Working out question?

[ForestCrush]

I am new to the working out scene. I do about 35 minutes of cardio after I do weight training, some people say do cardio at the start before weights. Which way is correct?

Updates

+1 y

How quickly does muscle come on? Before when I was eating one meal and not going to gym I was 177(June 19) and now eating 5-6 times I am 181-183. Is this normal? I don't eat junk

[Justdance22]

Here's it should go:

Warm up

Weightlift

Cool down/cardio

Always in that order. Warm up can be anything you want and definitely be safe and stretch too. Cardio shouldn't be done before hand as it can tire your muscle before the real work out. Some people think weightlifting doesn't burn fat because all you do is stand there and lift things up and put them down. But its hard on the body trust me. Now, I'm talking about using the olympic barbell. Sqauts, OHP, Bench Press, Deadlift, Barbell Rows... These are grueling exercises, it may not seem so at first at light weights and even at medium weights for you, but the DOMS you get and the effects of lifting all that can really tire you out.

If you are going to lift weights, its best you don't do cardio before because it may hurt your gains more than you think. So do it afterward. Cardio afterward is fine too, but you MUST realize that this extra workout is going to tire your body even more.

You will need to get your protein.

You will need to eat MORE, because food = muscles.

You will need to make sure you get you 8 hours of sleep EVERY NIGHT. or else you may hurt your gains. Its really grueling to truly work out and be a real weightlifter but the routine is nice and the results are usually worth your time and effort.

[WeaponZero]

It depends on your goals and where you want to place emphasis. Moderate intensity cardio can be done any time, before or after, as it doesn't really tax your muscles at all. It only taxes your cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It's recommended to do 5-10 minutes of light cardiovascular activity before beginning with your weight training.

HOWEVER... If the cardio you do is high intensity, it is not good to do it before resistance training. In fact, it's better to do it on non-weight days at all. But if you're going to do it on the same day, do it after.

[summer24]

i've been working out for almost a year now and I worked with a lot of body builders and trainers, the best thing to do is do a warm up, stretch and go on the treadmill do a slow jog for ten minutes to loosen up your muscles then hit the weight, if you want to lose weight and burn extra fat lift weights then hit the cardio for maximum fat burn.

[lace1228]

You should always do cardio before strength training it is good as a warm up. Cardio is something that can be done everyday but strength training should be done every other day to allow your muscles to heal. Always stretch after any workout to help reduce the pain.

[ForestCrush]

so the way I'm doing it is wrong?

[lace1228]

Yes, your muscles need to warm up to help with injury. Also if you can try and have a hot bath afterward to help relax your muscles. When working out your muscles build lacticacid and so having.a hot bath helps with that and you don't hurt as much

[Justdance22]

Definitely no. Unless you are talking about dumbells and isolated exercises.

Weightlifting after a set of cardio will hurt your strength gains if you're using the barbell to squat, OHP, deadlift... A very light cardio beforehand can be OK to warm up but real cardio shouldbe done AFTER. And even then, don't over do it, unless you take extra protein and eat more food to help grow them muscles!

[lace1228]

Do you work at the gym?

[Justdance22]

No, I'm just knowledgeable about some of this stuff because of experience/I read.

[lace1228]

Well I do and the answer I provided is from my job.

[martyfellow]

You need to warm up thoroughly before doing weights, so most people would do cardio first. But if you do a good warm up routine, there's no reason not to do weights first. A lot of cardio will tire you out so much you can't get through a weight routine unless you rest a couple of hours.

[martyfellow]

Which do you think you need more, the cardio or the weights?

[ForestCrush]

weights but I don't want to get fat again

[martyfellow]

Then maytbe do cardio to warm up for the weights.

[MrEM4N]

Doesn't really matter in my opinion. People will throw out "you should do this first before that because..." but in the end you're getting a work out. I will say that unless you're doing an active dynamic warm up before your weight training the cardio will be a better idea to go first because it will warm your muscles up and increase your body temperature. This give you a better more safer work out because you won't be putting your muscles at risk if theyre "cold" and not warmed up.

[beastman88]

id say its your preference really. you can always google for more correct and relevant answers.

[Moloch]

Neither. You do cardio on off days for optimum muscle growth.

[lace1228]

Actually cardio is something you can do everyday,strength training should be done every other day and doing cardio before doing weights to warm up the muscles.

[Moloch]

Yeah, but the timing is off. You shouldn't do it right before or after working out because it forces your body into a catabolic state.

[just_tired]

I agree, switching between anabolic and catabolic state in an optimal way is important for muscle growth. Hormones dictate very far how your body rebuilds.

[MrEM4N]

No, you can do cardio every single day. You just don't make it pure cardio. A real cardio day should be 45-60 minutes of just running, swimming or biking.

[Moloch]

Again, you can do it everyday. Preferably 5-6 times a day. However, he does cardio right after weight training, you're putting your body in a catabolic state by not getting a rest and eating something. I was merely fixing the routine according to how he works out, not giving general information.