Doing Cardio Before Weights

Just a quick question here...

Is it better to do cardio before or after weight training?

I know first thing in the morning would be ideal time but in regards to basing it around weights which would be better.

cheers

faceman

Its better to do it afterward as you will burn more calories for about an hour after your weight workout. Of course the trade off is you will probably be too knackered!

Similarly if you do a heavy cardio session before weights you may not be operating at peak when doing weights.

MarkY91

i do it after only cos i get some weird heat itch everytime i go the gym and jog at the start, i guess whatever suites you best to be honest

Dadster

Always perform cardio before weights. Carrying out the resistance workout afterwards will ensure that your metabolism stays raised for several hours and performing cardio first will ensure that you are well warmed up but you won't have exhausted any muscle groups in advance of your workout.

Elohim

Well I suppose it depends on what you want to do.

If you want to burn fat then after weights is best. If you do a good weights session then all the quick release energy (glycogen i think) will be burned by your muscles then.

By the time you start your cardio you won't have any left so your body will be forced to look somewhere else for the energy and it will start burning fat stores.
I'm pretty sure this is why people recommend running in the morning before breakfast too, because you have no carbs to burn quickly after waking up.

Of course this is tougher for the body to do so you'll probably feel tired sooner ( I know I do) but ya just have to push through it.

David Matthews

Grapeman,

I've always found that to the Keep the sessions separate is the most beneficial. Rather than to try and kill two birds with the one stone. But you can do a "cardio session" prior to some heavy lifting for example anything up to lactic acid threshold,it differs for everyone. Knowing your body is key.

gymsoldier

Dadster wrote: »

Always perform cardio before weights. Carrying out the resistance workout afterwards will ensure that your metabolism stays raised for several hours and performing cardio first will ensure that you are well warmed up but you won't have exhausted any muscle groups in advance of your workout.

^^^Not This

Elohim wrote: »

Well I suppose it depends on what you want to do.

If you want to burn fat then after weights is best. If you do a good weights session then all the quick release energy (glycogen i think) will be burned by your muscles then.

By the time you start your cardio you won't have any left so your body will be forced to look somewhere else for the energy and it will start burning fat stores.
I'm pretty sure this is why people recommend running in the morning before breakfast too, because you have no carbs to burn quickly after waking up.

Of course this is tougher for the body to do so you'll probably feel tired sooner ( I know I do) but ya just have to push through it.

^^^This

Presuming that your goal is fat loss. Perform cardio in themorning before breakfast, or post workout.

deadlybuzzman

Dadster wrote: »

Always perform cardio before weights. Carrying out the resistance workout afterwards will ensure that your metabolism stays raised for several hours and performing cardio first will ensure that you are well warmed up but you won't have exhausted any muscle groups in advance of your workout.

you will have DEFINITLEY weakened the muscles and if you push youself hard you will be as weak as a kitten, weights 1st and cardio after.
That way you can get stronger and fitter at the same time

The Guvnor

It's a catch 22 imo if you are hitting the weights hard the thought of doing half an hour on the bike afterwards is less than pleasant PLUS IME it's very easy to blow off the cardio and hit the locker room straight away!:)

Now if you're doing moderate cardio and you have some calories on you in the gym in the form of a intra workout carb drink then this should not overly affect your weights.

I've found I'll do the weights after cardio but not the other way around.

My preference would be to do them separately!

Dadster

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

you will have DEFINITLEY weakened the muscles and if you push youself hard you will be as weak as a kitten, weights 1st and cardio after.
That way you can get stronger and fitter at the same time

A lot depends on the duration and type of cardio work that you intend to carry out. I just assumed that the cardio in question would be used to warm up before weights.
But then everyone here has obviously assumed that they have enough relevant information about the person posing the question to enable themselves to out forward the "correct" answer.

gymsoldier

Dadster wrote: »

I just assumed that the cardio in question would be used to warm up before weights.

So you didnt really read the question???

Stevo1011

ive been trying really hard this week in the gym, want to take it more seriously,

im overweight and got man boobs so getting desperate for the holiday coming up,

Running for 20 mins, take a break to get some water and then do another 20 mins, Im wrecked after it but do manage sit ups and some cross trainer, tried doing some weights but had no energy,

so today i tried the opposite way around, did a weights workout for chest and arms, then when i went for a run it felt like i had the weight of a truck, only managed 5 mins running.

so dont know what to do for the best

garhjw

i always do cardio before weights and its helped me lose 5 stone over the last couple of years so its wrong to say you have to do weights before cardio to burn fat. it depends what gives you the best results

deadlybuzzman

Stevo1011 wrote: »

ive been trying really hard this week in the gym, want to take it more seriously,

im overweight and got man boobs so getting desperate for the holiday coming up,

Running for 20 mins, take a break to get some water and then do another 20 mins, Im wrecked after it but do manage sit ups and some cross trainer, tried doing some weights but had no energy,

so today i tried the opposite way around, did a weights workout for chest and arms, then when i went for a run it felt like i had the weight of a truck, only managed 5 mins running.

so dont know what to do for the best

1st things 1st-fair play to ya a 40 min run is great going
Would fatigue be a factor? how many times are you going a week and what kind of reps scheme are you doing?

Stevo1011

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

1st things 1st-fair play to ya a 40 min run is great going
Would fatigue be a factor? how many times are you going a week and what kind of reps scheme are you doing?

To be honest i go 3 times but i know in my heart i havent been putting my all into it, but the holiday is creeping up so really got myself motivated for this week.

Ive been three times this week, after the run ( i do the first run for 20 mins and time myself and then i get some more water from the tap, jump back on and try to beat my first time). im wrecked, im dripping with the sweat and my tee shirt is sticking to my back. I didnt any energy left after it, it was just my motivation to take it serious that made me do the sit ups and weights and some cross trainer,

Think i need an energy drink to help me get throught the workout, water is great but i need an extra kick, a friend suggested i bring a bottle of lucozade lite with me,

Im going to take tomorrow night off cause i was shattered tonight, but i will go fri and sat

Hanley

garhjw wrote: »

i always do cardio before weights and its helped me lose 5 stone over the last couple of years so its wrong to say you have to do weights before cardio to burn fat. it depends what gives you the best results

Another n=1 answer.

If you dropped 5 stone, you probably had a lot to lose. Doing "anything" would have had a positive effect on you.

If you did it after, you might have burned more fat. You might not have too. But that's neither here nor there.

MOST people, are going to get a greater benefit from hitting weights fresh with a well stocked up energy reserve, and doing cardio after. THat is ofcourse assuming your goal is fat loss. IF you want to get better at cardio, things change.

Elohim

garhjw wrote: »

i always do cardio before weights and its helped me lose 5 stone over the last couple of years so its wrong to say you have to do weights before cardio to burn fat. it depends what gives you the best results

By doing running and whatever weights you were doing I'm sure you were burning a lot of calories which resulted in a calorie deficit resulting in weight loss.

Nobody's saying that you "have to" do weights before running, it's just that it's better if you do it that way for the reasons I explained above.

Also I'm pretty sure lifting weights increases your metabolism so you'll burn more calories after the gym too. You won't be able to weight training properly if you're already tired from a long run.
When you stop running you stop burning calories.

The Davestator

Stevo1011 wrote: »

To be honest i go 3 times but i know in my heart i havent been putting my all into it, but the holiday is creeping up so really got myself motivated for this week.

Ive been three times this week, after the run ( i do the first run for 20 mins and time myself and then i get some more water from the tap, jump back on and try to beat my first time). im wrecked, im dripping with the sweat and my tee shirt is sticking to my back. I didnt any energy left after it, it was just my motivation to take it serious that made me do the sit ups and weights and some cross trainer,

Think i need an energy drink to help me get throught the workout, water is great but i need an extra kick, a friend suggested i bring a bottle of lucozade lite with me,

Im going to take tomorrow night off cause i was shattered tonight, but i will go fri and sat

Don't drink Lucozade etc. You'll only be taking in 200 extra calories of sugar while at the same tine killing yourself to burn 200 calories. Just water will do unless you're training hard for 90 mins.

Stevo1011

The Davestator wrote: »

Don't drink Lucozade etc. You'll only be taking in 200 extra calories of sugar while at the same tine killing yourself to burn 200 calories. Just water will do unless you're training hard for 90 mins.

Yea i read the bottle and the normal lucozade is 260 calories, just trying to think of alternatives to water to give me a bit extra energy

Elohim

Stevo1011 wrote: »

Yea i read the bottle and the normal lucozade is 260 calories, just trying to think of alternatives to water to give me a bit extra energy

Why don't ya just walk slowly for good while instead of running? (After you've reached the point where ya can't run any more)*
You might get bored or whatever but you'll prob still be able to do it. Any extra energy drinks you take are just extra calories that you'll have to run for ages to burn off.

Hanley

Stevo1011 wrote: »

Yea i read the bottle and the normal lucozade is 260 calories, just trying to think of alternatives to water to give me a bit extra energy

Caffeine.

garhjw

Hanley wrote: »

Another n=1 answer.

If you dropped 5 stone, you probably had a lot to lose. Doing "anything" would have had a positive effect on you.

If you did it after, you might have burned more fat. You might not have too. But that's neither here nor there.

MOST people, are going to get a greater benefit from hitting weights fresh with a well stocked up energy reserve, and doing cardio after. THat is ofcourse assuming your goal is fat loss. IF you want to get better at cardio, things change.

n=1?????

faceman

garhjw wrote: »

i always do cardio before weights and its helped me lose 5 stone over the last couple of years so its wrong to say you have to do weights before cardio to burn fat. it depends what gives you the best results

There is nothing wrong with it per se, i think the point people are trying to make is that its more efficient to do it afterward.

Hanley

garhjw wrote: »

n=1?????

n = sample size
1 = you

As in your advice is based off your own experience. Which is cool like... it's obviously worked for ya.

But if you'd a lot of weight to lose, anything would have done it. If the original poster isn't trying to shift a ton of fat, and just lean up a bit, your experience isn't going to help as much as if he was in your original position.

Get me?

It's sometihng that happens a lot here, and something I've been prone to doing before.

gymsoldier

Hanley wrote: »

If you dropped 5 stone, you probably had a lot to lose. Doing "anything" would have had a positive effect on you.

Ha you got in there before me there on that one.

Stevo1011 wrote: »

Yea i read the bottle and the normal lucozade is 260 calories, just trying to think of alternatives to water to give me a bit extra energy

Lucozade lite would be ok to drink, its only like 40cals, plus its hypotonic so will absorb faster then water.

+1 on the caffine suggestion too