Cardio, then Lifting OR Lifting, then Cardio?

[DudeMan]

Originally Posted by obominable snowman

Sure, but that is part of it. Which is why I actually think there will benefits and weaknesses from using either approach which is why I actually think the best solution is to alternate and not routinely do it the same all the time.

Disagree. Your high weight in a depleted state may be lower than a non-depleted state, but I actually think it will be MORE effective. I understand why you don't want to lift less though, it makes you feel wimpy and less macho.

at the bold part

your muscles will get bigger from the method you describe (lifting while in depleted state). this is known as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. your body will adjust by storing extra nutrients (water, glycogen, etc) into the muscle cells. there is a lifting philosophy known as "cumulative fatigue method" that utilizes this type of muscle growth.

however, your muscles won't get any stronger (unless you're a n00b). in order to get stronger, you need to increase the amount of contractile protein in the muscles. this is known as myofibrillar hypertrophy. some refer to this as "real muscle growth" as it is relatively permanent relative to sarcoplasmic. the only way to accomplish this is via heavy weight/low reps