CARDIO OR WEIGHTS FIRST?

​A well-balanced fitness routine includes cardio and strength training. Both have extremely powerful benefits to improve your overall health, but the same question always comes up: Should you do cardio or lift weights first?

The answer is, it depends. The majority of fitness people will tell you to do cardio AFTER strength training, because if you do cardio first, it depletes much of the energy needed for weights. Personally, I think this is the best advice to follow, but there are some instances when I might say it’s ok to do cardio first. There are a few things to consider when deciding which order will work best for your fitness goals.

​What does cardio do for your body?
We all know you burn calories which assists in weight loss, but cardio exercise can also improve your heart’s overall performance and efficiency. It can also help prevent heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Cardio improves our body’s ability to use oxygen when we’re performing physical activities. The elliptical work you did a few months ago, might have felt extremely difficult, but now it feels a bit easier, and so does bringing in the groceries! 

What does strength training do for your body?
Strength training (lifting weights) helps increase strength and muscle mass, increase bone density, and improve ligaments and tendons to help joint health and overall movement quality. Once you start lifting consistently, you’ll also see other healthy benefits, including improvements in blood pressure, a better body composition, and a higher metabolic rate.
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Lifting is key to a strong, muscular foundation. While bones give our body structure, muscles are what allow us to move. They also give us shape! Strength training is so important as we age. This form of exercise helps prevent muscle loss that can lead to an increased risk for falls and injuries. If you’re strong and take a tumble, there’s a greater chance you’ll be ok, opposed to someone who is fragile.
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Another amazing benefit of strength training
Muscle requires more daily energy (calories), so the more you lift and the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn throughout the day. So not only will you give your body shape, have strong bones, and help prevent countless other ailments, you burn more calories. This is a major WIN!

Bonus benefits from cardio and strength training
Let’s not forget the huge mental benefits you receive from both forms of exercise:
·      Help for depression and anxiety.
·      Decreased stress.
·      Increased self-esteem and self-confidence.
·      Better sleep.
·     Brain boosts. Ever notice that the answer to your problem becomes very clear during a jog? Yep, that’s the power of physical activity!
 
Who should do cardio first
If you want to increase your endurance, do cardio first. Maybe you want to play with your kids  without getting winded, or train for a 5K, by all means, do this exercise first. You’ll be totally fine to get on a rowing machine, treadmill, elliptical, go outdoors for a run, whatever it is you like to do and then hit the weights.

Many people like to warm up on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical before they lift weights. This is totally fine, but it should only be a few minutes. If you're spending more than 5-10 minutes on the machine and working up a sweat, it's turning into a cardio session. 
 
Who should do strength training first
If you want to lose weight or get stronger, do strength first. As mentioned before, lifting weights helps increase your muscle mass and your overall body strength. Muscle also burns more calories than fat, so not only does lifting weights build muscle, but it also increases your overall daily caloric burn, which can mean more fat loss. 
 
If you’ve done any lifting at all, you know that three sets of heavy squats can be exhausting. Spending 20 minutes on a stairclimber before you squat would not be a smart idea. Your legs are going to feel like jello and you definitely need all of your energy to perform with efficient, proper form. Likewise, you don’t want to do any type of HIIT circuit training (which is really mostly cardio) and follow that up with any kind of strength routine. It’s simply too much.

 How often should you be doing cardio and weights?
An ideal frequency of cardio and lifting will depend on individual goals and preferences. Cardio and lifting can complement each other quite well, but you definitely want to make sure not to neglect the weights. I recommend a minimum of 2 days/week of weight lifting and 2 days of cardio, depending on your own personal goals. Just getting outside and walking is great exercise. I believe most people should be walking a minimum of 15 minutes every day.

​How to break up your week
I’m going to use myself as an example. At this point in my life, I spend most of my gym time on strength training. This is where I have seen the most results and I absolutely love lifting. I still enjoy cardio, but it’s not my focus. On days I train low body, I rarely do any additional cardio. On upper body days, I sometimes like to add 15-30 minutes of cardio AFTER weights. I mainly do this to keep up my cardiovascular endurance. In a perfect world, I would go back to the gym later in the day, but that usually doesn’t work with my schedule.
 
Final thoughts
The most important thing is that the work gets done regularly and consistently; there really is no one-size-fits-all scenario. You need to find something that works best for you, instead of what you see other people do. Whether it’s cardio or strength first, what will keep you motivated? This will ultimately lead to better results.