Weights before Cardio?

I usually do weights before cardio, but I don't think it is wrong if you do it the other way around, just as long as you partake in both types of exercise. I only do weights first because I get so tired after cardio and I am more likely to talk myself out of weight training if I am exhausted.

boomp.

If it's an early AM workout, I'll hop on the treadmill for a few mintues to get some blood going, hit the weights hard and then maybe do 15 min cardio afterwards. If it's later in the day I hit the weights first and then maybe some cardio afterwards. Weights mandator, cardio is an afterthought right now.

Stretch, workout, then cardio.

Stretching, cardio, weights, cooldown, and then stretching.

This is exactly what I do and always have done......so far avoided injury!!

I stretch, do maybe 10-15 mins on cross trainer then do weights and stretch. I do not do hard cardio on weight training days so that I have plenty energy for the weights, I have 3 weight training days and then 2-3 days I do just cardio.

I think it's personal preference.

For men:

Stretch muscles,Weights,Stretch,Cardio,Sauna to release lactic acid so muscles wont hurt

This is sort of what I do except I haven't used the sauna, I think I'll take advantage of that from now on. maybe a quick cold shower would work too because sometimes I'm dying after cardio and need to catch my breath.

Stretch muscles,Weights,Stretch,Cardio, 30 second cold shower, Sauna to release lactic acid so muscles wont hurt

My trainer has me do a light warm up like walking upstairs for 5 min then weights and then I do cardio.

I do 5-10 min cardio warmup, weights, then long cardio. I only do weights every other day so my muscles can rest If I can make it to my yoga class, I do that in between too. Stretching very important to me, but hey, everyone is different! Good luck!

Stretching, cardio, weights, cooldown, and then stretching.

That way you don't injure yourself and your muscles stay engaged.

What?

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/jul/19/stretching-ineffective-against-workout-injuries/?body
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html

All you need is a few warm-up sets, maybe a 5 minute walk on the treadmill.

I work stretching and cooldown into my exercises, so I'm not only stretching but I'm beginning to engage some of my muscles while doing so, getting my heart rate up. I don't do it exactly, but yoga is a good stretching warm up, and by the end of it you can feel the increased heart rate.

-And don't quote "stretching ineffective" articles to me. Unless you're a personal athletic trainer, which I am certified to be, you can't quote other's OPINIONS without your own testimonial.

Does it count if I am AFAA certified?

Does it?

None of my clients do stretches other than general warm-up sets and a brief walk.

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

this is the article that made most sense to me.

but in reality. do what works for you.

Lactic acid isn't what makes you sore the next day after hard exercise. It's muscle tears in the actual fibers of your muscle. Lactic acid shuttling and removal rates will usually keep your body free of too much lactic acid in your blood stream. When the shuttling rate can't keep up with the production, free hydrogen ions will lower the pH level of your blood and you'll burn out and have to stop. When that happens, lactic acid will continue to be shuttled out while some of it will convert back into pyruvate in order to fuel more exercise. (some physiologists actually think that lactic acid is a main source of secondary fuel for exercise, hence why people get their "second wind" in many cases)

The next day, after all the exercise is said and done, it's the tears in your muscle fibers that are causing the soreness. That, combined with inflammation, is what causes the pain. There have been some recent studies that show a good massage can increase levels of anti-inflammatory proteins in the affected muscle but it's not conclusive yet. (yahoo just had an article about it recently as well). As it is now, doing things to "reduce lactic acid levels" so you aren't as "sore" don't work. Unless you're fixing the muscle tears, you're going to be sore. If you want to fix your muscles, eat adequate protein and possibly get a massage. That's about all you can do.

Last, combining cardio and weights works but it's not the most efficient method for maximal results. Does that mean you shouldn't combine them? Well, if you enjoy doing them in a certain order, stick with it. However, because of metabolic pathways, the most efficient method is to separate them to different parts of the day. The mTOR pathway (responsible for protein synthesis and stimulated from weight lifting) is separate from the AMPK pathway (responsible for mitochondrial production and density and stimulated from cardio) The last numbers I heard was that a ~4 hour window of time was enough in order to not interfere with each other. That is about the same amount of time that EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption) takes place. In other words, that metabolism boost you get for about 4 hours after lifting or cardio is the same amount of time that specific metabolic pathway is stimulated.

I hope this helps.

bump

I'm gonna try this warmup cardio, more weights, then cardio routine to see how it goes. I'm up for any suggestion really. Not for nothing but I never stretch. EVER. I've been working out off and on since 2005. I've never had any injuries either. I'm not really sure if it's affecting anything or not but when I was losing weight and getting toned stretching wasn't apart of my routine.

It is best to do cardio and weight training separate. But if you must, do cardio after and be sure to stretch before and after. Good luck!