Should you start with cardio or lift weights first? The best way to structure your workout, according to an expert
When designing your exercise program, factors like age, fitness level, and exercise goals need to be considered. Studies show that doing both cardio and resistance training in the same session has numerous health benefits. However, the order of these exercises may depend on your specific goals. For overall health and general fitness, the order may not matter much. But for performance-oriented athletes, it may be more beneficial to prioritize resistance training first. Researchers are still studying the optimal order for the best performance effects.
Benefits of exercise
Aerobic exercise, which includes activities like walking, running, swimming, and cycling, improves cardiorespiratory function and reduces chronic disease risk factors.
Resistance training, such as lifting weights or using weight machines, enhances muscular strength, endurance, and power.
Both forms of exercise have significant health-related benefits, but combining them in the same session can lower cardiovascular and metabolic risks.
Training for health benefits
Concurrent training, which involves combining both cardio and resistance exercises, leads to similar improvements in aerobic capacity and muscular strength regardless of the order of exercises.
This type of training is beneficial for a wide range of individuals, including those who are inactive, recreationally active, young, or older.
Resistance exercise done before aerobic exercise can slightly increase lower-body muscular strength without compromising other health-related fitness improvements.
Training with performance goals in mind
Concurrent training may slightly inhibit improvement in aerobic capacity and hinder gains in muscular strength, power development, and muscle growth, especially in well-trained athletes.
The interference effect, caused by competing influences at a molecular level, becomes more pronounced with high volumes of both aerobic and resistance exercise.
For high-level athletes, it's advisable to prioritize resistance exercise first or focus on the exercise type that is most important for their performance goals. Additionally, allowing at least three hours of recovery time between resistance and aerobic training sessions is recommended.
Don't sweat the order
A study on microcycles of aerobic and resistance exercise found that incorporating shorter bursts of both modalities together resulted in similar gains in aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and lean muscle mass.
For most people, the order of exercise should be based on personal preference and what keeps them motivated to continue working out.
High-level athletes can avoid significant interference effects by either prioritizing resistance exercise or scheduling separate resistance and aerobic workouts within a day.
