Which should come first, cardio or weights?

I've tried it both ways and if I do weights first and then cardio, I'm not nearly as sore the next day . . . don't know why though, but it works! I also believe that if you do cardio first you won't have the energy necessary for your weight workout.
 
Weights first, then cardio because when you exhaust your muscles with weights first you use all of your glycogen stores. Then by the time cardio comes, you burn mostly fat. (I assume this is all the sameday, same work out. :)
 
I heard you should do whichever activity you are most concerned with first. For example, if you are really focused on building strength, you should do your weight workout first since you will have the most energy for that. Conversely, if you are more focused on cardio, you should do that first and save less energy for weights afterward. However, I have also heard some of the arguments posted above. I think there is a bit of controversy on this issue in the fitness field.
 
Balletgrrl has it right actually. Cathe suggests the same by the way.
Trevor :)
 
I'm sure Cathe is right, but I always do cardio first when I do both and I have a really irrational reason. I dislike cardio more than weights, so I know if I don't do it first and get it over with, it won't happen at all. This goes back to the old saw about "The best exercise is the one you'll actually do."

Anyway, most days I just do one or the other.
 
I do my weight work first for the exact same reason - I really prefer cardio. Reading over the previous posts, I guess the moral is that there's no one right way to do it, so make a schedule that works for you!
-Kate
 
Most weight training magazines I've read seem to prefer weights-first. Judging from the set ups of CTX and Timesaver, Cathe is into cardio first. I actually prefer a hybrid approach: about 10 minutes of cardio (a long warmup) followed by weights, then ending with cardio. A favorite combo of mine is Cardio Kicks (which has an initial section that lasts about 12 minutes) combined with an upper body workout.
 
I did that exact thing yesterday and loved it. Kickbox warm-up and some of ME then finished with the rest of Kickbox.
 
I rarely do both on the same day (except for something like Cardio & Weights or Bootcamp). When I do, I prefer weights first, when my focus, concentration and strength are at their peak. I figure I can daydream through a cardio workout with no ill effects, but daydreaming through a weights workout might mean a dumbbell falling on my forehead!:p
 
I did weights first yesterday, followed by very intense cardio and I liked it but I think I will do cardio first if I am doing upper body strength training and cardio last if it's lower because of the idea that if I burn out my legs strength training, I'll get into fat stores during cardio. I hope this proves true! But it's six on one a half dozen on the other. The important thing is to do it. For me, experimenting is alot of fun and the rotations I plan are always modified somewhat. Always. I've been doing heavy and loving it but I never repeat the series for several weeks in a row. I switch back and forth among them because once I have done a week of one, I want to do something different. But I know alot of you do a series consistantly for weeks on end and that's groovy. In the end, it's best to find what makes you happy and do that because that will keep you coming back for more! There are no wrong answers to that question!
Bobbi "Chick's rule!" http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif
 
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