Should I do cardio or strength training first?

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Fat2FitChick
Fat2FitChick Posts: 451 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been doing cardio with Turbo Fire for a few weeks and I am now adding in Chalean Extreme which is basically weight lifting with heavier weights.

I wanted to know if there is any specific order I should do them? Cardio first then strength or the other way around?

Replies

  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    You could alternate and do one on one day and the other the next, etc. If you want to do them both on the same day, I'd say just do whatever seems to work for you personally. Try it out one way then try the other and see what you like best.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    If I was doing both one after the other, I would do weights first. My reasoning is that I want to devote all my energy to ensure I have a productive lifting session.
  • Fat2FitChick
    Fat2FitChick Posts: 451 Member
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    I am doing the hybrid schedule so I am doing both on the same day but different muscle groups each time. I just wasn't sure if there was a specific order that should be followed.

    Thanks!
  • Fat2FitChick
    Fat2FitChick Posts: 451 Member
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    That makes sense!
  • cln714
    cln714 Posts: 174 Member
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    I recently read an article on this. I wish I could reference it for you but of course I can't remember where I found it. Basically it said there were benefits for each but ultimately it's better to do cardio before strength training.
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
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    I always do cardio first before lifting. It is good to get your muscles nice and warmed up. I always feel real sluggish when I do cardio after lifting. I feel like I have more energy to lift if I do cardio first.
  • ahavoc
    ahavoc Posts: 464 Member
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    I do cardio first to warm my body up and get it going. Then during the afterburn I lift weights.
  • pkarim
    pkarim Posts: 171
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    I usually start off with a 5-10 min light cardio warm-up, hit the weights really heavy and then do 25-30 mins of cardio at a moderate pace. I feel like that ensures that you can work really hard with the weights which is really important.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
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    What works for me is a short 5-10 min cardio warmup, then weights, then 30-40 min of steady state cardio.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    I would alternate, or find a hybrid online. There's no need to overtrain, as it can be counterproductive. Your body benefits from resting as well as cardio and resistance training.

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • teachmond
    teachmond Posts: 30
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    I am no expert but I would do cardio first so your muscles are all warmed up and ready to go when you do the weights.
  • tataliciousd89
    tataliciousd89 Posts: 465
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    If I was doing both one after the other, I would do weights first. My reasoning is that I want to devote all my energy to ensure I have a productive lifting session.
    Wow, I was going to say the opposite, but that actually makes a lot more sense. My exercise gets stretched throughout the day anyways so it doesnt matter much for me. I walk two miles in the morning, then again in the afternoon. When I get home I do my strength. If I have time I go for a 30 minute jog before dinner. That works for me, but technically I am getting light cardio right before my lifting session and it isn't a problem.
  • 99cherrypie99
    99cherrypie99 Posts: 205 Member
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    Research shows you can't lift as heavy or efficently after intense cardio, but you can do cardio just as intensely after lifting. So weights should be first. You can, and should, of course, do some short cadio to warm up.
  • kyunda
    kyunda Posts: 340 Member
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    The trainer that I had always had me to do my weight training first and then my cardio he says it is most important to have as much energy as possible to get through your weight training.
  • robinogue
    robinogue Posts: 1,117 Member
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    My trainer always said do weights first then cardio.
  • Erica_theRedhead
    Erica_theRedhead Posts: 724 Member
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    My trainer mixes strength with cardio and metabolic workouts. You should warm up with a little cardio and stretching to avoid injury, but the strength is better to do first as it uses up your immediate energy stores of glycogen. You will have more energy to do weights more efficiently with better form, which will burn more calories and prevent injury. Then when you hop on the machines to do your cardio, you will be burning fat for energy, as you glycogen will be depleted.
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
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    There are studies that will say one or the other is better. In the end, it's personal choice. I always did cardio last so I could dedicate my maximum effort on lifting as much weight as possible. I always did a warmup first, just to make sure my muscles were lose and to help prevent injury.

    My current workout is sort of combined: MWF is circuit weights, TTh is interval cardio, Sat is light workout (active recovery) and Sun is rest. On MWF I do about 6 minutes on the bike to warm up first.
  • Ranellusa
    Ranellusa Posts: 1
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    I do alternate. On the day I take a class ie. spin or body conditioning, I take the class first then hit the weights. According to my watch I do burn more calories when lifting this way as my Heart rate is already up? Just a thot. But as we know everyone is different. Good luck and keep up the good work!

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