Published at 11:11, Thursday, 29 September 2011

Q DOES performing weights before cardio have a better fat-burning effect than cardio before weights?

A This is an ongoing debate and I’ve read experts in favour of both options. I have performed both methods and the one that has worked for me is cardio before weights.

My weights regime involves a system where I blast the body into failure. At the end of that I cannot do anything, let alone think I can complete a 30-minute run. After this session my muscles are generally pumped to the maximum and for a good hour afterwards I don’t feel relaxed or particularly comfortable – and in order to have an effective cardio workout you must be relaxed and flexible.

One of the arguments I read was the belief that performing a cardio session before weight training will make you more tired in order to have a beneficial weight session. In my experience this has never been the case. If anything, I have always been able to lift the same if not heavier than normal. I believe this happens because of my ability to recover quicker after a cardio session. Not only is this a key indicator of your progression but if your body is able to achieve overload after cardio then you know you’re heading down a good road.

Glycogen gives us energy and after depleting the body of glycogen it tends to eat away at the fatty stores we have. This is the concept that performing weights first has. The philosophy is it works the muscle to the point that glycogen is depleted, so when you then perform a run it hits the fatty stores rather than the muscle. I believe this concept is flawed to a degree.

A while ago I trained six months performing a 25-minute run followed by a specific weight programme. I completed this session six times a week for a six-month period. My weights regime was a split routine involving the basic chest and biceps, back and triceps then shoulders and legs. The 25-minute run was a difficult hill session with sprints – there was no doubt I was shattered at the end of the run but because my fitness had developed I was able to recover very quickly which allowed me to achieve the split on weights.

At no point in the weight training session did I feel weak, nor did it prevent me from achieving personal bests. The results were fantastic, in fact the best of my training life.

Realistically cardio and weights should be performed on different days to maximise the benefits. Your cardio day should be as intense as you can make it and the following day the weight session should put your muscles into submission. That’s the philosophy I take to the gym – and it’s one you should adopt also.

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