In the realm of fitness, the conundrum of doing cardio before or after strength training has been around for a long time. Some exercise enthusiasts quickly throw in cardio to get them out of the way, while others prioritize strength training when their energy levels are at their peak. So, how do you decide the order of your workout routine?
Decide the Order of Cardio and Strength Training
Based on common fitness goals, here’s how to determine whether to do cardio before or after weights:
- Do you pursue resistance? Do cardio at first weights
- Discover fat loss and weight reduction? Opt for cardio later weights
- Want to gain strength? Do cardio later weights
- On upper body strength training days, you can do it be first
- On lower body strength training days, do cardio later weights
- If your overall goal is fitness, start with what you as less.
Now that we’ve covered the basic tips, let’s explore the details on combining cardio and weight training for maximum benefits.
Frequency of Cardio and Weight Training
“The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week, and strength training at least twice per week” . However, distribution depends on individual goals and schedule.
Personally, I recommend adding an extra day of strength training, as twice a week isn’t really going to get you to your goals very quickly. However, weight training three times a week is a very effective strategy for building that muscle mass and burning body fat. For cardio, depending on your energy levels, low-intensity exercises can be done every day. Higher intensity exercises should be seen with caution, especially if you are just starting out, and you have to give yourself plenty of rest afterwards to encourage muscle repair and growth.
To give you an idea, your weekly schedule could look like this:
- Weight training: 2-4 times a week
- Low intensity cardio: 5-7 times a week
- Moderate intensity cardio: 3-4 times a week
- High Intensity Cardio: 1-3 times a week
The length of your cardio sessions also depends on your fitness goals. For example, if you want to improve strength, your cardio should be limited to warm-up sessions of 10-15 minutes. However, if your goal revolves around fitness and overall health, there is no real limit except for physical and scheduling limitations.
Can Cardio and Weights be done on the same day?
Traditional training guides suggest alternating workouts – cardio one day, followed by weight training the next, or vice versa. However, there is no reason why both cannot be done in the same training session, or be divided into two sessions on the same day.
High-intensity exercises that combine strength and cardiovascular training, provide results in less time without any negative physiological effects, according to a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
If you decide to do two separate training sessions in one day, we recommend leaving an eight-hour recovery period between high-intensity cardio and weight lifting. This is because the body does not adapt physiologically (that is, it becomes stronger, faster, develops more endurance) until after a workout, so insisting continuously with the exercise can prevent your progress.
Combining Cardio and Weight Training Based on Fitness Goals
For strength… Do Cardio after weight training
The logic behind this is simple. Lifting heavy weights requires a lot of physical and mental energy. Therefore, it is essential to focus on lifting correctly to avoid injury.
“The best type of cardio to combine with weight training is low-intensity cardio.”
This opinion is also supported by science. Research shows that when participants ran or cycled before strength training, they were able to do fewer repetitions compared to those who were forced only. Another study found that muscle power decreased when lifting weights after running on a treadmill, while the heart rate and the rate of perceived exercise increased significantly.
For weight loss… Do Cardio after weights
A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that doing cardio after weight training burns more fat during the first 15 minutes of cardio training than starting with cardio and then lifting.
In addition, resistance training was found to be more likely to reduce a type of heart fat linked to cardiovascular disease than aerobic exercise, according to a 2019 JAMA Cardiology study.
Key term: EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, refers to the calories your body burns to help you recover from your workout. Anaerobic exercises, which use fast-twitch muscles, are best at stimulating EPOC.
To improve cardiovascular endurance… Do Cardio Before Weights
If you are training for a race, doing weights before cardio could decrease your endurance. A study published in the journal Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism found that participants showed greater running impairment when they performed strength training before running, compared to the group that ran first.
So weights before cardio or cardio before weights? The background.
Strength training and cardio should be part of your training routine, and you can do both in one session. Your fitness goals will help you decide whether to do cardio before or after weights, and as long as you follow the advice in this article, you should hit your goals in no time with little risk of injury. Always listen to your body if you go hard and experience pain, make sure to stop and rest, and if you can then we highly recommend that you have a personal trainer involved who can help educate you on the best practices for any goals. you can have