Morning Mr Rothman
Welcome and thanks for participating.
Cardio after weights. The reason is you will deplete you glycogen levels / storage when doing cardio. Glycogen stores is basically the muscle fuel you need to push yourself to the max and to squeeze in that extra 2 - 3 reps.When you move on to Weights after that you'll need those glycogen levels to maintain good form, energy, extra reps and endurance, and to traumatize the muscle group you are targeting as far as possible etc. When you do cardio (most people do it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning) and you did not eat 30 -60 minutes before that, you have not kick-started your metabolism. Which means the energy you're burning on the treadmill or bike will most likely be lean mass and not fat.
But when you start with weight training, you'll have the extra energy and stamina to do that last 2 -3 reps in a set, and it is only really then where you feel the burn when your results start.
There is a more scientifically explanation which I'll search and post if you are interested.
The long and the short is to do weight training first, and cardio 2nd, either directly after weights or preferably in a later session that same day to spike your metabolism twice.
And eat before you train- at least 40 -60 minutes to ensure good absorption of your food and energy, and when you do push hard you won't experience nauseousness. This is soooo important. I always thought if you train on an empty stomach you'll burn fat for energy, but the truth is you will rather burn muscle and lean mass, as it is easier for the body to utilize these.
Fat deposits are made for survival and tough times..... we are programmed like that. And the last place you'll make a withdrawal (money and fat wise) is from your deposits / savings. It is suppose to keep you through the cold and other extreme weather conditions we used to endure thousands of years ago.
So you need to
activate your fat burning mode- and the easiest to do that is to mimic they way our predecessors lived and survived. Break down the muscle first (which can be compared with the hunt and the chase over mountains) and then cardio which will utilize your fat deposits for energy and "survival" which were stored for the maar jare
That is why we store and show fat first (stomach, bum, handles) and loose the fat last in those problem areas.
To strengthen your core the king of core exercises is definitely squats and 2nd deadlifts. If you do bent over rows(think that is what they call it) with a slight bend in the knees it will not only strengthen your back but your core and abdominal muscles as well.
Honestly in my opinion- cut back on the treadmill to 30 minutes but do your resistance training first.
Cardio will make you smaller but your shape will stay the same. If you look like a pear and you do cardio only you will look like a smaller pear.
When you do weight / resistance training you can target each area separately and work on your weak spots to bring everything in to balance.
And your edit is the cliche most guys and girls use or believe. "I don't want to be huge, just good looking and fit" I promise you the amount of time and effort we put in to gym will never get you HUGE. And the HUGE guys are really not that huge. It's all an illusion. They are huge for their frames. But the BBuilding competitions start in weight range from 50 -60 kg. 60 -70, which is where the most guys fit, 70 - 80, 80 - 90 and then the 90+ category but those guys usually don't tip the scales over 100kg. I'm sure you know who Jay Cutler is. He is the "biggest" and been world champ / Mr O four times. His pictures look like he is a 170kg beast, but his weight is 124kg.
I weighed 165kg a year ago before I started training again. My wife told me: Please don't get as big as these okes. I told her don't worry, for me to get that big I have to loose 65kg
Good luck and keep us posted