Which Should You Do First: Lift Weights or Cardio?

This debate has been going on since the fitness boom began. You have a finite amount of energy so it would make sense to question whether putting more of your energy into cardio will yield better results or if you should save the cardio for whatever energy you have left at the end of an intense weight lifting workout.

Most people will never get to the point where they would gain enough muscle to significantly increase their metabolism. For these people it really doesn't matter what activity they choose to do first. It's more important just to get in the gym, work out and keep going back. Such a lifestyle change benefits everyone. But for those who have already done so and don't seem to be making the gains they should anymore this simple explanation of how your body works will shed some light.

1. The fact is that the more muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate will be regardless of the activity. This is especially important as our body's burn the highest amount of calories from fat when we are sleeping. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn period.

2. Weight lifting is an anabolic activity which means that it builds your muscles. It makes more sense to expend your energy engaging on an activity that will yield the greater good, meaning it will cause your body's metabolism to increase long-term.

3. Cardio while it is a heart-strengthening activity is also catabolic which means it tears your muscle down especially if you do too much of it. The average person only needs three 20 minutes sessions of brisk walking or like activity to attain and maintain good heart health. So again, it's better to save the cardio as the tail end of a workout.

But you say that you love to do cardio and aren't especially fond of lifting weights. Unless you want to become a competitive bodybuilder, figure, or fitness athlete or fitness magazine cover model it won't much matter anyway. But if you find that you just aren't able to attain or maintain your fitness/fat loss goals then you can't say that you weren't informed. The weights will still be there when you decide to wander back to that area of the gym.

Source:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/rmr.htm