I'm a weights before cardio girl, myself.

Generally, I start with 5-10 minutes of light cardio--usually, cycling at a slow pace--and stretching to get warmed up a bit, and to loosen the muscles from being seated at the computer for most of the day (I work out at night). Then it's off to whatever sort of workout I have planned. Three days a week it's part-specific weights, twice a week abs, once a week is a total body circuit. After that, I get in my cardio effort for the night...on weight days that generally means light to moderate cardio, abs days are also HIIT days, and the circuit day incorporates light to moderate cardio.

That's actually a new routine for me. I used to follow a more BFL-like schedule, but changed for various reasons. But even then I followed my lifting with moderate cardio. I just find I can focus more energy and effort into my lifting if I haven't done cardio first. *shrug*

I don't do them on the same day...weights on Monday Wednesday Friday and Cardio Tuesday Thursday Saturday...

~Michelle

Actually, I do a quick 7-10 minute cardio warmup (depending on how early I can get there) and have 1/2 with a weight trainer 2xs a week. Then I go back to cardio for anywhere from 20 - 35 minutes. Basically, I get 30 minutes cardio no matter what.

On other days I do mostly cardio (45 mins or so) and some extra streching, ab work or machines.


I'm trying for more fat loss than muscle build but I can tell a major difference in my strength and muscle tone. I've lost about 10 inches I think.


Selina

This first paragraph is also the first paragraph of a post I just made in another thread:

In ''The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution,'' by Fredrick Hahn, Dr. Michael R. Eades and Dr. Mary Dan Eades (those last two are the authors of "Protein Power"), the authors assert that resistance training of the type they advocate makes additional cardio work unnecessary. This is said in the context of getting fit and healthy, not specifically in the context of weight loss. My recent experience has been that I can walk up stairs more easily (i.e., without getting winded) after 3 months of Slow Burn work.

They explain it in more detail than I can, so I won't really try. But my experience has been positive. My wife and I have been using Slow Burn for about three months. We work out at home twice a week for about 45 minutes. Before Slow Burn, we were both using our Nordic Tracks 3 or 4 times weekly and working with low weights, high reps 3x weekly. My cardiovascular endurance and flexibility have improved since changing over.

I goe weights before cardio. Thats mainly because i really do push myself out to exhaustion on the cardio and know i would not be able to manage the weights afterwards.

Cheers
Jason

I always do cardio first, at least 20-25 minutes to warm up my muscles... After that, the weights seem almost like my cool down period and I'm more pumped to keep up with the reps...

I get lazy if I don't do some sort of cardio beforehand.

If I lift weights, it's usually prior to cardio. That's if I can. It depends on when I get to the gym, what's available when.

But now I tend to stay away from weights as I'm pretty muscular already and I just tend to bulk up more from weights. Right now my focus is on cardio.

A couple of years ago (before I tore my ACL and had knee surgery) I would jog for 30 minutes before I did weights. I would follow the jog with usually 20-30 minutes of weights, depending on how much energy I had left.

In the last 2 years I have switched to doing the weights first for at least 45 minutes. I then will get on the treadmill (or sometimes the elliptical or cycle) for at least 30 minutes. I don't jog as much, since after a while of jogging I start to experience some pain in my knee. But walking at 4 - 4.5 mph doesn't bother me and gives me an aerobic workout if I jog for a minute or two every so often during the walk.

The reason I switched was that when I was taking physical therapy after knee surgery the therapist had me do the weights first and then get on the elliptical and the treadmill. It's a habit I have just picked up and it seems to be working for me.

If I don't have the time to spend 2 hours at the gym, I will do weights if at the gym, and cardio if at home (I have a treadmill). But I do attempt to get some exercise every day.

Joan

I am using the Firm Body Sculpting 3 Videos. They combine both cardio and weights. You get faster results this way. It seems to be working for me! It's amazing what one 45 minute workout can do! I love the Firm!

These are the three tapes I have:

Cardio Sculpting
Body Sculpting
Ab Sculpting

They use the Fanny Lifter.....If you're interested in trying these tapes check out my thread in this forum: 'The Firm Anyone?'

rfred,

I have just read the slow burn book and was curious as to why you are working out 45 mins 2 times a week. I was just under the impression that you only needed to exercise every 5 days after a good 30 min workout. What are you and your wife doing during those 2 sessions a week.

Thx
Rach

I recently saw this article in e-diets that strongly urges us to do weights THEN cardio.

The idea is that during anaerobic exercise, your body can burn ONLY glocuose. (Aearobic exercise is anything that causes that "burn" because of lactic acid in your muscles -- that pain you feel when sprinting or lifting weights with few reps/high weight.

During aerobic exercise, by contrast, your body has a choice of fuel: glucose or fat.

If your body's glucose stores have been depleted from anaerobic exercise, your body has no choice but to burn fat.

Then again this gui was NOT doing the low carb thing. Theoretically, if we're low enough in our carbs, there might not be enough glucose available for our bodies to avoid burning fat.

(Scratches head.)

I do not enjoy cardio so I do it first - otherwise I would blow it off or skimp on it if it came after my weight training.

I was told to do weights first so you can build muscle as you use 100% of your strenght whereas if you do cardio first you don't use as much. My preference is cardio first otherwise I am not as motivated to do as much.

Also, I think it depends on you. I need to loose more weight than others so I focus on cardio right now. After I get closer to goal I will begin weight training. Just to keep me motivated!

It has been a while since I have done weights. But, I do prefer to do cardio first

Cardio--sprints 2 days a week
Weights--4-5 OTHER days a week.

I'm not sacrificing muscle by working out the same day of cardio. For me I can see a difference.

I disagree about the bodybuilders and athletics. Anyone who improves muscular tone with strength training can technically be a bodybuilder. In truth, most of the more successful endurance athletes (marathon runners and a few others excluded) benefit from incorporating strength training into their routine. Look at the olympians today and compare them to those of yesteryear. Big difference thanks in no small part to smarter use of the weight room.

I am of the opinion that cardio is actually not necessary for decent weight loss if circuit training or some other form of weight usage is done. In fact, I think dieters who do strength training benefit faster than those who do not.

Even men have to purposely work hard to gain pro bodybuilder level of muscularity. Very few have the genetics to grow very muscular without very intense workouts.