I read something recently (that I can't find now) about it being better to do cardio before weight training. The idea is that whatever you do second, you're going to be doing when you're more tired, and you want to have the energy to get through your cardio.
Frankly, I've had the opposite experience. I enjoy doing the weight machine circuit and then hopping on the elliptical. The weights wake me up and I'm more raring to go when I get on the elliptical. Also, I feel like doing a half hour of the elliptical gives my muscles a really good stretch and I'm less sore from the weights as a result.
Do you have a preference?
3 comments:
For a long time I used to do cardio first and then weights. Frankly, I used to not give too much thought to weights, they were more of an "afterthought." However, since I have started to concentrate more on weights, I do them first. Also, I now sometimes do only weights & abs and no cardio afterward. If I know that I don't "have to" do cardio afterward, I tend to push myself harder on the weights, do a few more reps with good form, etc. If I know I have to do cardio, I tend to stop sooner...
For me, it just matters which one I want to concentrate on. I have more energy for the one I do first, and I usually do weights first because then I can work harder -- lift heavier weights or do a couple more reps. If that means I need to take it a little easier on the cardio, I'm OK with that trade-off.
If you actually want to hit all your types of muscles fibers, you should lift first. Much more effective in terms of building and maintaining lean muscle mass. :)
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