What comes first: cardio, weightlifting?

Bill Goins / Armed Forces News Service

One of the most frequently asked questions I get as a fitness professional is, “If I am going to do my cardio and strength training on the same day, which comes first?”

Experts are split on this issue. The majority will advise you to do the cardio after the weight training, because if you do cardio first, it uses up much of the energy source for your anaerobic work (strength training) and fatigues the muscles before their most strenuous activity. This same view holds that strength training first will deplete the muscles’ stored carbohydrates (glycogen or sugar), and therefore, will enhance fat burning during the cardio workout due to the lack of available sugar for fuel.

However, there is no research that proves this, and what it should really come down to are your fitness goals.

If your primary goal is to increase your aerobic endurance or lose body fat, perform cardio first. If it’s to increase muscular strength, do strength training first. Get the most out of your workout before you are fatigued.

I see a lot of people who have set a goal of losing fat around their belly and they spend an hour on the bench press or doing tons of curls because they see the results. But when they are done, they are too fatigued to have a quality cardio workout.

Lifting weights does not automatically equal “big,” and you won’t firm those muscles on the treadmill. Spend 10 minutes at the beginning of your workout on your legs, chest, back, shoulders and arms and then go for your stair stepping marathon. You will be shocked at how much more toned you become.

The bottom line is it’s better to have consistency in your exercise than to worry about the two extra calories you might burn from doing weights or cardio first. Analyze your goals and plan your workouts to reach them.

Before you know it, your bellies will begin flattening without sacrificing your chest or bicep size and your triceps will have incredible shape. And you’ll still be able to take the stairs to the top of Mount Everest.