Yahoo Sports Blog – Warm Up With Cardio, Then Go To Weights. Right? Wrong.

I was asked to provide a quick quote for an article on the Yahoo Sports Blog – The Post Game.

The question was, should cardio be done before weight training?

I did not write anything else in the article, just that specific quote and I answered no.

Of course many people in the comments said that they use the cardio before their weight training to warm-up.  But we all know here at Diesel, the warm-up is much more important and much more specific then just striding on a treadmill.  They other comments said that the pre-workout cardio was to target fat loss.

Also, cardio is such a broad term and can mean many things, but my assumption was that they were talking about low intensity cardio.  We know that this type of “cardio” is one of the least efficient means of increasing metabolism and burning serious calories.

Remember Alwyn Cosgrove’s AFTERBURN effect and the importance of EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption)?  Jacking metabolism AFTER you leave the gym is a training effect of strength training circuits, not low intensity cardio.

Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM.
Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC): implications for body fat management.
Eur J Appl Physiol 2002 Mar;86(5):411-7

Finally, when considering the sequence of your workout, it is always best to start with the most intensive training means first – when you are at your best.  Here is just one potential simple template:

Perform 1st: Comprehensive Warm-up

Perform 2nd: Plyos / Sprints / Olympic Lifts / Dynamic Efforts / Max Efforts

Perform 3rd: Supplemental Work

Perform 4th: Rehab / Recovery/ Conditioning / Fat Loss / Grip Strength