Lifting weights BEFORE cardio or AFTER?

I had to take a fitness class in school and they suggested a cardio warmup for about ten minutes, to get your heart rate up, before weights.

Well, if you like intervals have you ever tried Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred? If you look that up on the forum you will see lots of people have had great results with that one. I love the workout because it's only 20 minutes, but it works you. Look up 30DS and check out the results

Wow! You've lost alot of weight! great job...do you mind if I ask how did you do it? I'm trying to loose 25lbs in 13weeks any suggestions?

BEFORE!! Lifting is the most technical exercise you can do, and the most likely to cause injury if done improperly. I agree that 5-10min of dymanic warm-up is necessary to make sure the circulation is good, but then get on with your weights. Cardio comes after!

Lift weights first!!!!!

You need your energy to lift heavy. If you do cardio first, you won't be able to lift as much.

A 5-10 minute warmup on the treadmill is ok, just don't over do it.

I follow an exercise plan that I read about in a book called ESCAPE YOUR SHAPE. It really works for me.
1) 10 to 20 minutes low cardio to warm up
2) complete body stretch
3) strength training upper body
4) high cardio
5) strength training lower body
6) high cardio
7) cool down

I'd recommended getting the book "New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women". I think you do need to do some cardio warm up before lifting but as far as long cardio, I don't know that it matters when you do it in relation to lifting. Whatever works best. I'm often dead after lifting and wouldn't be able to push myself at cardio.

A great reference.

The only thing I would add is alternate your weight days with your heavy/intense cardio days. Don't do them on the same day (or at least not in the same session), put at least a two hour break. Great job on the progress.

i do a cardio warm up on elliptical or treadmill for 10-20mins depending on how much time i have before i go work with the trainer on the strength training...then after i finish the "lifting" i head back to the cardio machines for a good 15-45mins to get the cardio burn to finish my workout....i do know that it is important to warm up your muscles before doing wts so if you can't do cardio after i strongly recommend doing 10-20 mins before at least....

good luck and enjoy your newly toned body...you will be amazed how much your body shape can change with just a little bit of wt training....

That's how I do it also. Gotta warm up those muscles first. I usually do 10-15 minutes on the stationary bike.

Lift weights first!!!!!

You need your energy to lift heavy. If you do cardio first, you won't be able to lift as much.

A 5-10 minute warmup on the treadmill is ok, just don't over do it.

Exactly. And another addition to the above mentioned statement..............We should not be doing Chronic Cardio (meaning lots and lots of cardio) because it raises Cortisol and can make it impossible to lose weight.

Strength training, long slow walks and occasional short sprints is where its at.

I just replied to a similar post, so I'm gonna copy and paste

I think it's better to do cardio and strength training on different days (or at different times of the day), so your body focuses entirely on each one. However, if you do both the same day, one after the other, it all comes down to what you're looking for.

If you are trying to build muscle, it's not that good to do cardio after strength training. It's better to eat something after your strength training routine instead, so your body starts recovering and you gain strength.

If you're trying to lose fat, then it's better to do cardio after strength training. That way, as other members have said above, you use your glycogen for your lifts and burn fat afterwards.

hmmm, this is a really interesting topic

i think i know theory wise I should lift first and then do cardio (I am aiming for weight loss and toning) however I find that because my cardio right= now is the c25k , I'm worried if I lift first i'll be too tired to get through the 30 mins of pushing myself. Does anyone else find this?

Also, I've seen the advice to breakup weights and cardio to different days, but the reality is for me that I am pretty time poor and only tend to do a good committed workout 1 or 2 days on the weekend and maybe 2 days during the week after work (I simply cannot do it in the morning - it just won't happen!)

is it really that bad to do 30 minutes of cardio and then immediately follow with strength/weights and do this a few times a week?

That is a lot better than not doing it at all. Pay attention to what your body is telling so as to notice when you start over training. Also pay attention to your protein intake to facilitate the recovery process.

At the moment I'm finding it hard to get motivated to exercise regularly, so I don;t think there is a risk of over training, but that said, hopefully my motivation will increase soon, so can you tell me what happens when you over train and what the signals are?