Cardio - before or after strength training?

[KnightTemplar]

Is it a good idea to train cardio on the same day as strength? And if so, should one train cardio first, i.e. jog into the gym, or afterwards, perhaps jogging home from the gym?

I hate treadmills, bikes etc and would much rather jog outside, even in shit weather.

 

[TheMadHatter]

no training cardio takes away from strength, when working cardio you are taking away from muscle gains

 

[KnightTemplar]

no training cardio takes away from strength, when working cardio you are taking away from muscle gains

So don't train cardio on the same day?

 

[Gatorfan Frank]

Is it a good idea to train cardio on the same day as strength? And if so, should one train cardio first, i.e. jog into the gym, or afterwards, perhaps jogging home from the gym?

I hate treadmills, bikes etc and would much rather jog outside, even in shit weather.

It's usually best to keep cardio and weight training days separate. But if you insist on training both in the same day, I always found running a mile or two easier after weight-lifting rather than running first and then weight training.

Another idea you might want to try if you're looking to train both cardio and strength in the same day: shorten rest time between sets to 30 seconds or a minute. Shortening the time between sets will keep your heart rate elevated and you'll sweat your ass off during weight lifting as much as you would doing just cardio.

 

[eastNYgoon138]

no training cardio takes away from strength, when working cardio you are taking away from muscle gains

I used to run a mile before every workout. I was making significant strength gains.

 

[Ayin]

If you have a full training schedule, timing when to do what can be very important.

Generally, you can apply a rule like this: Skill before power, power before endurance.

So, you want to be as fresh as possible when you are about to do skill based training, like when you are going to spar, and you are going to want to be fresher for a heavy lifting session than for a long run. One of the main reasons for this is chance of injury. If you exhaust yourself before your skills training, there is a better chance you are going to be a bit slower, and you increase the risk of injury, and if you exhaust yourself before heavy lifting, your form will not be as good, thus again, increasing the risk of injury.

I have always personally found that either lifting or running in the morning works well, and gives me enough time to recover for training that evening. Alternatively, if I am only doing strength and cardio that day, I often use my strength training as a warm up, and my cardio as a kind of active cool down.

The best thing to do is experiment yourself, and see what works for you.

 

[rckvl]

Whichever one is your priority do it first, otherwise just put them on different days. Sometimes people over complicate shit, just do the work.

 

[Ayin]

Whichever one is your priority do it first, otherwise just put them on different days. Sometimes people over complicate shit, just do the work.

Works well, but if your priority is fighting, most training classes happen at night, and it's hard to go train from 6-8, then lift, then run in the same night, and often you will be doing two or three a day.

 

[jacobjuggernaut]

I used to run a mile before every workout. I was making significant strength gains.

ya but a mile is more of a warm up type i exprienced the same thing even

 

[edco76]

Is it a good idea to train cardio on the same day as strength? And if so, should one train cardio first, i.e. jog into the gym, or afterwards, perhaps jogging home from the gym?

I hate treadmills, bikes etc and would much rather jog outside, even in shit weather.

If you jog to the gym, wont you also have to jog home?

I actually considered this myself because my gym is only 1.5m from home.

 

[Indivdude]

I don't remember exactly who it was, think it was keith wassung, but he had to bike 9 miles to the gym since he couldn't use a car for whatever reason that day. He thought his squat workout would be trashed but he had a fantastic workout and thought that the biking actually helped him warm up.

In any case, do what works for you. For some, cardio would wear them out enough to affect their workout negatively. For others it might help warm them up and get them ready. Find out who you are and when you like doing them.

 

[erskine]

i would also consider the possible added effects from active recovery when you put a cardio session after a strength one.

 

[ASUThermo]

Conditioning should take place after strength training if you are planning on doing both on the same day.

 

[southpawdude]

The stronglifts book tells you to do cardio after strength training if done on the same day. Preferrably HIIT on strength days and LSD on off days. Take that for what it is worth.