You’re running late…
You get to the gym—and it’s packed. There isn’t a single cardio machine available. So what do you do?
Do you wait for the machine? Or just find something else to do?
Surprisingly, the order of exercise is important when it comes to your goals—or what you want to accomplish from your workout.
So why is it a tough decision?
For those just starting a workout, doing cardio seems like an attractive option. You burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time.
But as your workout starts taking on more…prioritizing the important aspects—and the exercises that will help you reach your goals—becomes important.
Even though cardio does burn calories, it depletes your glucose stores, therefore leaving less in the tank when you finally do get to the strength part of your workout.
And…your muscles may already be fatigued…which could make it harder to do your strength workout.
So which should you do first?
Here are some guidelines to consider:
If you’re looking to improve endurance or speed
If you’re an athlete, and you’re looking to build more endurance or speed, then it may be important for you to focus on your cardio first. Not only are you able to boost the intensity of the workout, the exercise may be easier since you have more stored energy. Studies have also shown that even one strength training session may ruin your endurance performance.
If you’re looking for strength
If you’re looking to put on muscle, or increase your strength, then it’s important to do your strength training first. During strength training, you use a lot of stored energy sources—and not oxygen like you would with cardio. And if your glucose stores are used up (due to doing cardio before), you may have less energy to fuel your strength training workout. This could limit the amount of muscle you can add, or even how much strength you will gain.
If you’re looking to lose body fat
If you’re looking to lose body fat, you should be doing your strength training first, and cardio second. Strength training leads to muscle development, which could speed up your metabolism. In fact, some studies show you can increase your metabolism by as much as 7 percent and you could lose up to 4 pounds (more or less). If you want to lose weight, choose strength first, then cardio to burn those extra calories.
There are many chances where you may need to choose to do cardio over strength, or vice versa. Choosing the right exercise is important to get you closer to your goals. If you’re looking for weight loss, general fitness, or improvements in strength or muscle development, doing your strength training first would be the best option. If you’re looking to run a marathon, for example, doing cardio first will be the best choice to build your endurance.
If you’re unsure where to start, it’s important to first look at your goals, and ask yourself which method will get you closer to reaching your goal. Once you’ve determined that, the sky’s the limit.
Your friend and trainer,
Paul F Sweatt
Train smart. Train Hard. Train Safe. Train to Sweatt.