There is a lot of personal opinion when it comes to this question.  It ultimately comes down to personal preference as well as your specific goal for doing the exercise.  You are more likely going to stick with a workout routine where you don’t feel completely exhausted trying to get through it, so if you feel more energy when completing your cardio than when completing your strength training then do the cardio first and use the extra energy for your strength session and vice versa. If you are training for a specific cause then follow these basic guidelines.

Endurance training/marathon training:

Do your cardiovascular exercise first; you need your energy stores to complete an endurance workout on the treadmill, out door running, elliptical, etc… If you do your strength training first you will use up the stored glycogen and will fatigue faster during your cardio session witch will cut down your session time. For those runners that are training for the Great Wall Marathon in China, it will take hours and hours of practice runs and all the energy possible for each one!

Strength Training:

If you are trying to build muscle mass or build strength you should do your weight lifting and strength training first.  It is just the opposite of endurance training you will want to save your energy for the heavy lifting not only to complete all your reps but you are putting yourself at risk of injury if you are energy depleted when you are working with weight baring exercise equipment.

Just going to the gym to stay fit:

It depends on you.  Go with what feels right, in my opinion there is no right answer.  If you finish your cardiovascular exercise and still feel like you have enough energy to finish some strength training then start with cardio.  If you feel strong and energized after finishing your strength training then do your cardiovascular exercise afterwards. There have been many people who do both that are in great shape!

Weight loss:

I would go with cardiovascular exercise first only because you are looking to burn calories first and foremost, if you start with strength training your are focusing on building muscle mass first, which often burns more calories than cardio in a shorter period of time but to lose weight you will have to complete longer fat burning exercises and that is going to come from a long endurance workout on cardio equipment.  The best idea is to look at the last blog entry and watch what you eat for weight loss and look at the exercise as supplementing the weight loss

Ultimately choose what is best for you, do what you enjoy.  If you are not having fun, feel tired all the time, and find it tough to finish your workout then switch things up and try reversing your workouts until you find what works.  The goal is to enjoy going to the gym which will create a healthy lifestyle and allow you to maintain healthy workouts for life!

Thanks,
Cami Pipkin
Humaninmotion.com.cn