When it comes to gym debates, there is not much more common than whether it's best to do cardio before or after exercise. The truth is it depends on your primary objective (fat loss, muscle building, or overall fitness) because that determines what amount of energy and strength you will have for each of the training methods. This article explains why you should perform cardio before or after the weight training session and when doing cardio post workout is most appropriate, plus how to determine the best time for cardio depending on the goal you are seeking.
Cardio Before or After Workout?
If your objective is building muscle and strength, it's normally more advantageous to do cardio after workout, as it will not over tax your muscles and impact your lifting. If you don't have a strength goal, it is not as critical when you do cardio before or after exercises, but consistency is more important.
Cardio Before or After Workout: What Does the Research Say?
Most studies on cardio before or after exercise for those looking for strength or muscle building suggest that it's best to do cardio after working out, leaving more energy for strength training. If you prioritize cardio, you will have depleted part of your body's glycogen reserves and also lessened your neuromuscular preparedness, which may affect your ability to lift weight or perform reps. This effect is more pronounced for compound lower body exercises such as squats and deadlifts than it is for upper body exercises, as the legs tend to get tired easier when doing cardio.
However, it is not always true that cardio should be performed before or after exercising. If building cardio endurance is your primary goal and not building strength, then it may be beneficial to do the cardio portion of your workouts when you are fresh, and then the strength portion when you are exhausted. In the end, it depends on the type of workout you are doing today whether you do cardio before or after.
Cardio Before or After Weights: Does Order Matter for Strength?
Cardio before or after strength training matters more for a strength trainer or a muscle builder than simply a preference. Cardio before weights or heavy lifting after cardio can have a tangible impact on strength production, particularly for lower body exercises such as squats and deadlifts.
If you have to do both cardio and weights in the same session, most strength coaches recommend doing weights first, cardio after. For serious lifters, if cardio and weights are separated, it eliminates the interference effect altogether, which may be a consideration for those who prefer to do cardio before or after weights and are afraid that it would be detrimental to their strength numbers.
Cardio After Workout: Benefits for Fat Loss
There are some practical benefits to doing Cardio after exercise, especially regarding weight loss. Resistance training lowers some glycogen stores, which could cause the body to burn more fat during the cardio session.
Cardio after workout is also a benefit because you don't have to deal with fatigues from before before starting lifting, and vice versa, resistance training isn't hindered by fatigue. For most people, who are trying to lose fat while performing strength training and cardio exercises, the most convenient option is to perform cardio exercise after strength training, unless they have limited time and are unable to fit both types of exercise in the same day. Finally, it should be noted that the amount of fat actually being lost is negligible, when compared to the overall weekly calorie deficit – timing has no major influence and will not compensate for lack of consistency in training or poor nutrition.
Cardio Before Gym: When It Makes Sense
Although it is generally recommended to do cardio after workout, there are instances in which it is beneficial to engage in cardio before exercise at the gym. Cardio before gym is a good idea for:
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Warming up the body with 5-10 minutes of light cardio prior to lifting, which is not a full cardio workout.
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Individuals who want to build overall fitness, rather than strength or muscle size
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Highly time-challenged schedules, in which the only way to get in both the cardio and the gym workout is to do the cardio first, and then the gym workout.
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Active recovery days – cardio activity that promotes recovery, not training
If strength performance is a goal for that day, for most goals outside the light warm-up routine, cardio should be limited before a gym session that includes a lot of running or cycling.
Best Time for Cardio Based on Your Goal
Cardio isn't the ideal time for everyone, depending on your training goals:
| Goal | Best Time for Cardio |
|---|---|
| Muscle gain / strength | After weights, or on separate days |
| Fat loss | After weights, or fasted in the morning |
| General endurance | Before weights or as a standalone session |
| Active recovery | Light cardio anytime, low intensity |
The most important factor is timing your cardio sessions to best fit your needs or training objective instead of high pressure fit a size one approach one fits all mentality. Good results over the long haul will be achieved by matching the best time for cardio to your training objective rather than having a one-size-fits-all mentality.
Practical Recommendations by Goal
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Should you want to build muscle: - Perform cardio after training, or on a different day from the heavy lifting day.
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For fat loss: - When it comes to fat loss, performing cardio before or after exercise is of lesser importance than the overall weekly amount of time spent on both cardio and strength training.
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If fitness is the goal: order works, and the best time for cardio is the time you can most easily stick with.
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For shorter time: a brief cardio session at the start of the gym warm-up session, followed by weights, then a longer cardio at the end of the workout finisher session, is a double-whammy.
It should also be modified depending on the type of cardio activity. There really isn't much difference between the effect of a brisk walk or light resistance training and a high-intensity interval training on the following lifting performance, with higher impact being seen with the interval training for a period after. If you have to do cardio first, on a given day, on an extreme schedule, you want to stick to lower intensity cardio so there is less of a trade-off.
Conclusion
It's up to your goal in the end, whether you want to do cardio first or last. Cardio before or after workout in the wrong order will actually weaken lifting performance, so unless you are going for muscle gain and strength, it is better to do cardio after your weights. With fat loss or for overall fitness, the order is less important than consistency of both types of training over time.
Now that you have got the plan, it's time to get to the gym! If strength is the most critical factor, switch the order of your workouts, and incorporate cardio at the end starting today, then see if the amount of weight you lift feels stronger over the next several sessions.
FAQs
Does cardio before or after workout affect weight loss results?
Not really for weight loss – total calories burned over a week is more important than whether it's cardio before or after workouts on a particular day.
Is cardio before or after weights worse for muscle gain?
Cardio first decreases strength output during the session, as it partially fatigue muscles. Generally speaking, performing cardio after weight training is safer for building muscles as it doesn't diminish performance.
What is the best time for cardio if I only have 30 minutes to train?
If you want to build muscle or strength, do weights first, then cardio last, using the time that's left over after you've done the weights; even though this may only be a short cardio session, it is still a better option than not doing any at all.
Is it ever a good idea to do cardio before gym sessions?
Yes, particularly for light warm-ups, recovery days or for days where the focus is primarily on cardiovascular endurance. Heavy lifting days should usually not include a lot of cardio before intense gym sessions.
Can I combine cardio and weights in the same session every day?
Yes, many people are able to do cardio after workout in the same session on a regular basis without any problems at all, although splitting cardio and weights apart on different days could help mitigate any possible interference on strength gains for heavy lifters.
