Cardio Before or After Weights?
 

:wave: hi all I thought It would be fun to take a poll on which is more preferred. Cardio before or after weights?

My 2 cents
 

I like cardio before weights - it "warms" up my muscles so I don't experience injuries. At our gym we do a circuit class: a few minutes warm up and stretching - 5 minutes of intense cardio then onto a weight station for 1 - 2 minutes, then back to cardio for 3 minutes then onto a different weight station. One day the weights will be for the lower half and the second session of the week we do upper body weights. At the end we do a 5 minute cardio cool-down. With the Schwarzbein WOE - I can actually see some definition in my arms and shoulders - WOW! I am soooooo pleased! ANd I feel GREAT! Bonus! :hyper:

I do cardio on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & weights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. I usually put in Pilates in the evenings when I get a chance. I am also seeing some muscle definition. :D

BOTH AT THE SAME TIME
 

I do circut training every day (except sundays) which is a combination of both at the same time. every other day after the circut I add additional weight training in isolated areas (i.e hard to target under arms inner thighs lower back)

Good poll
 

This is a hot debate question at our gym. I'm with the cardio after weights group. I enjoy the weights part more so get right into it when I get to the gym. If I run out of time at the end I cut my cardio down a bit. I usually do about 30 mins cardio HIIT.

:wave: Lesley

What is your goal?
 

If you are trying to add muscle, do your weights first. If you do your cardio first, you can use up your available muscle glycogen, and your weight lifting will suffer.

Love your new avatar, RoadRash--much nicer than your old one. What WAS that in your teeth, anyway??

N.

Bugs
 

LOL. Sorry, but that's not me, That picture came from a Dutch motorcycle magazine. Those are bugs. (very low carb) :roll:
Yet another reason to always wear a helmet when you ride.

sorry I spelled you name wrong, RODErash!!

Glad you haven't resorted to bugs for protein ;)

:daizy:
Wow this is really a preferrence. Either way cardio before or after they both have their ups and downs.
I used to do cardio after weights and lately I have switched it around. I;m not sure which way I like better yet :confused: They both seem to do the same for me. I still lift the same amount of weight. :p no down fall yet for me on doing cardio before. I really does wake you up.

cardio 1st for me
 

for me cardio 1st; if i do the weights first I get lazy and skimp the cardio
the weights are like the "dessert"....

:)
nix

i've read and heard so much about cardio vs weights lately; actually this instructor at my gym told me if i really wanted to loose weight to lay off the weights;

whoah nelly don't get in a huff:

what she said was then to for example do the stairmaster or elliptical cardio machine instead of walking+leg weights, that would give the muscle training for me as well; do rowing instead of just walking and arm weights - it gets in the arm/back muscles.

thoughts?

I think that it has a great deal to do with your personal goals and expectations.

If your primary goal is to lose weight at the fastest rate possible, and to develop a "buffed", well defined, "body builder" kind of body, then the evidence is pretty clear that you should focus on anaerobic exercise, mostly free weight lifting designed to work specific muscle groups in planned sequences.

On the other hand, if your primary goal is to develop a body that is permanently lean and slim, that is flexible and mobile, that has the capability to work at a high rate of effort for hours on end, then the evidence is equally clear that you should focus mostly on aerobic exercise, especially walking fast, jogging, running, cross country skiing, rowing, and swimming, with some supplement of low weight, high rep weight lifting.

If you look at most of the world class athletes, like those in the Olympics, you don't see very many "body builder" types. Most are quite slender for their size, don't have massive biceps or thighs or shoulders, and rapid, sustained movement, in a coordinated fashion is their hallmark.

The same is true for rock climbers, mountain climbers, brick layers, cement workers. They tend to have slender limbs, but with muscles which are strong and can work for hours on end, day after day.

Probably for most of us, a combination of the two approaches is the best answer. For myself, I am much more interested in having a slender body, that can walk in tough terrain and cast flys for 12 hours a day, much more so than looking like a muscle beach guy. And that is why my Nordic Trak ski machine is the center of my exercise efforts, backed up by high rep weight lifting.

Decide what you want, and then go for it!!

Keep on, keepn' on! :wave:

My trainer told me it was a matter of preference. If you want to have most of your energy for cardio, do cardio first. If you want to have most of your energy for weightlifting, do weightlifting first. (I lift weights first.) My 7 day routine includes a 4 day split w/cardio, 1 day cardio only and 2 days off.

I am totally into weights right now with no interest in aerobics for the time being.

I think consistancy in exercise it the key to this stuff. WOL is the whole package not just what we are eating. So i'm sticking with what I seem to be enjoying and my body is changing for the better so I am happy with it.

I do the FRIM tape which combine both aerobics and weights. For some reason, I get better (faster) results this way.
Robin :wave:

I'm a weights before cardio girl, myself.

Generally, I start with 5-10 minutes of light cardio--usually, cycling at a slow pace--and stretching to get warmed up a bit, and to loosen the muscles from being seated at the computer for most of the day (I work out at night). Then it's off to whatever sort of workout I have planned. Three days a week it's part-specific weights, twice a week abs, once a week is a total body circuit. After that, I get in my cardio effort for the night...on weight days that generally means light to moderate cardio, abs days are also HIIT days, and the circuit day incorporates light to moderate cardio.

That's actually a new routine for me. I used to follow a more BFL-like schedule, but changed for various reasons. But even then I followed my lifting with moderate cardio. I just find I can focus more energy and effort into my lifting if I haven't done cardio first. *shrug*

I don't do them on the same day...weights on Monday Wednesday Friday and Cardio Tuesday Thursday Saturday...

~Michelle

a little of both
 

Actually, I do a quick 7-10 minute cardio warmup (depending on how early I can get there) and have 1/2 with a weight trainer 2xs a week. Then I go back to cardio for anywhere from 20 - 35 minutes. Basically, I get 30 minutes cardio no matter what.

On other days I do mostly cardio (45 mins or so) and some extra streching, ab work or machines.


I'm trying for more fat loss than muscle build but I can tell a major difference in my strength and muscle tone. I've lost about 10 inches I think.


Selina

Weights only
 

This first paragraph is also the first paragraph of a post I just made in another thread:

In ''The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution,'' by Fredrick Hahn, Dr. Michael R. Eades and Dr. Mary Dan Eades (those last two are the authors of "Protein Power"), the authors assert that resistance training of the type they advocate makes additional cardio work unnecessary. This is said in the context of getting fit and healthy, not specifically in the context of weight loss. My recent experience has been that I can walk up stairs more easily (i.e., without getting winded) after 3 months of Slow Burn work.

They explain it in more detail than I can, so I won't really try. But my experience has been positive. My wife and I have been using Slow Burn for about three months. We work out at home twice a week for about 45 minutes. Before Slow Burn, we were both using our Nordic Tracks 3 or 4 times weekly and working with low weights, high reps 3x weekly. My cardiovascular endurance and flexibility have improved since changing over.

I goe weights before cardio. Thats mainly because i really do push myself out to exhaustion on the cardio and know i would not be able to manage the weights afterwards.

Cheers
Jason

I always do cardio first, at least 20-25 minutes to warm up my muscles... After that, the weights seem almost like my cool down period and I'm more pumped to keep up with the reps...

I get lazy if I don't do some sort of cardio beforehand.

If I lift weights, it's usually prior to cardio. That's if I can. It depends on when I get to the gym, what's available when. :)

But now I tend to stay away from weights as I'm pretty muscular already and I just tend to bulk up more from weights. Right now my focus is on cardio.

switching
 

A couple of years ago (before I tore my ACL and had knee surgery) I would jog for 30 minutes before I did weights. I would follow the jog with usually 20-30 minutes of weights, depending on how much energy I had left.

In the last 2 years I have switched to doing the weights first for at least 45 minutes. I then will get on the treadmill (or sometimes the elliptical or cycle) for at least 30 minutes. I don't jog as much, since after a while of jogging I start to experience some pain in my knee. But walking at 4 - 4.5 mph doesn't bother me and gives me an aerobic workout if I jog for a minute or two every so often during the walk.

The reason I switched was that when I was taking physical therapy after knee surgery the therapist had me do the weights first and then get on the elliptical and the treadmill. It's a habit I have just picked up and it seems to be working for me.

If I don't have the time to spend 2 hours at the gym, I will do weights if at the gym, and cardio if at home (I have a treadmill). But I do attempt to get some exercise every day.

Joan

I am using the Firm Body Sculpting 3 Videos. They combine both cardio and weights. You get faster results this way. It seems to be working for me! It's amazing what one 45 minute workout can do! I love the Firm!

These are the three tapes I have:

Cardio Sculpting
Body Sculpting
Ab Sculpting

They use the Fanny Lifter.....If you're interested in trying these tapes check out my thread in this forum: 'The Firm Anyone?' :wave:

Weights only?
 

rfred,

I have just read the slow burn book and was curious as to why you are working out 45 mins 2 times a week. I was just under the impression that you only needed to exercise every 5 days after a good 30 min workout. What are you and your wife doing during those 2 sessions a week.

Thx
Rach

e-diets' advice
 

I recently saw this article in e-diets that strongly urges us to do weights THEN cardio.

The idea is that during anaerobic exercise, your body can burn ONLY glocuose. (Aearobic exercise is anything that causes that "burn" because of lactic acid in your muscles -- that pain you feel when sprinting or lifting weights with few reps/high weight.

During aerobic exercise, by contrast, your body has a choice of fuel: glucose or fat.

If your body's glucose stores have been depleted from anaerobic exercise, your body has no choice but to burn fat.

Then again this gui was NOT doing the low carb thing. Theoretically, if we're low enough in our carbs, there might not be enough glucose available for our bodies to avoid burning fat.

(Scratches head.)

I do not enjoy cardio so I do it first - otherwise I would blow it off or skimp on it if it came after my weight training.

I was told to do weights first so you can build muscle as you use 100% of your strenght whereas if you do cardio first you don't use as much. My preference is cardio first otherwise I am not as motivated to do as much.

Also, I think it depends on you. I need to loose more weight than others so I focus on cardio right now. After I get closer to goal I will begin weight training. Just to keep me motivated!

It has been a while since I have done weights. But, I do prefer to do cardio first

Cardio--sprints 2 days a week
Weights--4-5 OTHER days a week.

I'm not sacrificing muscle by working out the same day of cardio. For me I can see a difference.

I disagree about the bodybuilders and athletics. Anyone who improves muscular tone with strength training can technically be a bodybuilder. In truth, most of the more successful endurance athletes (marathon runners and a few others excluded) benefit from incorporating strength training into their routine. Look at the olympians today and compare them to those of yesteryear. Big difference thanks in no small part to smarter use of the weight room.

I am of the opinion that cardio is actually not necessary for decent weight loss if circuit training or some other form of weight usage is done. In fact, I think dieters who do strength training benefit faster than those who do not.

Even men have to purposely work hard to gain pro bodybuilder level of muscularity. Very few have the genetics to grow very muscular without very intense workouts.