Cardio Before or After Weights? Breakdown to maximize your workouts
Introduction
Forms of exercise range between cardio and strength training (weight lifting) when it comes to structuring workouts, and the biggest debate that surrounds strength training is whether it should come before cardio or vice versa. Each of the two has specific advantages, and the timing of either workout may considerably determine your overall performance and results. In this guide, you find all the advantages and disadvantages, which will help one determine the best order for their personal fitness goals.
The Science behind Cardio and Strength Training
When contemplating which one should come first, it is important to understand the effects that each exercise has on the particular body:
Cardiovascular Exercise (cardio):
Cardio includes running, cycling, swimming, or HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to improve cardiovascular endurance, burn fat, and increase stamina during activities.
Strength Training (weights):
Weight lifting, resistance training, or any strength-building exercise focuses on building muscle, improving strength, and metabolism. It involves short bursts of intense exertion followed by periods of rest.
While both forms of exercise can overlap in the type of benefit they provide, they have different physiological effects on your body, such as energy stores, muscle recovery, and overall performance.
 |
| image credit: FREEPIK |
The Case for Doing Cardio Before Weights
1. If Your Goal Is Fat Loss
If your goal is primarily fat loss, then probably you would do cardio first. Start off with the cardio, which uses your body's glycogen stores (carbohydrates) and causes you to burn fat more effectively afterward while doing weights. As you finish the cardio and deplete glycogen stores, the body will turn more toward your fat stores for energy while you do the weights.
2. Improved Time for Endurance and Heart Health
Doing cardio first makes sure that your heart and lungs have adequate care while you are fresh. A good cardio session can elevate aerobic capacity and consequently improve overall fitness, heart health, and endurance.
3. Best suited for Hi-intensity Cardio
If having a high-intensity cardio session in your workout plan, you'd prefer to have it done first so you can go all out without boring muscles from strength training. When muscles start to become tired, delivering fast-paced cardio workouts becomes more difficult and more worn out, causing a higher risk of injury.
4. Because of a Shortage of Time
If you are time deficient yet feel it will probably be the most beneficial time spent in cardio, it would benefit you to have the cardio portion of the workout done when you are still peppy and fresh, preventing any lost quality through being overly tired from weights.
The case for lifting weights before cardio
1. If your goal is to build strength or muscle
Lifting weights takes a lot of energy and concentration because of the heavy lifts you push yourself to do. If using compound lifts, you cannot afford to have your muscles already fatigued (after cardio workouts) so that you can lift more weight and/or do more repetitions and have the very best out of your strength workout. This is indispensable for muscle mass and strength-building.
2. Maximize strength training performance
Cardio really tires you out, making energy stores, especially glycogen, depleted; this occurs just before working out with weights. By lifting weights first, you make sure that you have maximum strength and energy to perform at your peak. This is especially important if you’re focusing on progressive overload (gradually increasing weight) to improve strength.
3. Cardio Recovery After Lifting Weights
Another great way to recover is by doing cardio after lifting weights. Light to moderate cardio may help flush metabolic waste products from muscle activity, lessen soreness, and improve circulation through muscles after strength conditioning.
4. Prevention of injuries
Cardio before lifting will make your muscles tired and almost unresponsive, increasing the chances of not having the so-called 'good form' during the rest of weightlifting tasks. Lifting weights when your muscles are fresh helps reduce incident chances of strain or injury during weight lifting exercises.
How to personalize your workout
The best order of cardio as well as weights really depends on your personal fitness goal:
Fat loss: You may want to try cardio first to burn fat before resistance training, or you could save low-intensity steady-state (LISS) cardio for post-workout to attain optimal fat burn.
Muscle gain and strength: As an example, if people are training more for muscle gain, then, generally, the better exercise orders would be weight lifting first to allow maximum effort during exercise. After strength training, cardio can be added, but keep it moderate to prevent too much fatigue.
Balanced fitness: Alternate between cardio and weights on different days, or do both in the same day emphasizing the respective(goal) you wish to prioritize more for that workout.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
Cardio Before Weight:
Pros
- Excellent for fat loss
- Improves cardiovascular fitness
- Provides energy for hardcore cardio workouts
- Works quite well for time efficiency (if doing cardio)
Cons
- May decrease energy for lifting
-Limiting strength performance
-Less effective for becoming great muscle gaining
Weights Before Cardio:
Pro
- Maximizes muscle strength and growth
- Lifts performance through more strength
- Prevents fatigue while lifting
- Better recovery for muscle after lifting
Cons
- Cardio might prove harder after lifting weights
- Lifting fatigue may reduce intensity during cardio
- Could burn out if really too exhausted with both
Additional tips to maximize your workout
Intensity matters:
Whether you choose to do cardio before or after lifting weights, be mindful of the intensity of your workout. Overdoing cardio can hinder your strength training goals, while excessive strength training can lead to muscle fatigue, making cardio feel too hard.
Warm-up and cool-down:
Always include a proper warm-up before cardio or strength training. This prepares your body and prevents injury. Similarly, a cool-down period (e.g., light stretching or slow walking) after cardio and weight lifting is important for muscle recovery.
Nutrition is important:
Fill your body with the right nutrients before and after your workout. If doing cardio before lifting weights, eat a snack that includes carbs and protein to give you energy. After your workout, fuel up with a protein-rich meal to aid muscle recovery.
Whey Protein buying link is given below: (usa,canada,uk)
CLICK HERE
Whey Protein buying link is given below: (india)
CLICK HERE
Conclusion: Cardio before or After weights?
There is no proper answer to whether cardio before or after weights. It all depends on your fitness goals and how your body responds to each type of workout. If you want to lose fat, doing cardio first may be the best option. For those focused on building muscle and strength, lifting weights before cardio will yield better results. Ultimately, experiment with both approaches and see which order works best for you.
.png)
0 Comments