Break a sweat w/ cardio before workout?

[smu2]

Hey all,

Before a lifting session, do you think it's wise to break a sweat on the treadmill or do some 5 minute sprint or so to warm your body up? Do you this could prevent joint and ligament injury?

Thanks,

~Scott

[laura817]

Scott -- I believe to maximize your exercise; you might start resistance training first with a full tank of glycogen. It is only when your glycogen stores are at its lowest, will a 5 minute sprint be most effective for fat burning mode.

[Cort]

Take it easy...5 minutes jog, nothing hard, nothing that makes you really break a huge sweat...just a warm-up. You can easily do your warm-up with weights instead doing 1-3 light weight sets before going into something heavier.

[trHawT]

I would not recommend cardio after a workout. You'd be burning lactic acid instead of fat.

[2Scoops]

Originally Posted by smu2

Before a lifting session, do you think it's wise to break a sweat on the treadmill or do some 5 minute sprint or so to warm your body up? Do you this could prevent joint and ligament injury?

Smu2
You can include a 5 min EASY jog like Cort advised as a general warm-up but it's not completely necessary for weight lifting.

A specific warm-up should consist of warm-up sets - the exact make-up will depend on the session intended.

Laura817
The glycogen loss from 5 min of a warm-up would be quite small - nothing to worry about. A 'sprint' will not directly use any fat.

trHawT
Using lactic acid as a fuel is perfectly fine - it clears it from the tissues and you will still be getting a significant amount of energy from fat, depending on the intensity of the exercise.

[dirojon]

So, what are your thoughts on circuit training, where you lift weights and do cardio at the same time for a min of 30 minutes. (Curves / Fit 2 Go)?

[2Scoops]

The quality of circuit training can vary dramatically.

Also, depending on what you're training for, e.g. weight-loss/hypertrophy/athletic performance, circuit training can mean completely different types of classes.

In general though, the type you described (Curves/Fit 2 Go) is better than nothing, can be fun (which is always good!) and has a social element if you bring your friends, which can all help in exercise adherence. It's a great beginning. However, as you advance, you will need more well thought out classes and better training.

WARNING: I heard that Curves especially uses some god-awful weight training equipment - Cursor knows more than me about it - try a seach for a thread on curves - I remember he posted in it.