GasBuddy Blog

Message Forum - Read Message

Category: Exercise & fitness > Topics	Add to favorite topics Post New Topic

Author	Topic: Cardio vs weights 1st at the gym?	Post a Reply Back to Topics

freedom27 Champion Author Calgary Posts:2,255 Points:282,495 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: May 26, 2008 12:27:09 PM Ignore freedom27 Report Abuse I've heard that if you do your cardio first your muscles are warmed up for strength training. HOwever, I've also read that doing weights first raises your heart so that when you start your cardio you don't have to waste 10 mins getting your heart rate up? Is it a matter of personal preference?

freedom27

Champion Author
Calgary

Posts:2,255
Points:282,495
Joined:Aug 2005

Message Posted: May 26, 2008 12:27:09 PM

Ignore freedom27 Report Abuse

I've heard that if you do your cardio first your muscles are warmed up for strength training. HOwever, I've also read that doing weights first raises your heart so that when you start your cardio you don't have to waste 10 mins getting your heart rate up?

Is it a matter of personal preference?

REPLIES (newest first)Ignore Short Messages

First

Next Last

dakine Champion Author Orange County Posts:19,580 Points:3,588,950 Joined:Feb 2003	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2012 8:14:05 AM Ignore dakine Report Abuse I typically do cardio in the middle of my workout.
majormarket All-Star Author Houston Posts:829 Points:788,485 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2012 8:01:53 AM Ignore majormarket Report Abuse Without belaboring a lot that has been said already: 1. Cardio first (a short session if you're doing weights right after) 2. Weights second If I'm not doing a strength training routine that day, I'll make the cardio a full 20 minutes. Usually, I do MWF: Cardio for 11 minutes, then varied strength training. On TThSat: Cardio for 20 minutes. Sunday is a rest day for me.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Mar 21, 2012 8:08:12 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse ALWAYS CARDIO FIRST.
kishoreCA Champion Author Ventura Posts:3,107 Points:390,945 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Mar 20, 2012 7:49:59 PM Ignore kishoreCA Report Abuse I have been trying to get a clarity on this forever. What i figured is it is not fully productive if you do cardio and strength in one session. So i do cardio in the morning (best when you are on empty stomach) and do strength in the evening. Remember to give a break after 2 continuous days.
HomelyGrits Sophomore Author Dayton Posts:224 Points:44,055 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Mar 10, 2012 11:57:51 AM Ignore HomelyGrits Report Abuse stretch, then cardio.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Mar 5, 2012 7:22:10 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse CARDIO
goodjunk23 Rookie Author Los Angeles Posts:76 Points:9,930 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2012 10:42:15 AM Ignore goodjunk23 Report Abuse Cardio first
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Nov 27, 2011 7:17:45 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse ALTERNATE DAYS
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Nov 25, 2011 7:58:16 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse ALWAYS CARDIO TO GET YOUR HEART PUMPING!!
gooberoobu Champion Author Kalamazoo Posts:4,053 Points:535,945 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Oct 30, 2011 9:11:20 PM Ignore gooberoobu Report Abuse Cardio first.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Oct 9, 2011 5:11:35 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse ALWAYS STRETCH AND CARDIO SO YOU WONUSE MUSLE OR HEART RATE NEW FOR THE DAY
Powerstroke73L Champion Author Sacramento Posts:2,816 Points:731,150 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Oct 7, 2011 4:43:12 PM Ignore Powerstroke73L Report Abuse I agree with kmcd8, full cardio sessions shouldn't be done on the same day as weight training unless you're just doing everything halfway. A 5 minute cardio warmup before weights is ok but if you're giving your all to one or the other, you shouldn't be able to do both and you're going to end up catabolizing the muscle you're trying to build. It shouldn't take 10 minutes to get your heart rate up when doing cardio....
kmcd8 Rookie Author Tucson Posts:44 Points:840 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Sep 7, 2011 8:35:32 PM Ignore kmcd8 Report Abuse i do weights one day cardio the next so my body has time to heal between the two different workouts
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Sep 4, 2011 5:58:26 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse CARDIO ALWAYS FIRST WITH SOME STRETCHES TO GET READT FOR WIEGHTS.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2011 5:04:30 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse ALWAYS CARDIO TO GET YOUR HEART MOVING!
MarkJames Champion Author Albany Posts:1,311 Points:24,060 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2011 6:09:29 AM Ignore MarkJames Report Abuse Weights first. My heavy high intensity weight training until failure with little rest between sets requires every last bit of energy I have, plus I usually have trouble walking if I've worked out my legs properly. I generally warm up with light weights and stretching. Post workout I'll sometimes warm down with light treadmill work, or swimming. This type of training "is" my cardio many days. Two or three sets of heavy 20 rep squats, heavy deadlifting, heavy rows, heavy presses etc elevate my heart rate much more than running, treadmill, swimming etc. When I used to do cardio more frequently, I was losing too much muscle mass and strength. I'd have to up my calorie intake to 6,000 plus calories per day which takes quite a lot of planning, prep time and consumption time.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Aug 29, 2011 5:00:01 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse CARDIO FIRST TO GET YOUR HEART PUMPING!!
sumfingwhite Rookie Author Utah Posts:90 Points:20,635 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Aug 16, 2011 11:16:06 PM Ignore sumfingwhite Report Abuse Its a matter of organization
sumfingwhite Rookie Author Utah Posts:90 Points:20,635 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Aug 16, 2011 11:15:39 PM Ignore sumfingwhite Report Abuse According to my Nutrition book, you just need to do 8 different weight workouts of 9 to 12 reps 3 times a week, and exercise doing cardio for an hour at least 3 times a week. You should also do flexibility exercises.
HuoXingC All-Star Author Oakland Posts:790 Points:108,125 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Aug 15, 2011 12:18:07 PM Ignore HuoXingC Report Abuse 1) Warm-up stretching (e.g. lunges, frog leaps, etc.) 2) Cardio 3) Weight lifting 4) Static stretching
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Aug 15, 2011 6:01:50 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse CARDIO ALWAYS FIRST!!
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Aug 14, 2011 5:37:06 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse CARDIO DEFIFATELY
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Aug 7, 2011 5:14:37 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse ALWAYS CARDIO FIRST TO WARM UP YOUR BODY AND STRETCHES.
livable1 Champion Author New York Posts:2,323 Points:283,265 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Aug 6, 2011 10:54:25 PM Ignore livable1 Report Abuse Hummmm
MoneyLA Champion Author New Orleans Posts:479,154 Points:676,525 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jun 27, 2011 9:57:56 AM Ignore MoneyLA Report Abuse I do cardio first and weights second.
alfowler Veteran Author Phoenix Posts:367 Points:124,370 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jun 26, 2011 10:25:56 AM Ignore alfowler Report Abuse Cardio then weights because if I do it the other way around I never have enough energy for the cardio
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jun 26, 2011 6:14:19 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse FIRST IN THE GYM SHOULD BE STRECHES
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jun 22, 2011 5:36:20 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse SHOULD ALTERNATE A DAY BETWEEN THE TWO
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jun 20, 2011 7:04:10 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse WEIGHTS TODAK'IT'S STRMING
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jun 19, 2011 7:47:32 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse BOTH BUTNOT ON THE SAME WORKOUT
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jun 18, 2011 5:59:18 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse IF YOU GO REGULARLY ALTERNER BETWEEN THE TWO WORKOUTS
jmsod Rookie Author New Jersey Posts:67 Points:233,030 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jun 8, 2011 8:12:43 AM Ignore jmsod Report Abuse I usually do weights first then cardio. If I do cardio first then my weight training suffers from fatigue.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jun 7, 2011 4:52:06 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse BEST TO ALTERNATE DAYS
HuoXingC All-Star Author Oakland Posts:790 Points:108,125 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 6, 2011 1:29:02 PM Ignore HuoXingC Report Abuse Not sure what the "experts" will say, but I always take a run and get warmed up and sweaty before doing anything else (e.g. conditioning and weight training) to prevent pulling a muscle. Then after, I take a cool down walk.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: May 28, 2011 4:48:19 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse BOTH AFTER STRETCHING
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2011 5:40:43 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse STRECHES ALWAYS FIRST
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: May 24, 2011 5:00:54 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse CARDIO AND STRETCHES FIRST
dakine Champion Author Orange County Posts:19,580 Points:3,588,950 Joined:Feb 2003	Message Posted: Dec 4, 2010 8:11:53 AM Ignore dakine Report Abuse Always cardio first, so that I can break into a sweat.
LonghornBubba Champion Author Houston Posts:13,389 Points:2,644,380 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 11:12:06 AM Ignore LonghornBubba Report Abuse weights first for me
aragorn1 Champion Author London Posts:5,970 Points:1,335,995 Joined:Jun 2005	Message Posted: Feb 18, 2010 7:54:19 PM Ignore aragorn1 Report Abuse Tried both, prefer cardio first
Italianman Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,007 Points:1,146,170 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: Feb 4, 2010 1:21:12 PM Ignore Italianman Report Abuse As long as you're doing something, it's all good.
JerseyGirlVA Veteran Author Virginia Beach Posts:332 Points:73,800 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Jan 28, 2010 7:16:44 AM Ignore JerseyGirlVA Report Abuse I do cardio first. Personally for me, it helps me get a full workout in. I do a full 30 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill then 3 sets of 10 reps for each free weight exercise. I don't leave without doing the full 30 reps.
mfeldstein Champion Author Ottawa Posts:8,161 Points:1,928,430 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: Jan 4, 2010 11:04:59 PM Ignore mfeldstein Report Abuse I really don't think it makes a difference either way. The thing is to do both and get the benefit. There may be a difference if you're an elte competitive athlete and micro-measures mean something.
INDY51 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,910 Points:961,480 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Nov 21, 2009 5:01:53 AM Ignore INDY51 Report Abuse I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE YWCA FOR FIVE YEARS AS PART OF A DIABETES WELLNESS PROGRAM. I GO THREE TIMES A WEEK AND HAVE ALWAYS DONE CARDIO FIRST TO GET WARMED UP BEFORE WEIGHT EXERCISES AND I'VE LOST OVER 40LBS. AND KEPT IT OFF. I'M 58 BY THE WAY
DancingDee Champion Author Gary Posts:4,379 Points:1,055,540 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Nov 17, 2009 7:40:23 AM Ignore DancingDee Report Abuse A light Cardio is just like your WarmUp and CoolDown.
rondobbs Champion Author Mobile Posts:8,737 Points:2,807,045 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Sep 19, 2009 6:38:14 PM Ignore rondobbs Report Abuse According to how busy it is
mjmidas Sophomore Author Charlotte Posts:234 Points:208,280 Joined:Aug 2003	Message Posted: Sep 16, 2009 11:36:05 PM Ignore mjmidas Report Abuse I do a light intro cardio to get warmed up, lift and then do cardio last.
GMVAN Champion Author Calgary Posts:6,740 Points:1,395,605 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Sep 12, 2009 2:00:23 AM Ignore GMVAN Report Abuse I like doing cardio first.
OceanArcher Champion Author Mississippi Posts:5,693 Points:1,325,450 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2009 11:25:09 AM Ignore OceanArcher Report Abuse I think it is a matter of preference. Which are you trying to do, build muscle mass, or provide yourself with an extended cardio workout? Whichever effort you are trying to accomplish, perform that portion of your workout last...
joules55 Rookie Author Kentucky Posts:47 Points:9,215 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Aug 28, 2009 3:31:50 PM Ignore joules55 Report Abuse I like doing my cardio 1st so that I'm warmed up and loose, I've had a better lifting experience doing this.