Weights or Endurance First? Science says...

I am substantially weaker if I run before squats and deads.....upper body lifts don't seem to be effected much. I suppose it could be all in my head.

No, Science is VERY clear that it does matter when we talk about cardio and lifting in the same timeframe.

If you deplete glycogen stores during continuous workout, the tail end of the workout suffers.

That could be an endurance race like a marathon or something as simple as an hour on weights and and hour on cardio with a diet that is glucose poor or simply depleating glycogen without anything in your system to bump it back up.

Now, you can grab something glucose/sugar rich and be almost back up to 100% in as little as 10 minutes. The fatigue is there and you are an idiot if you think running 8 miles then trying to squat wont effect your lifts, but your glycogen wont be the major culprit in that scenario.

So why on earth would you deplete glycogen and fatigue muscle on lift days when you don't have to?

I'm sorry, but the article doesn't address the actual question most folks have. "Do I do cardio before weights on the SAME trip to the gym?"

The answer is a resounding no.

"Can I do cardio earlier in the day, have a meal, and come back and lift?" Of course. No one has ever said that's an issue. Even the dumbest high school lineman coach has no problem running your ass into the ground during PE and then having you lift later that day. Why? There is a meal and a bit of rest between trips.

I love articles that answer questions no one asks and passes it as science.

Im sure there are studies that contradict this idea. Maybe after my final I will try and find one.
Also, this failed to measure performance which is where I beleive most of the below link came from. But it is another peice of the knowledge puzzle.
Here is just a brief overview of an idea that is scientifically backed.
http://articles.elitefts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Compatibility.jpg

Yeah, caveats apply - untrained athletes, same day but not same session workouts, etc.

I was going to post something similar to this as a question> For awhile now I go out for a bike ride, come back and do a routine of bench, squats and deads. Sometimes I feel like Im gonna fall over after the squats and the deads. Would it make awhole lot more sense to put off the weights until several hours after the bike ride?

Or do them first

Yep.


Im my experience a hard cardio session followed by lifting will have a severe impact on my lifting session.

A hard lifting session followed by cardio will still impact it- but not as much. Separated by a few hours would help too, but for me I usually just lift first then go about my other workout.
YMMV, but that works for me.

Yeah Ill see what I can do here to switch it up abit. I thought I was just getting old and weak trying to do the lifts after a big ride. I am glad you have all provided me an excuse to account for my girly lifting abilities

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