Cardio before weight training?

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  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    You're always going to get a million views on this :wink: mine is:

    Depends on what you want. You said you want to build muscle but have some fat to lose, you should really always warm up with some cardio (or light weights) and then stretch! And then the choice is really yours, I thought I read that you're doing circuits, is that as in in a hall with equipment of your choice? Or just round the bits of kit in the gym?

    If your circuits are aimed at building muscle and strength then do that first, and then your cardio. As other people have said, your cardio will use some of your energy.

    If your circuits are using lighter loads and geared a bit more towards weightloss and endurance, do your cardio first, as that'll make it harder for you, which is good.


    And on a side note, I have found from experience with other people (and personal preference) that doing intervals of cardio works much better and strength and weight loss in a much shorter time, but if that's not for you then ignore this bit...I'm sure someone will probably totally disagree with me on this :tongue:

    I totally AGREE with you on this lol
  • Amanda0325
    Amanda0325 Posts: 245 Member
    I might get **** thrown at me.. i do crossfit and we integrate short bouts of cardio 200-400meter runs in between weight sets.
  • redshoeshelley
    redshoeshelley Posts: 206 Member
    I always Cardio then weight train.

    Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyway

    :noway: Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyways??!!??:noway:
    This is ABSURD !!
    If you want to lose fat and change your body, lifting weights is an important part of any plan. Diet and cardio are equally important, but when it comes to changing how your body looks, weight training wins hands down ! Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long.

    If done separately, cardio AFTER weights. You need the additional energy for lifting.
    Why not incorporate both in a group fitness class?
  • alewop
    alewop Posts: 4
    I joined a gym a few weeks ago and the trainer there told me stretch, warm up for 5 minutes on the treadmill, strength training, then cardio.

    I was taught that you should warm up, then stretch. You need to loosen the muscles before you stretch or you risk injury. But the rest I agree with :) If you want to burn fat off fast alternate 2 minutes of walking/jogging with 1 minute of "everything you got" for 30 mins at the end of a workout. It has really helped me, I have lost 7.5 lbs so far in about 3 months. best of luck!
  • alewop
    alewop Posts: 4
    I always Cardio then weight train.

    Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyway

    :noway: Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyways??!!??:noway:
    This is ABSURD !!
    If you want to lose fat and change your body, lifting weights is an important part of any plan. Diet and cardio are equally important, but when it comes to changing how your body looks, weight training wins hands down ! Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long.

    If done separately, cardio AFTER weights. You need the additional energy for lifting.
    Why not incorporate both in a group fitness class?

    you are totally right, muscle def. burns fat. Also, after a cardio work out your body stops burning calories as soon as your heart rate returns to normal. But with weight training, your body burns calories for the next 30 or so hours!
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I do a very short stint of cardio to warm up and loosen the muscles (maybe 5-10 minutes at decent intensity, just enough to start sweating), then weight train, then burn off any remaining time and energy with cardio afterward.

    If I do a lot of cardio first, I don't have the strength and energy left to lift properly. If I do the weight training first, I can't sustain the cardio as well, but that's OK, because there's always a cardio-only day the next day.

    I've been told that weight first is generally the way to go by several trainers. The key points are:

    1. If you're not tired, you're more likely to maintain proper form, which is good to help prevent injury and make the most of the weights.
    2. Burning the blood sugars out on cardio means your muscles will be weakened when you go to do weights, so your lifting performance will suffer - you won't be able to lift as much, or as often. The whole point of resistance training is to lift as much as you can and push your limits.
    3. You want to lift with a warmed-up flexible muscle that has a full load of energy.
    4. Cardio is useful for "mopping up" any energy not burned by the lifting, and to make sure you are circulating nutrients to the muscles to aid in recovery.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I have to do my cardio before I do weights other wise I will skip it all together. I do 30 minutes of cardio and then hit the weights. I don't find that I am too tired to lift properly or heavy after my cardio either. If anything I feel more energized and ready to go.

    But it all depends on what works for you.
  • navywifeandmomof4
    navywifeandmomof4 Posts: 958 Member
    for me it depends on my husbands schedule(Navy) its never the same and if and when the kids are in school that I can go out and run or not..some days i have to do my cardio in the morning or I have to wait in the evening for my husband to be off work to watch the boys..
  • CatchMom11
    CatchMom11 Posts: 462 Member
    I used to always do my cardio first until a trainer suggested that I do it last. It makes sense. Muscles burns more calories than fat so if you do your cardio AFTER your strength training you're being more productive.

    I have talked to several trainers and nutritionist and they all agree.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I always Cardio then weight train.

    Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyway

    WHA??!!?!
  • CatchMom11
    CatchMom11 Posts: 462 Member
    I always Cardio then weight train.

    Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyway

    I'm sorry but you couldn't be more wrong. There are fitness and health experts who would seriously die of laughter after having read this... I would know because I let my trainer read it and she's still shaking her head.
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    Weight training makes you look fit.

    Cardio makes you actually fit.

    http://ccooper.typepad.com/writing_on_the_run/2011/04/winners-and-results-of-the-2011-boston-marathon.html.

    Check him out, look like he spends a lot of time in front of a mirror ?
  • cjh03
    cjh03 Posts: 74 Member
    On weight training days, I do a 5 minute cardio warm-up ...something moderate like 6% incline at 5.5mph to get the blood flowing and muscles warmed up... then follow up with stretching. IF I have any energy left after weights, I'll do a light run of 10ish minutes just to get the muscles flushed out and then stretch again.

    On cardio days...well it's just strictly cardio.

    Doing this has been successful for me so far. I'm in week two and already lost ~6lbs and ~1.5%bf.
  • antizoni1
    antizoni1 Posts: 334
    I workout 5 days a week, 4 days weight lifting, 1 day of cardio
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    I always Cardio then weight train.

    Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyway

    I'm sorry but you couldn't be more wrong. There are fitness and health experts who would seriously die of laughter after having read this... I would know because I let my trainer read it and she's still shaking her head.

    Theres no need to be sorry at all. Your trainer make much money running beside you?
  • CatchMom11
    CatchMom11 Posts: 462 Member
    I always Cardio then weight train.

    Weight training is a waste of time for weight loss anyway

    I'm sorry but you couldn't be more wrong. There are fitness and health experts who would seriously die of laughter after having read this... I would know because I let my trainer read it and she's still shaking her head.

    Theres no need to be sorry at all. Your trainer make much money running beside you?

    I guess I don't get what you're getting at. If you're implying that she doesn't know what she's talking about, I assure you, she does. She's worked with professional athletes and owns the facility. Her resume and clients speak for themselves. Besides, I'm not one of those clients that just goes by what I'm told. I do my own research because if there's one thing I've learned through my own schooling for nursing, it's that there's a lot of misconceptions out there. So rather than just going by what I hear and read, I find out what's real and what's not. So unless I can verify the information from a credible source (.org's, .edu's, .gov's, etc) I take it with a grain of salt.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Weight training makes you look fit.

    Cardio makes you actually fit.

    http://ccooper.typepad.com/writing_on_the_run/2011/04/winners-and-results-of-the-2011-boston-marathon.html.

    Check him out, look like he spends a lot of time in front of a mirror ?

    You have an interesting definition of "fit".

    I think it's pretty fair to reason that almost every professional athlete from all of the variety of sports does at least some level of weight training. A lot of them do pretty heavy amounts of it in fact. It would also be fair to reason that almost none of them run marathons as part of the training routine. So by your logic, almost none of the thousands of professional athletes out there are "fit". Correct?

    Besides, making the argument that weight loss is easier with XYZ workout is pointless. Weight loss is 75-100% diet. I've lost almost 70lbs doing mainly strength building exercises. Hell my wife lost 60 doing zero exercise at all. Exercising is MAINLY for other things like cardio improvement, strength gains, muscle gains, etc..

    Anyway, sorry to feed the troll. As most have said, do your strength training first. You want to be strongest to make good progression on the weights and to be able to maintain form to avoid injury. Running while tired isn't a big deal. Squatting a couple hundred pounds when you're wiped out is a bad idea.
  • Linda345
    Linda345 Posts: 11
    Thanks to everyone on thier feedback to this. I didn't start this post, but I got a lot of good info reading through the replies. I am going to switch up my workout routine now where I do a quick 5 minute warm up (instead of 30 minutes) on an eliptical machine, then my stretching and weight training, and then 30 minutes on the eliptical.
  • PeterThompson
    PeterThompson Posts: 62
    i think its depend on you but for me its cardio then weight training to tone those parts that loose the fats through cardio http://bestadjustabledumbbellsreviews.com/
  • PeterThompson
    PeterThompson Posts: 62
    it depends on you but cardio can also serve as the warm up for your body before it go to weight training
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
    ..."Running while tired isn't a big deal. Squatting a couple hundred pounds when you're wiped out is a bad idea."

    Adding in to an older thread, but...

    Runners lean forward when they are tired, making them prone to chronic knee pain, tendinitis, and other injuries. They can ruin their chances of that weekend race with an injury if they do not train well. So, runner: are you running just for some cardio, or for time/races? May help to pick your priority and arrange your training around those goals. I'm still trying to figure this balance out myself as I add in some weight training. ; )
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