Cardio before or after strength training?

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slbeutler
slbeutler Posts: 205
in Fitness and Exercise
I am trying to build my workout schedule and basically I will be breaking my workouts into 2 parts of my day. I have 5 AM and the evening. Should I do my heavy lifting routine first and then cardio or does the order matter?

On some days like today, I will be just doing a longer session at they gym tonight with a spin class and then weights or should I do weights first and then the spin class.

Many things I have read say don't do cardio if you are trying to gain muscle, but I am spin instructor and kickboxing instructor, so I have no choice to do it or not unless I quit teaching, but I love it so that is not going to happen.

Replies

  • chrissismone
    chrissismone Posts: 116 Member
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    Since your splitting them I say either or will be fine. Just gauge your energy. Now if you were doing them all at once like I do then I typically do strength first then cardio as I use more energy in cardio and it makes for a hard ride in strength but if the area is packed I will do cardio and push through.
  • backinaction
    backinaction Posts: 28 Member
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    It is definitely best for you to start with your strength routine as this will make sure you can push yourself in the strength training portion. This is the way I have always been trained and I find my lifting to be more effective as my first part of the workout.
  • erineddy81
    erineddy81 Posts: 43 Member
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    I like to do a 10-15 min warm up jog, then strength training, then cardio. And women don't gain muscle as fast or in the same quantity as the boys, at least not naturally. They have testosterone and we don't.
  • LinzCurlyQ
    LinzCurlyQ Posts: 94 Member
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    If you are doing them in the same session, I would say do strength first.
  • nicoco78
    nicoco78 Posts: 12 Member
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    Together, combined, will get you maximum results.
  • sandy_taylor13
    sandy_taylor13 Posts: 194 Member
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    I do this every day. I do my cardio in the morning (Insanity fitness program--interval traning). And then my strength at night (P90X) I've seen great results, so I dont think it really matters. A double work out a day is great no matter how you do it. :)
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
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    If you're trying to build muscle, do Weight Training first.
    If you're trying to loose weight, Cardio first.
    Neither are fast and hard rules.

    Usually for me in the morning I can sustain Cardio longer because once I actually wake up properly I'm less tired than later in the day when my body is still processing Lunch say.
    You have to be the judge of your own body and feelings.

    If you're doing a Spin Class which works your legs then when weight training mainly concentrate on Upper Body, just do some light stuff of the legs so you don't over do it.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,618 Member
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    Glycogen gets burned first regardless of which activity. But anaerobic exercise relies on ATP for muscle endurance in lifting, and you need glycogen to make it. So doing cardio first can deplete glycogen and make your lifting workout less effective if you run out of energy.
    Lift first before cardio.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • antoniosmooth
    antoniosmooth Posts: 299 Member
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    I like to do a 10-15 min warm up jog, then strength training, then cardio. And women don't gain muscle as fast or in the same quantity as the boys, at least not naturally. They have testosterone and we don't.

    I agree with this. Most of us guys will hit the strength training first and cardio last. Honestly I think it's up to the individual. For me when I conduct my cardio I'm doing intervals which mean I don't have the "strength"(no pun intended) to perform intervals after strength training. Plus I need to have my Whey Protein after strength training. Cardio first, strength training last.

    Personally I believe it's up to the individual desires.
  • onequirkygirl
    onequirkygirl Posts: 303 Member
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    Together, combined, will get you maximum results.

    This.

    I do 30-45 minutes of cardio in circuits. Then immediately after (assuming I am not dead) I do my 30 minutes of strength circuits (which also contain cardio intervals.) I find that since there's plyo intervals within my strength routine, it jacks up my heartrate, and because I just did cardio, the heartrate remains elevated and is higher than if I would have started with it. Thus, more calories burned in the end.

    You should probably go with the personal trainers' answer. Because my goals are weight loss....and I'm not lifting heavy obviously.....and I'm a woman.....and.....all I want is that high calorie burn :wink:
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
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    My workout is structured around whatever the hell I can get done before the kids interupt me or the wife calls me to dinner. I workout at home and have two meddlesome daughters that always pick fights with each other.

    So I end up going for cardio because it burns more calories. Sometimes, I'll take light weights with me on the stationary bike and do arm and shoulder excercises to get the most out of my time. Sometimes I have time leftover for real strength training. Other days, I end up doing pushups and squats while the kids are playing in the bathtub.

    I've tried waking up early... I'm not a morning person. I can't get intense first thing in the morning.
  • Asavitzk
    Asavitzk Posts: 66
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    It really depends on your goals and what your body can handle.

    My goal is to currently lose weight so having an elevated heart rate during my strength session helps that. To get that elevated heart rate I do a cardio session first.

    That said, if I'm lifting for numbers I would either skip the cardio first or more likely just do a very short light one to warm up the muscles.
  • _Kitten_Kate
    _Kitten_Kate Posts: 520 Member
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    Glycogen gets burned first regardless of which activity. But anaerobic exercise relies on ATP for muscle endurance in lifting, and you need glycogen to make it. So doing cardio first can deplete glycogen and make your lifting workout less effective if you run out of energy.
    Lift first before cardio.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Yep. A trainer told me the same thing...
    Warm up for 5mins.. then weights, then cardio.
  • suavequeen
    suavequeen Posts: 273 Member
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    bump for future reference..
  • blind4
    blind4 Posts: 28 Member
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    depends of what training for me i do it before i go to boxing training but i do it after if is weight training
  • Nickrp77
    Nickrp77 Posts: 5
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    I would say if you are splitting them up between 2 workouts it wouldn't make a huge difference since you have such a gap in time from workout to workout, but on the days you combine I would recomend a warm-up cardio routine then weights then end with cardio. Your muscles will have no glycogen so your weight training routine will suffer. I know most people think that you should only do cardio when losing weight but it has been proven that the more muscle you have the more calories you will burn. Stick with a mixture of both like you are doing and this all being said I would do weight training in the morning and cardio at night.
    Good luck.
  • persilcolours
    persilcolours Posts: 92 Member
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    Bump! I want to train for a half-marathon (so a fair amount of running 4 or 5 days a week) but I also want to strength train -- ideally in the same session.

    I do find that after a session of Body Pump, I do NOT feel like I can run hard.
  • NiniLeeMarie
    NiniLeeMarie Posts: 102
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    I do cardio in the mornings & P90X at night. works for me(:
  • cyncetastic
    cyncetastic Posts: 165
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    If you are able to do both in the same session, defiitely do weights first and cardio after.

    If you have to split them up into different times of the day, decide which time of day you feel the strongest and have the most energy. Do you weights during that time of increased energy and strength. Do cardio at your less energetic time.

    For me, I'm just much more energetic and feel stronger in the evening after I've had food in me throughout the day than first thing in the morning. Therefore I would do my cardio in the morning and my weight training in the evening.

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