I'm starting week 3 of my program. When I get to the gym if a tread mill is open I run for 10 Min. before my work out. Is it ok to run after for another 10? When is it best to do cardio?

ps I'm 31 and have always wanted to do this. Your program has given me the confidence to go the gym and not look completely lost! I'm hooked for life, thank you!

Thank you for your question and for enjoying the workouts! The question of when you should do your cardio depends on your goals. Obviously, if you are really into cardio training you should do this first when you have the most energy to put into it! But, most people who are all-around fitness enthusiasts will do the weight training first. This is because lifting weights is generally more intense and each workout is actually like completing a bunch of “mini goals” as I like to call them. There is a process of completion in a weight training workout from the first rep of the first exercise to the last rep of the last exercise. And, as much as I and other people love cardiovascular training it is more of a “puttin’ in your time” sort of thing. ? But again, it depends on what is important to you!

One other thing, for overall health it is fine to split your total cardio time up with, in your case, half of it before lifting and half of it after. Or, you could even do half in the morning and half in the evening. Or a third after breakfast, a third after lunch, and a third after dinner. I know this sounds a little crazy because everybody always says you need at least 20 minutes to really get into your cardio zone and to start burning fat and everything but, there is actually research to back this up. It is just as much about the total amount of work done throughout the day as how much is done at any one setting when your talking about cardio health.