Strength training before or after cardio?

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kerrylkatriviera
kerrylkatriviera Posts: 25 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've seen sites recommending one or the other. I usually do cardio before strength training - forty to forty-five minutes of cardio, then a break, then 15-30 minutes of strength training. I walk to the gym, and by the time I arrive, I am in a cardio state of mind. However, some days I feel sluggish and my legs are a little stiff.

Had that feeling today, could barely finish my cardio workout, but I picked up some weights afterward, and after ten minutes I felt different. The sluggish feeling and dull ache in my legs went away. I felt great. Should I switch my routine and do strength training first?
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Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Ultimately it will depend on your goals and how you feel. If you enjoy doing your cardio first and it doesn't affect your lifting (as long as you feel good, have enough energy, progressing in weights accordingly etc) then I don't see why you have to change it. At some point though that much cardio before may have an effect on your lifting as the weights get heavier and recovery becomes more taxing. And if your goals are to gain strength and retain/build muscle you may want to prioritize it more. Otherwise, carry on.
  • Nikki10129
    Nikki10129 Posts: 292 Member
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    Whatever is going to keep you going back and staying consistent! I personally strength train first, doing cardio first makes me too tired and then my form suffers, I'd rather have great form on my lifts and not hit my cardio as hard. Not to mention the thought of cardio makes me not want to go to the gym, but if I do my lifting first then when I'm done I feel like I have more motivation to do cardio.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    Which is your priority? I always lift first, b/c I won't have energy for heavy lifting if I run for 30 or 40 minutes before. I'm also more inclined to cut my cardio (vs. lifting) short if I run out of time.

    If you are walking to the gym, you're probably warmed up to start lifting.
  • ijsantos2005
    ijsantos2005 Posts: 306 Member
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    Strength train before cardio.
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
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    Tons of research about this...like hundreds of journal articles...question for you?

    Which do you want most strength or aerobic fitness? You can have both but what you do first gets the better training effect (at least according to many studies).

    John
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Try both and see what works best. It takes me 10 minutes into any workout to really feel warmed up and "into it." Some days are better than others. It's just the way of life. lol.
    I often do 5 minutes cardio as an initial warmup to strength training, but I still need to warm up all muscle groups separately. Cardio doesn't engage all your muscles.
  • gearhead426hemi
    gearhead426hemi Posts: 919 Member
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    I say change it up depending on how you feel that day. I like to keep my body guessing like that. Or try adding in your cardio between sets. Or just do your cardio while you are strength training. Circuit training is my favorite way to workout. There really isn't a one size fits all workout so I say just find what works for you and go with it! GET YOU SOME!!!!
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,136 Member
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    OP Just try both way and see what results you get. It all depends in what is more important for you.

    I do first 10 or 15 minutes in the water rower at moderate intensity. It's mild cardio but warms up my upper body and legs so I can do my lifting afterward (what ever part I am working that day), and I feel that I still have strength left to deal with the weights. If I have time, I will add an additional 15 or 20 minutes in the ARC, followed by 10 or 15 minutes of mild calisthenics (my way of stretching and cooling down), after I am done lifting .

    This is what works for me, but I have seen people doing 30 to 45 minutes of cardio and then hitting the weights without a problem. I couldn't do that. I wish I could do cardio and strength training in different days, that would be ideal, but my schedule doesn't make it possible.

  • kerrylkatriviera
    kerrylkatriviera Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks for your input. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I think I'll start with a strength training routine.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
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    A good stretching routine before lifting is enough warm up, lift first... then cardio to burn what’s left in the tank
  • aganey
    aganey Posts: 501 Member
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    I agree with others. Try both ways and see what works for you. I personally like walking at a very brisk pace for 10 minutes before strength training. Anymore and it wears me out too much. It’s just enough to warm me up and loosen any tight muscles before I lift. I do more cardio on my days off from lifting.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    If I'm doing both on the same day, I lift first...I find I can put up more weight when I'm not fatigued from running. When I get closer to a race, I separate lifting days from running.
  • PWRLFTR1
    PWRLFTR1 Posts: 324 Member
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    When I was doing more strength training/bodybuilding type lifting, I would do cardio first, now that I've switched to powerlifting, what little cardio I do, is afterwards.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    edited November 2017
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Ultimately it will depend on your goals and how you feel. If you enjoy doing your cardio first and it doesn't affect your lifting (as long as you feel good, have enough energy, progressing in weights accordingly etc) then I don't see why you have to change it. At some point though that much cardio before may have an effect on your lifting as the weights get heavier and recovery becomes more taxing. And if your goals are to gain strength and retain/build muscle you may want to prioritize it more. Otherwise, carry on.

    No fair!! Sardelsa said what I was going to say!! :D

    I do light cardio warm up and cool down on lifting days but my goal is to have a great lifting session. So that is where I devote my energy. I do more cardio on off days from lifting.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    JerSchmare wrote: »
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    A good stretching routine before lifting is enough warm up, lift first... then cardio to burn what’s left in the tank
    Stretching before lifting is not generally recommended.

    True of static stretching. Active or dynamic stretching can be good.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    If you're doing anything approaching a heavy lifting program, and a moderate to strenuous cardio program, the odds are that you will injure yourself by doing cardio first.

    Without knowing better the specifics of your strength and cardio programs it's practically impossible to make an evaluation of what the odds actually are.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    mmapags wrote: »
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    A good stretching routine before lifting is enough warm up, lift first... then cardio to burn what’s left in the tank
    Stretching before lifting is not generally recommended.

    True of static stretching. Active or dynamic stretching can be good.

    if by "not recommended" and "not good" you mean that static stretching can reduce one's 1RM by a whopping 8%....
  • magster4isu
    magster4isu Posts: 632 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    For most people it doesn't make any difference.
    Personally I prefer separating them completely on different days.

    This. I don't like doing my cardio and strength training together. I either do them on seperate days or I do one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

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