Cardio vs Weights: Which Should Come First?

SAVE THE BEST FOR…FIRST?

We’re all familiar with the phrase “save the best for last.” While this is true for concerts and main course meals, it’s the opposite for exercise.

One may save their “favorite” exercise or body part for the last part of their session, however, that’s when you’re most fatigue. Whatever exercise you put FIRST in your session will get the highest level of stimuli.

Here are two things to consider when structuring your exercise week in the age-old debate of: cardio and weights, which would come first?

1. What’s your schedule? 

Is it easier for you to stack them back-to-back or do them on alternate days? If you are able to do them on dedicated days: do that. It’s a better option. Not everyone has that option due to schedule.

2. What’s your priority?

Is it to improve your heart health and conditioning? Cardio should definitely come first. Is it to get stronger and build lean muscle tissue? In those cases, weights should come first. Is it to lose fat? You can do them literally in any order.

Remember, body change is a STIMULUS-LED process. It won’t do anything unless it’s stimulated in that direction. So, what is the outcome you are looking for? Answer that and you will know activity to put first

Here are pitfalls that you can avoid depending on your goals:

Fat Loss

The body doesn’t want to do that. It prefers to store fat. So when you do them back-to-back are stronger-than-average hunger signals. This can lead to overeating and undoing your progress.

There are SMALL benefits to fat burning when cardio is done after a strength training session. Like I said, those differences are small and not worth adjusting your calendar over. If you want to lose fat and it’s really important to improve your heart health, do your cardio first.

Muscle Tissue Increase

Cardio is good for your heart and lungs and doesn’t have to cease when your goal is increasing muscle tissue. You definitely don’t want to overdo it in time and intensity. Avoid running if you can because the action of landing creates fatigue in your muscles. This would be normally ok, but when your body is trying to repair and increase muscle tissue, the extra fatigue doesn’t help.