Current Events > Stretch vs Cardio vs Strength

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Got one year to get in shape. Starting slow with stretches because 1) I'm lazy and 2) injury prevention
Then

Poll is pretty much in order

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1. Stretch
2. Strength
3. Cardio

4demgainz

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Depends what your goals are exactly, but most folks do cardio after lifting. Doing it beforehand saps your energy so you cant lift as much. Cardio isn't as effected as much by lifting. You just add more time if you feel you aren't exerting yourself enough.

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Stretch
Strength
Cardio

In that order. Then again, I don't know much about fitness, I only know that if you lift weights you burn fat faster than if you were doing cardio, that said, you won't have as great stamina as if you did a lot of cardio.

you don't need to do cardio if your lifting routine is intense enough. You also shouldn't be stretching cold muscles. Warming up > Stretching

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squarion posted...

Poll is pretty much in order

Yeah this is the basic p.e. routine.

SquantoZ posted...

1. Stretch
2. Strength
3. Cardio

4demgainz

Jiek_Fafn posted...

Depends what your goals are exactly, but most folks do cardio after lifting. Doing it beforehand saps your energy so you cant lift as much. Cardio isn't as effected as much by lifting. You just add more time if you feel you aren't exerting yourself enough.

Maybe I'll do this. Goal is lose weight, gain muscle, and general fitness.

IIRC isn't stretching best left at the end of a workout? Otherwise you get sore and stiff the next day?

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I stretch by doing my warm up lifts. Your first set should be about 50-70% of your working weight, then you do your normal sets/reps. Worlds better than "5 minutes on the treadmill before"

Usually cardio afterwards because if you're fatigued while lifting heavy that puts you at safety risk. Cardio while fatigued from lifting is a much better scenario.

But that mostly depends on your goals. "to get in shape." is a vague term. Give me some numbers, bro! Trying to lose weight? How much? Either total lbs or goal BF%. Need to have a good 1 mile time for some certification exam? You can hone your practices towards that! Lower blood pressure, visible abs, the ability to wear a tank top in public and be positively judged?

Give us a metric that can be tracked month by month as you become a better version of yourself.

Ryven posted...

IIRC isn't stretching best left at the end of a workout? Otherwise you get sore and stiff the next day?

Cooldown stretching does help, but the usual prevention tool for DOMS is to just regularly exercise in the first place; you get super sore when you exercise for the first time in a long period, but once it's a habit you'll barely feel it the next day even though you're going just as hard.
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SquantoZ posted...

1. Stretch
2. Strength
3. Cardio

4demgainz

This.

Stretch should be a pretty short time frame though. Unless you have chronic pain or disabiloty that needs to be rehab'd, 2 to 4 weeks of diligent full body stretching will make most healthy adults limber enough for vigorous exercise. Then I'd recommend strength to develop your skeletal system for a couple months to better support your joints when doing cardio exercises. That's if you have any concerns about your health regarding stuff like joint pain or muscle strain. Otherwise you can jump right into light or moderate cardio if you have the energy for it.

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Here's what I'll do

Stretch/warm-up
Strength
Cardio
Stretch/cool down