Strength training and cardio

tracyco66
tracyco66 Posts: 25 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is it better to do strength training before cardio or cardio before strength training? Or is it better to do them on separate days? Today I did strength training first and it seemed like I didn't have enough energy for my cardio.

Replies

  • SueD66
    SueD66 Posts: 405 Member
    What i use to do at the gym, years ago, was upper strength with cardio one day and the next day lower strength with cardio.
    Ok what does everyone else say?
  • jplucheck
    jplucheck Posts: 275 Member
    I do all of the above, not sure if there is any ONE right way to do it but I do know confusion works. I never do the same workout in the same routine twice. If it works for you and you feel good do what you like best just as long as you keep doing it!
  • cbbn11
    cbbn11 Posts: 121 Member
    I am not really sure. I work out with weights on Mon, Wed, Fri and do cardio on Tues, Thurs and sometimes Sat. Sunday is my day off.
    Also I change my workout routine every 4 weeks.
  • prettygirlhoward
    prettygirlhoward Posts: 338 Member
    bump
  • Tskitzo
    Tskitzo Posts: 42
    I do strength training before cardio. I feel like it works out the muscles a bit more if I ST first, and then hit the treadmill or whatever.
  • midnightryder
    midnightryder Posts: 47
    I typically do 20 min of cardio on my strength training days as a good overall warmup & then a full hour of cardio 2 days a week when not strength training. One day a week I do nothing. Everybody needs a rest day for recovery.
  • gspea
    gspea Posts: 412 Member
    When I had a trainer many years ago - she had me doing cardio M\W\F with Strength on T\W\S. I had one day 'off'. I had to have a small amount of good carb\protien before working out and another bit of good carb\protein after. I did great. Too bad she moved and I didn't get hooked up to a new one...
  • hellonheels88
    hellonheels88 Posts: 262 Member
    I do my strength training during my cardio....I run/walk a bit, then stop and do some of the machines...then run/walk a little more...then do my situps and pushups....then run/walk some more and then do some more of the machines....I could be wrong though haha I just do it to break up the workout and makes it a little less boring.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I've known a lot of people that do 5 to 10 minutes of very light cardio to warm-up before they do weights but definitely strength-training before your real cardio session.

    Personally I try to not do cardio in the same session as I lift. Right now this is what I do.
    - Sun: Max Effort Upper Body / 30-min of cardio but I try to do Medicine Ball slams than standard cardio
    - Mon: Dynamic Effort Lower Body / no cardio
    - Tue: 30-min stairmaster
    - Wed: Dynamic Effort Upper Body
    - Thu: Max Effort Lower Body
    - Fri: 30-min stairmaster
    - Sat: 30-min stairmaster
  • tracyco66
    tracyco66 Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks for all the great answers everyone!
  • tracyco66
    tracyco66 Posts: 25 Member
    I do all of the above, not sure if there is any ONE right way to do it but I do know confusion works. I never do the same workout in the same routine twice. If it works for you and you feel good do what you like best just as long as you keep doing it!

    what is confusion? Just mixing things up?
  • Kincar
    Kincar Posts: 601 Member

    what is confusion? Just mixing things up?

    Yes, confusion is just mixing things up. Your body will adjust to workouts if you do the same thing over and over.
  • Austin1988
    Austin1988 Posts: 243 Member
    I've known a lot of people that do 5 to 10 minutes of very light cardio to warm-up before they do weights but definitely strength-training before your real cardio session.

    Personally I try to not do cardio in the same session as I lift. Right now this is what I do.
    - Sun: Max Effort Upper Body / 30-min of cardio but I try to do Medicine Ball slams than standard cardio
    - Mon: Dynamic Effort Lower Body / no cardio
    - Tue: 30-min stairmaster
    - Wed: Dynamic Effort Upper Body
    - Thu: Max Effort Lower Body
    - Fri: 30-min stairmaster
    - Sat: 30-min stairmaster

    Any particular reason on the strength training before cardio? I tend to do cardio first because I hate it and would like to get it out of the way.
  • SmashleeWpg
    SmashleeWpg Posts: 567 Member
    Depends what your goals are! If you're looking for overall health and well-being, then I would say that you could do either or and be fine. Or even do interval training or circuit training to get a little bit from each basket at the same time.

    If you're looking to increase your cardiovascular endurance, then do your cardio first so you're not fatigued from lifting, and if you're looking to increase muscle size/strength, do your weights first.

    Finally, if you're looking to burn fat/weight loss, you'll get differing answers on this. Most people are probably able to burn more calories if they do cardio first, then weights, simply because if you're lifting heavy you'll fatigue quicker and possibly not have as much endurance for your cardio session, but really you have to decide what works best for you!

    Hope this helps :)
  • willismack2
    willismack2 Posts: 84
    Depends what your goals are! If you're looking for overall health and well-being, then I would say that you could do either or and be fine. Or even do interval training or circuit training to get a little bit from each basket at the same time.

    If you're looking to increase your cardiovascular endurance, then do your cardio first so you're not fatigued from lifting, and if you're looking to increase muscle size/strength, do your weights first.

    Finally, if you're looking to burn fat/weight loss, you'll get differing answers on this. Most people are probably able to burn more calories if they do cardio first, then weights, simply because if you're lifting heavy you'll fatigue quicker and possibly not have as much endurance for your cardio session, but really you have to decide what works best for you!

    Hope this helps :)

    This!
  • tracyco66
    tracyco66 Posts: 25 Member
    Depends what your goals are! If you're looking for overall health and well-being, then I would say that you could do either or and be fine. Or even do interval training or circuit training to get a little bit from each basket at the same time.

    If you're looking to increase your cardiovascular endurance, then do your cardio first so you're not fatigued from lifting, and if you're looking to increase muscle size/strength, do your weights first.

    Finally, if you're looking to burn fat/weight loss, you'll get differing answers on this. Most people are probably able to burn more calories if they do cardio first, then weights, simply because if you're lifting heavy you'll fatigue quicker and possibly not have as much endurance for your cardio session, but really you have to decide what works best for you!

    Hope this helps :)
  • tracyco66
    tracyco66 Posts: 25 Member
    Yes that does help alot. Thanks! I am looking to burn fat/weight loss and after I did weights I was way more fatigued with cardio than normal and could not even run what I normally can. Thanks.
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
    So... I really am not an expert, but have clearly been told by my personal trainer a few years ago that weights/strength training should be done first if you want to make your cardio time more effective and your weight training time useful.

    Sorry to have to give an answer that is third hand information - wish I was the expert, but here is how it was explained to me... the experts on here can separate the real science from any broscience if there is any, but I'd say the trainer was exceptional and very professional and successful....

    Start with a light warm up so your muscles are warm to reduce the chance of injury - 5 minutes or so...

    Completing your weight training next burns glycogen which (and here's where the experts can step in) I understand to be sources of quick energy for your muscles to use. As you complete your strength training, you are depleting your glycogen stores.

    Then, when you do your aerobic exercise, your body can draw on fat stores to power the workout - since it is aerobic and not anaerobic activity.

    To do the opposite... I was told that in doing the cardio first your body will utilize glycogen stores first and then proceed to fat stores.... but when you turn to weights, you have no quick energy stores available for your muscles and anaerobic effort like this cannot effectively draw on fat stores - so you spend longer on cardio for results and have no muscle energy for strength training to push your muscles as needed.

    I found this to relate to my experience, but honestly don't have first hand knowledge that the "science" is correct...

    hope this is helpful...
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
    Yes that does help alot. Thanks! I am looking to burn fat/weight loss and after I did weights I was way more fatigued with cardio than normal and could not even run what I normally can. Thanks.

    This would fit with what I was told... you can't "run what you normally can" because your body "normally" had glycogen to use up first... So it may be that your cardio is actually more effective as the effort is more directly helping you burn fat aerobically once your glycogen stores are used up... running longer may not be running more effectively...
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I've known a lot of people that do 5 to 10 minutes of very light cardio to warm-up before they do weights but definitely strength-training before your real cardio session.

    Personally I try to not do cardio in the same session as I lift. Right now this is what I do.
    - Sun: Max Effort Upper Body / 30-min of cardio but I try to do Medicine Ball slams than standard cardio
    - Mon: Dynamic Effort Lower Body / no cardio
    - Tue: 30-min stairmaster
    - Wed: Dynamic Effort Upper Body
    - Thu: Max Effort Lower Body
    - Fri: 30-min stairmaster
    - Sat: 30-min stairmaster

    Any particular reason on the strength training before cardio? I tend to do cardio first because I hate it and would like to get it out of the way.

    At least for me, strength training takes more effort and concentration.

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