Should You Do Cardio Before Or After Weights?

If you don’t have particular fitness goals and want to improve your fitness level, it's important to balance aerobic exercise and strength training so you don't overload the same muscles and tendons.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, concentrating on the same muscle fibers throughout back-to-back intense cardio and strength training does not allow for appropriate recovery [1].

I used to find myself exhausted and performing poorly when combining cardio and resistance training and sometimes ended up with torn muscles.

You should always keep in mind the type of workout you are performing, for instance, intense weight lifting, before you decide whether to do cardio or weights first.

"Endless cardio will not help you grow muscle if you have a strength workout objective."

- Christine Torde, Certified Fitness Trainer & Coach

You can do cardio and weight training on the same day or session, but perform low-intensity cardio to avoid injuries.

If you're preparing for a long-distance endurance race, like a triathlon, you should prioritize your aerobic workouts and concentrate on them before hitting the weights.

And if you're not aiming for a particular cardio objective, fitting in some aerobic before strength exercises can be useful — especially as a warm-up.

Doing 10 minutes of gentle, steady state cardio before any significant exertion or exercise prepares the body for a workout session or performance.

I tend to keep it low-intensity whenever I have a particular strength-related objective, like deadlifting a precise weight range or mastering a certain form.

I avoid HIIT exercise and go for steady state cardio to reduce the chance of tiredness interfering with my strength training.

A 2013 research from The Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that when athletes conducted a low-intensity warm-up for 15 minutes, they were capable of lifting more load in a 1-rep maximum exercise on the leg hydraulic press compared to those who did not warm-up, warmed for 5 minutes, or warmed for a certain length of time [2].

Lifting weights should come first if you want to develop your endurance, lift heavier, or gain muscle.

In my experience, wrapping up my gym session with some aerobic activity, like a steady bike ride, helps me cool down and ensures I don't overexert my body.

You'll be able to execute more repetitions with perfection while feeling less exhausted, which is vital for safe and effective resistance training.

Cardio exercise following strength training may provide an added advantage.

Muscle tissue stores glycogen, which is used to power muscle contractions.

Weight training is an anaerobic activity consisting of brief periods of high-intensity exertion powered by glucose rather than oxygen.

Low-intensity cardio (driven by oxygen intake) is the greatest way to combine cardio and weight lifting in the same workout session.

Swimming, using treadmill machines, rowing, walking, running, or cycling are all forms of low-intensity aerobic activities.

It's critical to offer your body diversity; sticking to the same cardio and strength training routine can lead to muscle and joint weariness and overuse disorders.

Personally, when I start with weightlifting, I feel more energized and can push harder in my sets, which is crucial for my muscle-building goals.

You may hit your sets and reps with greater force and intensity than if you had previously done a run, kickboxing, or HIIT session.

This is essential if muscle gain is your primary aim.

After you've completed all of the hard lifts, you may finish your exercise with a light cardio session, such as a slow jog or an aerobic-based cooldown.