Cardio...Before or after weiights workout?

Fingers Mcginty

Howdy Brethern,
I've been gymmin' it the last few months. Weights only. I always do a few lengths of the pool after but I feel I need to incorporate the ould treadmill into my workout. Have a paunch I need to get rid of I used to jog down the beach and would much prefer that to the treadmill but seen as I'm in the gym anyway I might as well use it there and then.
I have heard though that one day in the week should be dedicated to cardio work..I don't really have the time for that so I hope to use it on the days I'll be weight traininig...Sooo as the the title suggests when would be the best time to do it...before or after weights.

corkcomp

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Howdy Brethern,
I've been gymmin' it the last few months. Weights only. I always do a few lengths of the pool after but I feel I need to incorporate the ould treadmill into my workout. Have a paunch I need to get rid of I used to jog down the beach and would much prefer that to the treadmill but seen as I'm in the gym anyway I might as well use it there and then.
I have heard though that one day in the week should be dedicated to cardio work..I don't really have the time for that so I hope to use it on the days I'll be weight traininig...Sooo as the the title suggests when would be the best time to do it...before or after weights.

it depends .. are you lifting weights to bulk up, or to lose weight? its something thats over thought a lot imo .. I often do 25 minutes cardio then hot the weights or sometimes to mix it up I lift first and do 10 - 15 minutes of intervals on the cross trainer..

Fingers Mcginty

Alright Cork, I'm not looking to bulk up ...just tone what I have already

corkcomp

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Alright Cork, I'm not looking to bulk up ...just tone what I have already

it doesnt really matter too much then.. dont neglect cardio though, nothing wrong with a cardio only day! if you were trying to bulk up it might be a different story.

metamorphosis

My preference is to do cardio after, depends on the intensity of your lifting. If you do cardio first, you might not have the same energy to have the most effecient lifting workout you could have had.

I, once, made the stupid mistake of doing 30min on the bike before my weights. Studpid move considering i was my routine had box jumps, jerk lunges in it. The doms in my quads lasted much longer than if i had left the bike til after.

shootermacg

ULstudent wrote: »

My preference is to do cardio after, depends on the intensity of your lifting. If you do cardio first, you might not have the same energy to have the most effecient lifting workout you could have had.

I, once, made the stupid mistake of doing 30min on the bike before my weights. Studpid move considering i was my routine had box jumps, jerk lunges in it. The doms in my quads lasted much longer than if i had left the bike til after.

Agreed.

This is a topic of some debate, it's like halflife vs doom, ps3 vs xbox etc.
So youy just have to use common sense.

Nothing wrong with warm-up cardio before lifting but, IMO, too much will definately effect your lifts. At the moment I try to keep them at opposite sides of the day. Cardio in the morning, weights in the evening,

Or if you haven't time in the morning then cardio a few hours after weights IMO (I have ran at 10:30 after leaving the gym at 9).

As corkcomp stated it depends on the results you are after. I'm currently bulking until the end of this month, so I'm a bit easier on the cardio than usual.
Next month I'm on a cut, so I'll step up the cardio and wont push up the weights as much. I try not to go more than 15% body fat during a bulk.


I personally don't do cardio after a back or leg day. No point jogging on legs after a good leg session and for me if I jog after a back session, I feel it after 3km and I also suffer from DOMS a lot longer.

But TBH if you don't feel cardio effects your lifting than by all means do it.
This has been the topic of some debate between the communities (just google it) but some studies(don't ask me for quotes just google it) have found that as long as the cardio doesn't include the muscles involved in your strength program you should be fine.

While I find low impact cardio to be a good idea, I couldn't see myself swapping the road running for a treddie or in your case runs near the sea ^ ^. I find the gym too hot for any tough cardio. Give me a nice breeze anyday
^ ^.