The order of operations
Cardio or weights, cardio or weights? Why not do both? If you opt to go this route, you still have a few more decisions to make.First, are you going to combine your weights and cardio routine into a high-intensity resistance circuit? If so, proceed without asking any further questions. If not, and if you plan to perform one routine and then the other, the question now becomes: which do you do first? The answer, according to researchers from Japan, should be weights first and then cardio.
Holding off on the cardio until the second half of this total workout ensures that you will have plenty of energy for the first half, which is when you're lifting. But, it turns out that there is another health reason to support why you should continue to workout in this order, and it has less to do with abs and more do with blood pressure. Researchers found that people who ran for twenty minutes after resistance training increased the elasticity of their arteries by 2 percent over those who performed their workout in reverse (i.e. cardio first, then resistance training).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-12-2008 @ 3:08PM
John said...
This is a good protocol for most to follow, however, if gaining muscle mass and strength are your primary goals resistance training and cardio should be done on alternate days or at least 4 hours apart with the resistance training first.
Extended cardio lowers testosterone levels and also draws blood away from the pumped up muscles, the opposite of what you want.
If you're healthy try sprints instead of jogging, you'll burn more fat and build muscle at the same time.
Los Angeles/Hollywood Personal Trainer
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8-12-2008 @ 4:56PM
John said...
Breaking your workout into 2 sessions burns more calories and fat than if you do it all at once.
Start with a warm up do your resistance work then return later to do your cardio.
http://www.ultimatehlth.com/BIOS/EXP.html
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