Ask Away Wednesday: What Comes First Cardio Or Strength Training?
By admin
Happy Wednesday! The half way mark of the week, hopefully it’s been smooth and low stressed so far. So far so good here, just getting organized and getting my head in the right place for this weekend.
Today is going to be my final run until Sunday (the half). Nothing crazy, just a 3-4 miler to help the legs stretch and help me to relax. Then the rest of the week I’ll do some foam rolling, yoga and light weight workouts. I know some people taper like crazy, but I am not going to elliminate exercise from my life all together for the rest of the week… and let’s face it, with boot camps, that’s close to impossible!
But enough about the race, let’s get down to business. Another week’s Ask Away Wednesday! Where I answer your questions, and if I don’t get to it, I will make sure to either do it next week or over on the Facebook page!
SO if you have a question, please feel free to ask away in the comments or just shoot me an email (Taylorryan0406@gmail.com). Deal? Deal!
Let’s jump right on it!
Q: At the gym, should I do cardio first, then weights? Or vice versa?
A: What a great question! At the start of a workout you can warm up by spending about 5 minutes on a cardio machine and then another 5 minutes doing body weight moves to prep your body for what it’s about to endure. But when it comes down to the actual workout, always start with strength training and end on cardio.
This is because you don’t want to tire your muscles out from running before you start doing your strength training. If you do that you won’t push yourself hard enough to get the results. But chances are that after a good strength workout you’ll have it in you to finish with 20-40 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical… just not the other way around.
Q: Can you suggestion something to help me lose my stomach also I walk 3 or 6 miles every other day and I am not seeing results. I am having problem with a diet so again can you suggestion something?
A: This all comes down to progression. It is likely that when you first started walking that you initially saw results. However, the body adapts to stress and if don’t over and over again, it looses it’s effectiveness. Exercise is stress to the body and it works to get used to the extra effort (the body doesn’t want to sweat and “burn” if it doesn’t have to). It seems to me that it’s time to up your workout intensity. For one, if you enjoy your walks, turn them into intervals. Run/jog for 60 seconds, walk for 60 seconds, etc. If you’re not adding strength training into your workout, this is the number 1 piece of advice I suggest. Strength training is super efficient at upping the metabolism and burning body fat. Combine that with your cardio and you will see results.
As for burning belly fat, you can’t pick and choose where to lose body fat from, that comes down to genetics and time. Some people start to see results first in their faces, some in their breasts, and others in their stomach. But with time and consistency the fat will come off from all zones.
Also remember diet, eating clean is 80% responsible for what you see in the mirror. Avoid processed foods, fried foods, and try to eat out as few times as possible if you can. I have some really easy to follow meal plans and workouts at Fit Women’s Weekly you might enjoy!
Q: Any tips on how to remember when to exhale and when to inhale when doing weights or crunches, etc? Thx!
A: Yes! Breath in during the relaxation phase of an exercise and out during the exertion. The best example is with a bicep curl… you would be breathing in while lowering the weight and out while lifting it up. For crunches, as the abs are contracting is the time you’ll breath out and while lowering back down is the breath in time.
Breathing during weight training is really important and getting it under control just might help you get a few more reps in at the end! I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to lift really heavy and realized I was holding my breath. When I breathed in/out I was able to life more than I thought possible!
Q: Is it okay to eat avocados and olives in the same meal? How many olives are a serving?
A: I am assuming this question is because avocados and olives are both fatty foods? It’s a great question and here’s what I think: go for it.
Fatty foods found naturally aren’t the same as eating let’s say fried chicken or other foods with lard, trans fats, heavy cream, etc.
Both of these foods are packed with heart healthy omegas and are great for you, research also shows that eating fatty natural foods can decrease risk of diabetes and help fertility. I don’t suggest eating a jar of olives or an entire avocado per sitting but in moderation, it’s fine. Would you avoid a salad that is topped with avocado with a drizzle of oil & vinegar? I would hope not. For the avocado stick with just 1/4 of the fruit and for olives, 5 green olives is a serving (big olives, and has only 25 calories); for smaller black olives 10-11 make a serving of around 40 calories. Eat up!
Because fats are slowly digested, they also keep you feeling full longer. Which will help cut back snack cravings and calories! In our house we eat both on a regular basis! Nom nom!
That concludes another Wednesday! I am off to finalize plans for our trip this weekend, get a few meetings done and plan some awesome workouts! Have a wonderful day!
- What questions are on your mind?
- Are you an avocado/olive eater?