When to do weight training?

Before or after cardio? Some sources say you must do it before, while others insist that you do it after. I'm confused. What's the logic behind this??

You want to do your weight training FIRST for a few reasons.

The first is that you want to make sure you have all your energy to put into your lifting. If you do cardio first, you can get tired and not be able to put everything into lifting. The second is that your body is in a better fat burning mode after lifting because your glycogen stores have been depleted. This means that your body is more likely to turn to fat instead of muscle. Be warned though, if you do cardio for more than 20-30 minutes your body will start to learn towards muscle. You are also supposed to get your post workout shake/nutrition in within 30-60 minutes of finishing your lifting.

That is why a lot of people (me included) recommend doing cardio on non-lifting days. The best type of cardio is HIIT.

I agree with the above post, After!

My personal trainer told me the same thing, that the glycogen stores are depleted after lifting and once you do cardio it will then burn the fat!

i've found that, aside from the above logical explanation of lifting first, i HAVE to do mine first simply because after cardio, i'm worn out and have little to no motivation to lift weights for 10 mins, let alone 20-30! i'd much rather go back home after my cardio LOL!

You want to do some light cardio before to warm up your muscles. If you lift in the morning you want to warm up a little longer than in the afternoon. I usually run for 15 to 20 minutes on a low setting. I do my harder runs on the days I don't lift. Hope that helps.

Light cardio is good for warming up your muscles and I often do it.

But I think I've also heard that it's better to do a gentler version of what your actual workout as part of your warmup. 

So for instance, if you are starting out with weighted squats, you could warm up by doing some body weight squats, and/or some with relatively light weights.

I typically warm up by doing some mobility stuff (inch worm, etc), and dynamic stretches, then I practice my first lifts by doing them without weight or just the bar or 20lb lighter, depending on the exercise.

Original Post by karozel:

But I think I've also heard that it's better to do a gentler version of what your actual workout as part of your warmup. 

This! 

Have you ever seen someone warm up for a swim by going for a jog? or warm up for a run by going swimming?  If those don't make sense why do people insist on warming up for lifting on a treadmill/eliptical/bike/etc?

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by karozel:

But I think I've also heard that it's better to do a gentler version of what your actual workout as part of your warmup. 

This! 

Have you ever seen someone warm up for a swim by going for a jog? or warm up for a run by going swimming?  If those don't make sense why do people insist on warming up for lifting on a treadmill/eliptical/bike/etc?

Yeah it's definitely good to do a gentler version too. But when I wake up in the morning I need to run a little or ride a bike for 15 minutes to get blood flowing before I lift. If you are lifting later in the day after moving around for a while you can probably skip the cardio "warm up" and just start with lighter version of whatever you are lifting. I also agree with amethystgirl that some mobility stuff is good too.

Thank you, floggingsully for your hilarious sarcasm