One Snarky Chica with Issues

As someone that is trying to be more fit and healthy I try to go to the gym as much as I can. For the times that I can’t make it to the gym I have some stuff at home to help me stay fit. I have a resistance band, some weights and some yoga and pilates DVDs.

So, I think it is pretty much common knowledge that you have to do both weights and cardio to get the maximum benefits of working out. You know, because weights build more muscle which burns more calories and so on. So, I suspect that a lot of us do the whole cardio and weights combo when we work out.

Have you ever wondered if it mattered what order you did them in though? Weights and then cardio, or cardio and then weights?

Personally, it never crossed my mind. But I think I have a little ADD, so go figure.

Well, apparently it does matter what order you do them in.

A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reports that the order in which you do your cardio and weight-lifting routines at the gym does make a difference. If you want to burn more calories you need to do the cardio part of your workout first, and then do the weights.

Of course, when you do this it is important to pay special attention to your body so that you do not lift more than you can handle. No one wants to get injured at the gym. I mean, it doesn’t make for a good story, right?

To make sure that you don’t injure yourself, start your weights session by focusing on the large muscle groups - like the quadriceps and hamstrings- and finish up with focus on the smaller muscle groups - like the calves, biceps, triceps and abdominals.