When it comes to combining strength training (weights) and cardiovascular exercises (cardio), one question often arises: which should come first? Should you lift weights first and then do cardio, or is it better to do cardio first and then lift weights? The answer may vary depending on your goals, but understanding the science behind this can help you decide what’s best for you.
In this article, we will explore the effects of performing weights before cardio, cardio before weights, and how both exercises complement each other for achieving a well-rounded fitness routine.
Understanding the Basics of Weights and Cardio
What Is Strength Training (Weights)?
Strength training, also known as resistance training or weight lifting, involves exercises that improve muscular strength and endurance. This is achieved by challenging the muscles with resistance (like free weights, machines, or bodyweight exercises), which helps in building muscle mass and improving bone density. It can include exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and bicep curls.
What Is Cardio?
Cardio (short for cardiovascular exercise) refers to any physical activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it elevated for a prolonged period. Examples include running, cycling, swimming, or using machines like treadmills or ellipticals. Cardio exercises are great for improving heart health, burning calories, and increasing endurance.
Weights Then Cardio: The Benefits
1. Maximizing Strength Gains
For those whose primary goal is to build muscle and strength, lifting weights first is often the better approach. When you lift weights at the beginning of your workout, you are at your freshest and strongest. This allows you to focus all your energy on lifting heavy and pushing your muscles to their limit. The heavier you lift, the more muscle you can build over time.
If you start with cardio, you might tire your body out, leaving you with less energy and strength for weight training. This can limit your potential to build muscle effectively.
2. Improved Workout Performance
Starting with weights can lead to better performance in your strength exercises. By doing cardio first, you deplete your energy stores (glycogen), which can negatively affect your performance when lifting weights. This means you may not be able to lift as much weight or perform as many reps.
With weights first, you give your body the best opportunity to perform at its highest capacity, potentially leading to better results in terms of strength and muscle mass.
3. Focus on Muscle Growth
If muscle growth is your main goal, lifting weights before cardio is likely your best option. When you engage in strength training, you create small tears in your muscle fibers. Your body needs to repair these tears, which is how muscle growth occurs. By doing cardio after weights, your body can focus on muscle recovery rather than burning through energy stores that could otherwise support muscle repair.
4. Fat Burning Post-Workout
Strength training depletes glycogen (your muscles’ primary energy source), which forces your body to tap into fat stores for energy during cardio. This means that doing weights first can help maximize fat burning during your cardio session afterward.
However, the intensity of your cardio is essential. If you do high-intensity cardio, your body will still burn fat for energy, but the overall calorie burn may be greater when done after strength training.
Cardio Then Weights: The Benefits
1. Improved Cardiovascular Health
For those whose primary goal is improving cardiovascular endurance and stamina, doing cardio first makes sense. By starting with cardio, you ensure that your heart and lungs are getting the focus they need to improve their capacity and efficiency.
When you are fresh and well-rested, you can push yourself further during cardio exercises, helping you to increase your endurance, lower your resting heart rate, and improve your overall cardiovascular fitness.
2. Higher Calorie Burn During Cardio
If fat loss is your main priority, performing cardio first may help you burn more calories at the beginning of your workout. Starting with an intense cardio session ensures that you are using up your glycogen stores, which could lead to a higher calorie burn overall.
When glycogen stores are depleted, your body will start burning fat for energy, and this can continue during your weightlifting session, even though the focus shifts to strength and muscle building.
3. Enhanced Fat Burning After Weight Training
Doing cardio after weights might not directly impact fat-burning as much as when cardio comes first. However, weightlifting can increase your metabolism, which can help you continue burning calories and fat for hours after your workout. Known as the “afterburn effect” or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), this effect occurs after intense workouts, where the body continues to burn calories at a higher rate as it recovers from the intensity.
4. Better Mental Focus for Cardio
Cardio can be mentally taxing, especially if you’re pushing yourself to run, cycle, or swim for extended periods. Starting with weights when you have more energy can help you avoid feeling mentally fatigued before starting cardio. This ensures that your cardio performance isn’t compromised by mental exhaustion from weightlifting.
Which Approach Is Right for You?
It Depends on Your Fitness Goals
Ultimately, whether you should do weights or cardio first depends on your primary fitness goals. Here’s a breakdown:
Muscle Building & Strength: If your main goal is to gain muscle and strength, do weights first. This allows you to lift heavier weights and perform better in your strength exercises, leading to better muscle growth.
Fat Loss: If fat loss is your primary goal, starting with cardio might be the better option, as it can help you burn more calories upfront. However, combining both weight training and cardio in a balanced workout routine will also be effective for fat loss.
Improved Cardiovascular Fitness: If cardiovascular health and endurance are your primary focus, then doing cardio first makes more sense. This allows you to fully focus on improving your heart and lung capacity.
Consider the Type of Cardio
The type of cardio you do can also play a role in determining whether you should do it before or after weights. For example:
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT is an intense form of cardio that combines short bursts of high-intensity activity with recovery periods. Doing HIIT after weights might allow you to push yourself harder during weightlifting, as you would have more energy for lifting heavy.
Low-Intensity Steady-State (LISS): If you’re doing low-intensity cardio (like walking or light cycling), it might be more beneficial to do it before weights, as it won’t overly tire you out.
Combining Weights and Cardio in One Routine
To get the most out of both worlds, many people opt for a balanced approach, combining strength training and cardio within the same workout routine. Here’s how you can structure it:
Split Sessions: If you’re training multiple times per week, you could separate your weight training and cardio sessions into different days. For example, do weights on one day and cardio on another.
Split Routine: You can also split the day itself, performing weights and cardio at different times. For example, do weightlifting in the morning and cardio later in the day, or vice versa.
Circuit Training: Combine both weights and cardio into a circuit training format, where you alternate between strength exercises and short bursts of cardio. This can keep your heart rate elevated throughout the session while still allowing for muscle-building.
Conclusion
The decision of whether to do weights before cardio or vice versa ultimately depends on your fitness goals. If muscle building and strength are your main priorities, then lifting weights first is the best option. On the other hand, if your focus is on cardiovascular fitness or fat loss, starting with cardio may be the better choice.
However, for most people, a balanced routine that incorporates both strength training and cardio is ideal. Whether you do them on separate days or combine them in a single workout session, the key is to stay consistent and prioritize your goals. No matter which approach you take, both weights and cardio will work together to help you achieve a healthier, stronger, and fitter body.
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