Strength training before or after aerobic exercise?

Hi,

I'm looking to add some strength training into my exercise per week. I go kickboxing 3 days a week for an hour. The kickboxing gym has their own weights there, my question is... do i use the weights before or after my kickboxing session?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Generally, I do a warm up before I lift weights. I'm not a fitness buff, though, so don't take my word as law. :D

Are you doing kickboxing as a sport or cardio-kickboxing?

It is as a sport, not sure I'm quite up to that speed yet - but yeah, sport :)

I'd lift on days off from kickboxing them.  If you lift before you'll be wiped out and won't be able to focus on kickboxing technique, if you lift after you're weightlifting technique will likely be compromosed and your glycogen stores will be depleted so you'll also have less energy for the weights.

If lifting on off days isn't an option, then you should decide if you short term goals are improving strength or improving technique and start with that one.

I hit the bag after workouts regularly. My muscles tend to feel more loose and relaxed after pushing weight, so it's the perfect time to strike the bag. If you're really beating up that bag, you're also gonna break quite a sweat, which another reason I do the bag work last. Who wants to work out soaked in sweat and feeling funky.....

Definitly do weights first then cardio.  After I lift weights and start cardio I'm already warmed up and my muscles aren't sore or tired, which they'd probably be if I tried to do cardio 1st.

You can always do a little weight training after a good warm up. I would hit the weights after a warm up, and then go into kick boxing. No more than 15mins, because you are going to get one hell of a workout on that bag anyway. My main worry would be injury. I would ask someone who trains people at the gym. I'm always doing cardio before I lift weights. You will find away to work it in. Weight training is pretty good when you work it in. You can even work it in on your off days.

G/L :)

Well from what i have read you usually want to do weight training first,before cardio.Weight training will deplete your musles of glycogen,when you do your cardio after weight training your body will burn fat reserves since your muscles are depleted of glycogen(fuel).Or just weight train on your days off!! 

Having reread all these replies, I think I'll be making a switch! My warm-ups are generally only about 5 minutes, but now I'll stick to stretching before and cooldowns after. x:

Oooooh goodness! Being told different things! I got no idea what to do now! If I were to weight train, how often should I go? With kckboxing into consideration?

Thank you for everyones replies! :)

 The completely true and somewhat unhelpful answer is that like everything else in fitness it depends on your training goals.

 It's mostly about localized fatigue management - I can't find it now but there was an interesting study in the journal of strength and conditioning research comparing performance with pre-and post-lifting cardio, and intensity.

 If you were going to strength train legs you'd better not be doing any high-impact running or biking beforehand or your performance suffers. If you're going to do mostly upper-body strength training you don't have to manage impact as localised fatigue in your legs will not impact your upper-body performance much.

 General systemic fatigue also matters though, so the usual checklist for your training is place the fitness dimension you're most interested in training for first in the workout - if you're doing strength training as an aide to performing better in kickboxing, you'd strength train afterwards.

 However, for overall best performance you'd do well to use Sully's schema of strength training and kickboxing on separate days if that's at all an option. Separate cardio and strength days allows you to train for maximum effect in each area. When that's not an option, use the "do the highest-priority exercise first".

 Anyway - since you're doing it to aid your kickboxing performance you'd probably be better off doing it after your kicboxing training, even if it's less than ideal from a performance standpoint.

I would concur with melkor .... Seems like main focus is Kickboxing and cardio so do that first.  If main goal was build muscle then weights first would make sense.

I am training for Marathon and on Cross train days I will hit Elliptical/Stepper, etc. first and then full body circuit train on the weights.  That way your HR is up from Cardio and if you keep moving on the weights you will maintain HR to carry over some of the Cardio while weight training.  For Fat burn 60 - 70% HR is ideal and if you have it up in 70 - 80 % range from cardio the circuit training should maintain at the lower level to continue burning fat.

This should give you some muscle tone and not necessarily add a lot of muscle mass.  I would just finish cardio/kick boxing and hit the weights iwith low weight/high reps (12 - 16) with little rest between exercises.

in the end ... do what feels/works best for you as you see a lot of opinions.  Heck try a day or two each way and see!

 

 

Thank you for all responses. Much appreciated.