right now I am waking up, heading straight to the gym for about 60 minutes of cardio, then 60-90 minutes of weight training, straight home for my post workout meal. I have read that weights first is ideal, but I don't want to eat after the weights then do an hour of cardio, also I generally feel unmotivated to do an hour of cardio after a good weights session!

Just interested in what the general population feels is a Higher priority here, doing weights first so that I have more energy for them, waiting up to 2 hours before I get my protein at home (dont want to be eating/drinking in between these sessions, but if strongly recommended I'll drink protein/water after the weights).

OR by doing cardio first, then weights I can get home in 10 minutes and have my protein immediately...

Any other tips to optimize this type of workout regiment would also be appreciated!

thanks

Try high intensity interval training for cardio only 20 to 25 minutes and less boring, with better results for fat loss and a better athletic body look.

My general advice would be to ask yourself what is more important to you.

What are your goals?

What type of training is going to help you more get there? Traditional steroid user bodybuilding type of training, natural bodybuilding type of training of training, fat loss type of training or weight loss type of training?

Fat los training is not the same as weight loss training.

In weight loss training you lose weight but some of it is fat, muscle, and water. Consist of lots and lots of slow steady state cardio and very minimal strength training which doesn't do much because is low intensity, you know the low weight/high rep crap people do as an excuse to not work hard. What makes you lose weight is the calories you burn, but your body becomes efficient in keeping fat stored for energy and this is why most people look skinny fat. The effect on your metabolism last the same amount of time that you exercise, 1 hour = 1 hour of an increase metabolism. Not much of a change in your metabolism unless you do 12 hours of exercise.

In fat loss training you end up with a lower body fat %, the weight you lose depends on how much you really need to lose and a higher % of the weight loss is fat and water, not muscle because the strength training part of the training helps you keep and most of the time gain some muscle. The training is high intensity and work big muscles with heavy loads and short time. What makes you lose fat is the effect on your metabolism and the ability of your body to use glycogen and then fat storage for recovery. This effect last for up to 38 hours for a 45 minute high intensity weight training with a 20 minute high intensity interval.

The problem is that most studies on high intensity training have been made in Japan, Australia, Canada and England because in the USA the research organizations are scared of making people work hard if they are over weight. They leave hard work for athletes because they don't sue.


Fat Loss Workouts

I'm still working on building up my cardio stamina but find if I do cardio first I don't have enough in the tank for the weightlifting.

I love how 'professionals' this day and age make it an either/or proposition.



Not necessarily.

Too much high intensity stuff in combination with a dieting female looking to shed the last few lbs for example, could lead to "weight loss" just as easily as someone doing a bunch of steady state, lower intensity stuff.

It's always context dependent.

In certain contexts this is optimal.

So by this statement, you're saying metabolic adaptations lead to the skinny fat look?

So it has nothing to do with being hypocaloric?

Try a circuit workout. This will give you a high intensity workout to maximize body fat loss. The 8 week circuit workout from flexdec.com is wonderful. I am on the 2nd week and have lost 4 lbs. of fat. Can't wait to stack it with their strength training workout after.

wow, my question is how do you manage to work out for 2 1/2 hours before your first meal. Especially weights, i used to do cardio first thing in the morning and after about 45 min I was starving. That and if i did weights on an empty stomach i was my strength and stamina go down.
I am not a trainer but I had the best results when I did 2 a days.

Cardio first thing in the morning (before breakfast)
then weight training after work.

Again I am no professional but this worked really well for me, and I had enough energy to do both workouts. That 8 hour break in between (aka. Work) really helped me bring my A game to both types of workouts.

i always start with a little stretching before do the weight training..after that, i do my interval cardio training to lose weight. it works!

no doubt, but either way...

Doing about 45min weights then 20min HIIT worked well for me. Personally, i would do this 1 hr after a meal.

so much wrong info there

so your doing 120 to 150mins of training without any fuel,your asking for muscle loss.