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I joined a gym today did the Eliptical for 40 minutes. Afterwards one of the trainers told me you should always lift weights for a few minutes before cardio because the first 30 minutes of cardio you are burning calories but no fat. He said you have to prepare the body beforehand with weight training, so your body will be able to burn fat. Many times I would just work out, for instance run or ride a bike and never do weights. I know you are suppose to have a strength training weekly schedule but never heard that you need to do it before cardio...thoughts or experiences??
Its really a personal choice. But you get more from strength training than you do from cardio so it makes more sense to be fresh and full of energy for strength training. Whatever is left in the tank you can use up on cardio.
When I do strength training, I'm too pooped out to do 20-30 minutes of cardio after it. My legs are burning, my arms hurt, my neck is sore, my hamstrings hurt, even my toes hurt. So I do the cardio first. The ache is a slow, dull ache, and it's easy to not notice it when I'm concentrating in working specific muscles with the strength training. So I always do the cardio first.
Except when I ride my bike to the gym. Then, by default, I'm doing the cardio before -and- after strength training.
Its really a personal choice. But you get more from strength training than you do from cardio so it makes more sense to be fresh and full of energy for strength training. Whatever is left in the tank you can use up on cardio.
Does the strength training help change your metabolism? I guess I am asking how do you get more from strength training?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosco55David
That trainer wasn't real smart./
It's possible. I think he was new.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick
When I do strength training, I'm too pooped out to do 20-30 minutes of cardio after it. My legs are burning, my arms hurt, my neck is sore, my hamstrings hurt, even my toes hurt. So I do the cardio first. The ache is a slow, dull ache, and it's easy to not notice it when I'm concentrating in working specific muscles with the strength training. So I always do the cardio first.
Except when I ride my bike to the gym. Then, by default, I'm doing the cardio before -and- after strength training.
That was my thought, that I would be too dang tired to do 40 minutes of cardio or a 60 min spin class after.
But will you still lose fat with the cardio? I don't want to just burn calories for no reason.
If you have fat to burn, then your body will burn fat. The more you store, the more you burn off. You would burn fat if you did cardio and -no- strength training at all. There are, and have been, overweight people who started out by just walking, then switching to jogging, who might have alternated with distance cycling...no weight training of any kind. And they lost fat. Diet is also important, because you can't burn fat - which is made out of calories - if you are eating more calories than you are burning off. So keep your calorie count modest (the popular numbers around here are 1250, 1500, and "under 1800"), and move your body.
Also, something I've learned - don't eat -immediately- before a workout. Can cause a blood sugar spike and make you dizzy. Eat like, 1/2 hour to 1 hour before the workout. So that there's fresh fuel in your body, but it's already started digesting.
Although I think the trainer was being quite silly, in which order you do strength training and cardio is completely a personal preference.
I usually walk/run a mile before strength training, and two miles after. The whole routine takes about 75 minutes. Sometimes that varies, depending on my mood.
A few weeks ago I walked 5 miles on the treadmill before strength training, and did the elliptical for an hour afterward. I don't know what got into me ... LOL
Its personal preference, but I subscribe to the weights first cardio second and tell everyone I train to do this as well.
What is OPTIMUM, and what I do, is split the workouts into 2x per day. I know its tough for most but I do this while working fulltime (50 hour per week) job and having to take care of the 3 year old as soon as I get home in the evening. But it can be done.
Best:
Early morning cardio. Run or HIIT.
Afternoon or evening - Strength training.
Not as good but still effective:
Warmup - jump rope or 5 minutes medium to high intensity on the elliptical
Weight train
Cardio
I usually do weight training before cardio. I'm not sure it makes that much difference but I feel I need more energy to lift the weight then do the cardio.
Ideally though I break my workout into 2 sessions. Either run in the morning then weight lift in the evening or the opposite. I know that not everyone has that option.
Honestly I feel it's not necessary to spend hours doing cardio. I see the same people for years spending endless hours on the cardio equipment but I never really see a change in their bodies. I feel weight lifting is much a much more effective way to change your body. Of course if you have extra weight you need to burn that off but doing intervals is the way to go. The higher the intensity of your workout the shorter it has to be to really be more effective than just plugging along at the same pace for hours.
Its personal preference, but I subscribe to the weights first cardio second and tell everyone I train to do this as well.
What is OPTIMUM, and what I do, is split the workouts into 2x per day. I know its tough for most but I do this while working fulltime (50 hour per week) job and having to take care of the 3 year old as soon as I get home in the evening. But it can be done.
Best:
Early morning cardio. Run or HIIT.
Afternoon or evening - Strength training.
Not as good but still effective:
Warmup - jump rope or 5 minutes medium to high intensity on the elliptical
Weight train
Cardio
LOL... we must have been posting at the same time and really said about the same thing!
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