Cardio or Weights first?

zorbaru
zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
edited October 3 in Fitness and Exercise
so people, which is it

im starting a weights routine at the gym and was wondering what the consensus is.

for fat burn i have read that its best to do cardio first.

Replies

  • leopardvice
    leopardvice Posts: 73
    cardio then weights
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    cardio then weights
    Actually the other way around. Glycogen is needed for lifting and if you deplete it doing cardio, you can catabolize muscle. Cardio doesn't require high glycogen.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    I've heard it both ways...today I did cardio first then weights but sometimes I do find that I'm stronger for lifting if I do it first....
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    I've heard it both ways...today I did cardio first then weights but sometimes I do find that I'm stronger for lifting if I do it first....
    That's because you have higher glycogen stores for lifting if you do it first.
  • keenslk
    keenslk Posts: 126
    Yeah I got told by my personal trainer the other way too! do a 5-10 warm up - then do your weights and strength training ...then finish with your big cardio if you are wanting to burn fat :D
  • shauna121211
    shauna121211 Posts: 575 Member
    Yeah I've heard both ways, but I think you're supposed to do weigh training followed by cardio. Always be sure to have a quick warm up to get your muscles warm before weight training, but you don't want to exhaust your muscles with a full on cardio workout.
  • kiwicakes
    kiwicakes Posts: 65 Member
    When i workout first thing in the morning (before breakfast) I do weight first.

    If i eat first, cardio then weight.
  • jaredhuizenga
    jaredhuizenga Posts: 5
    What I've been told - and do myself - is to mix it up a bit. I start with 10 minutes of light to moderate cardio to help loosen up and get the blood flowing. After that I lift and then finish up with 20-30 minutes of cardio - typically intervals on the stationary bike.
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    ri read this article today

    http://weighttraining.about.com/od/techniquesandstrategies/a/cardio_weights.htm

    says that in a 40 min cardio session (which is about what i would do) you would burn about 80 - 100 grams of glucose but you would store about 400 at any time, which would be plenty for lifting (obviously depending on how much you lift)

    im gonna do cardio first for 2 months, and if it yeilds bad results ill switch it over and see what happens.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Cardio. Then weights. Then a little Cardio cool down
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