Physical exercise and body conditioning come in different forms and regimens, some more challenging than the rest and chosen according to our fitness goals. You can indulge in pilates, callisthenics, weight training, cardio, yoga, martial arts and many other forms of physical training as per your long-term goals. The two most common forms of training offered in conventional gyms are weight training and cardio.
Most fitness enthusiasts find the optimum balance of weight training and cardio. While bodybuilders focus more on weight training which has a focus on building muscle, athletes like sprinters, dancers and martial artists focus more on cardio which helps in fat burning, increased stamina and better lung and heart capacity.
On the other hand, people who just want a fairly fit body with lean muscle can be in a dilemma over whether to do cardio first in a gym or weight training. You may see people doing both at your local gym. Let us find out what experts think is the best way.
The American Council on Exercise say that for those aiming to improve endurance, cardio should be done first whereas those aiming for muscle strength and size should do weight training first. According to fitness expert Garima Goyal, if a person is exercising only for fitness and proper health, they should plan their exercise schedule in a way that combines both weight-bearing exercises and cardio exercises but never exercise more than necessary.
To perform weight-bearing exercises with efficiency, Goyal recommends doing cardio after weight training because if you do cardio first, your body will be more tired. If your primary goal is to build upper body strength and gain more muscle, lift weights first. Goyal further explains that lifting weights allows our body to get into aerobic mode.
By the time you do cardio, your body is already in fat-burning mode. As a result, you can maintain that aerobic state for longer when you run and consume fat as an energy source. This is because muscle cells store glycogen in them, which stimulates muscle contraction.
However, there is a drawback to doing weights before cardio. While performing these aerobic cardio workouts, you will experience a decrease in speed, strength and endurance, raising your chance of injury.
