Order of workouts
 

I recently heard that you should do your strengthening workout before an aerobic workout. I have always done the opposite. Has anybody ever heard that or know if it matters in what order you do your routine?

Oh also I heard that it is better to workout on an empty stomach? Any thoughts.

Thanks

Hi Laurief ,

I just start slow things like walking , than go to the max . That's how i'll do it

I start my day by going to the gym between 5- 5:30 am, do some stretches and then ease into some weight lifting for 20 to 50 min.

I'll then get on the tred-mill for 30-40 min and try to run at least 20-25 min and then fast walk at an incline for the remainder.
I do all this on an empty stomach but I'll drink water.
I'll go home and then make an egg white omelet stuffed into a wheat pita shell and go to work. I do this 5 days a week.

I read this too. The theory is do the strength 1st to maximise muscle development and then the cardio to burn fat and tone up. There's a guy called Craig Ballantyne who's written about it quite a bit. Tap in "Turbulence Training". I've done it both ways depending on what is available in the gym when I enter.

In my experience, I've usually done best by warming up for 5 to 10 minutes with light cardiovascular exercise, then resistance/weight training, followed by a full session of cardio lasting anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on my energy level and time constraints. When I tried the cardio before the resistance exercise, I noticed that I didn't have enough energy reserves to hit the weights properly.

When I met with a trainer at my gym he said to do weights before cardio.

As a trainer, I suggest my clients warm up on any piece of cardio equipment for 5-10 minutes, then weight train (again first set on the light side to prepare joints and muscles), then stretch following weights. Cardio last for same reason as previous post stated...don't want to enter weight training tired as form may suffer.

I'm a big fan of doing short (20-30 minutes), intense interval training on an empty stomach to burn fat, preferably first thing in the morning. If someone were diabetic, though, I'd tell them to follow their MDs directions. I don't think high intensity interval training is appropriate for anyone who has been sedentary for years though. In those cases, I suggest steady state cardio reaching your target heart rate for 30-45 minutes (work up to it as first couple of minutes should be on the easy side). Heart rate monitors with the strap around chest are good tools to monitor your heart rate and are much more reliable than the monitors on the cardio machines at gyms. If you don't have a hr monitor, you can use your own perceived rate of exertion. Basically, this is based on a scale of 1 - 10, 1 being you're laying in bed and 10 being you're about to hyperventilate. Want to aim for 4-7 zone. You should be able to speak a few words but if you can sing a song without missing a word, increase the intensity. Sorry but when I see someone leisurely riding a stationery bike while reading a book, they are NOT working hard enough to burn fat. That would be appropriate for cooling down though.

I do recommend people have a small snack before weight training if they haven't eaten for a while and, if the session has been intense, feeding yourself within 30 minutes following the session to replace lost glycogen in the muscles. Preferably a protein and carbohydrate such as a smoothie made with whey protein powder and fruit. Adding muscle will add years to your life and keep your metabolism high, so if you're a female, don't worry about bulking up. Muscle is a girl's best friend!:)

Hope this helps!

I get up about an hour before I work out when I hit the gym, have a light meal like a protein shake b/c I have problems with low blood sugar, and also I take Celebrex which should be with food. Gives the meds time to work before I work out too. When I do a home workout at my son's nap time, I wait until after I work out to eat lunch. If my stomach is full, it's just not comfortable. I do a warm up, then stretch, then strength training, then cardio. The biggest benefit for me to do the strength training first is I have more energy and better form, like Built said.

[QUOTE=Laurief1960;4286]I recently heard that you should do your strengthening workout before an aerobic workout. I have always done the opposite. Has anybody ever heard that or know if it matters in what order you do your routine?

Oh also I heard that it is better to workout on an empty stomach? Any thoughts.

Thanks[/QUOTE
Whatever your focus is, that is what you should do first. If your focusing on cardio, do cardio first. Focusing on strength training? Do strength training first. You want to maximize your energy on the focus of your workout. Good luck!