exercise for more than a few hours at a time.

    Because it takes days to replenish your glycogen stores, it would also be impossible to exercise again the following day.

    But people routinely do this. The STP is a 202 mile bike ride. Most people take two days to finish, about 10 % do the ride in one day. RAMROD is "only" 152 miles, but involves 10,000 feet of elevation gain. People thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, some of them hike 45 miles per day for 2 months without a break.

    In fact, when you get fit, your body adapts to use fat efficiently as a fuel source for exercise. Especially at moderate intensities.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    I've read that you should do cardio for a few minutes first, then lift weights, because cardio gets your blood flowing. Basically, what I have read is that more recent studies showed dynamic stretching (with cardio) is best before weight lifting and static stretching is best after weight lifting. I know different people do different things, though, and many have success with various combinations.

    When I was doing strength training exercises regularly, they were endurance-focused (in some cases, as many as 50 reps). I found that after running for 20 - 30 min. (probably only needed 5 - 10 min. for the blood flow effect), and strength training for 60-90 min., I was quite worn out. I suppose that was the point, though.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I do cardio first because I care about my running more than I do about my strength. I would have pretty crappy runs if my legs are already tired. It depends on your preference and focus, really. Don't overcomplicate things.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Lifting is generally recommended first for a couple of reasons.

    First, because those doing the recommending are often focused on lifting and cardio is treated as an accessory exercise. You do the exercise that you want to get the most out of first because you can put more into it.

    Second, because those doing the recommending are often lifting heavy, and you want the best form possible while lifting close to your limits to avoid injury and to get the most benefit out of every lift. That's hard to do if you're coming into it already tired. If you don't lift close to your strength limits, then this isn't as important. The risk of injury isn't as high with lighter weights and you should be able to keep good form even if you're somewhat tired.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    I do cardio first because I care about my running more than I do about my strength. I would have pretty crappy runs if my legs are already tired. It depends on your preference and focus, really. Don't overcomplicate things.

    This.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    I do cardio first because I care about my running more than I do about my strength. I would have pretty crappy runs if my legs are already tired. It depends on your preference and focus, really. Don't overcomplicate things.

    Most people's form on strength training declines when they're fatigued, which can lead to injuries. So i'd lift in a separate session than cardio, or before cardio.

    OP - Welcome to MFP. It's been asked many, many times, so search the forum.. :+1:
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    Almost always cardio first, but my cardio isn't very intense, its more a warm up.
    When I do weights, I want to push myself hard and intense cardio would diminish my ability to do that.

    If I want a serious cardio workout, I never do it on weight training day.

  • sarko15
    sarko15 Posts: 330 Member
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    I used to always do cardio first and then lift because I thought I was supposed to warm up first. But then I'd do like 10 minutes of strength training and be tired and done. I started doing it the other way around which worked better. I do pretty intense cardio though (30-60 minutes of cycling), so if what I was doing was less intense or I only did 15 minutes or so of it it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference.
  • j_love10
    j_love10 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you all for your comments! I appreciate it! ;)

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