Cardio before or after?

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2

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  • fizzie5
    fizzie5 Posts: 14 Member
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    I always kick off with 5 minutes rowing then on to the weights. I do two days only at the gym as doing more I just add bulk that I don't need. So my cardio is three other days on the bike which I can work a good sweat up and it's paid dividends on the weight front as people are commenting that Ive lost loads! When in reality Ive lost "loads" of fat that's been the mission
  • EllaLeahB
    EllaLeahB Posts: 310 Member
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    I am trying to work on both building strength/muscle and stamina on the treadmill. (I would love to be able to run 5 miles). I definitely want to decrease my body fat%. I was measured a few weeks ago when I joined the gym and I was right under 30%.
    Because I am recovering from surgeries, I'm limited right now to lifting 10 pounds, but allowed to increase my weights as I go along as long as I don't push myself too hard and increase slowly. I will definitely be increasing soon because 10 pounds feels like nothing! I've been more focused on the treadmill because I'm not allowed to lift too much right now. I'm not quite sure how much strength or muscle I can build with such lightweights.??
    I have about 10-15 lbs to lose.
    The weight that I have put on is from recovering from surgeries and also I quit smoking. As for the body fat, I have no clue where I was body fat wise before I put on the extra pounds. Either way, I'm here to improve my overall health. Thanks to all of you who've taking the time to respond to me, I'm learning quite a bit from you guys. My apologies if I sound clueless, this is all new to me
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    10ish before and 20ish after. Just enough to get the blood flowing and then long enough to cool down.
  • BlueHorse8
    BlueHorse8 Posts: 29 Member
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    When I do cardio it's before I eat anything. When I lift I need to eat or have a protein shake about an hour before. If I still have energy after lifting I will usually do 20 mins of cardio after.
  • CrabbyCancerMama
    CrabbyCancerMama Posts: 95 Member
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    I lift first then run 3-4 miles. just what I prefer no specific reason
  • davidtcharron
    davidtcharron Posts: 7 Member
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    The correct answer is whatever you enjoy doing.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    You don't have to do both on the same day.

    Quite a few runners, for example, run and lift on different/alternate days.
  • ozgurvh
    ozgurvh Posts: 182 Member
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    Cardio reduces your glycogen rapidly so you can do short cardio for warm up than lifting than cardio
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited January 2017
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    ozgurvh wrote: »
    Cardio reduces your glycogen rapidly....

    This is where you get into context and priorities. If you're warming up for 90 minutes or so then that'll have enough of an effect on your glycogen levels to matter.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    ozgurvh wrote: »
    Cardio reduces your glycogen rapidly so you can do short cardio for warm up than lifting than cardio

    Differs w/the individual, but most people have more than enough glycogen to do cardio and weights in the same workout.

    The average exerciser substantially overestimates how hard they actually work when they exercise.
  • Lindsey_Ross
    Lindsey_Ross Posts: 17 Member
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    From everything I've heard and read, it seems like it's better to warm up, do your weights, and then do your cardio.

    I think you want to do your weights while your body still has glycogen and burn through that on weights, then the cardio once your body is starting to turn to your fatty acids for energy.

    I don't have a real source for this aside from listening to different interviews on podcasts and hearing this often.
    A lot of people are saying it depends on your goal and could be very right.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    What's your priority? That's what you should do first.

    I do almost no purposeful cardio. But I do get 20,000+ steps in most days of the week.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    Separate days for cardio and weights for me, unless the weight area is too peopley, then I'll do elliptical or stationary bike til it thins out.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,503 Member
    edited January 2017
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    EllaLeahB wrote: »
    Any insight on whether cardio is best to do before or after lifting weights?
    Thanks in advance :)
    Depends on your personal goals. What I will say is that people do cardio thinking it burns fat off the body. Well it really doesn't work that way. It burns calories and helps to put you in a calorie deficit. So for the same amount of time versus weight lifting, cardio burns more calories if the intensity is about the same.
    I personally do my cardio before my lifting because I usually WON'T after I lift. And I'm at that point in my life that putting on muscle isn't a priority anymore. So I weight train to maintain.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,503 Member
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    ozgurvh wrote: »
    Cardio reduces your glycogen rapidly so you can do short cardio for warm up than lifting than cardio
    This entirely depends on intensity. Moderate/low intensity cardio wouldn't do very much to reduce it even up to an hour.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • EllaLeahB
    EllaLeahB Posts: 310 Member
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    Thank you everyone. :)
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    I do it after.

    My legs would be too tired for squats if I did cardio before.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited January 2017
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    I do cardio on non-lifting days. On lifting days I do a three mile walk (which I just do most days and don't really consider to be "exercise") and lift in the PM. My main form of cardio is cycling...I do interval sprints on Tuesdays and Fridays and longer endurance rides on the weekends...both take it out of me fairly well and I'm hesitant to get under a heavy barbell after those sessions. Occasionally I have the opportunity to ride my bike to the gym, but it's a really easy warm up spin of about 5 miles and a cool down on the way home...but very easy pace, not a training pace.

    I guess it would also depend on what level of intensity your cardio is at and what level of intensity your lifting is at.
  • cloverdaisy
    cloverdaisy Posts: 64 Member
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    I usually do cardio after my bodypump session. Either way is fine as long as you're doing it. :wink:
  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
    edited February 2017
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    You shouldn't do cardio and weight together. Unless you do weightz in the morning and cardio. In the evening. Since you lose weight whilst doing weights. When you do too much you use your muscles for energy. If you do want to do cardio straight after working out then do 10-15mins max.

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