Is it better to do strength exercises first or cardio or the other way around? Have you noticed if the order in which you do these workouts affects your performance, or not? As always, there are no one-size-fits-all answers. It depends on your goals:
If you want to build muscle and improve your strength
If your goal is to build muscle and/or get stronger, then you definitely need to do resistance training or weight training before cardio. In fact, if your muscles are already tired, you would not be able to train with intensity and allow the muscle to develop the necessary tension to adapt to overloads. Since you will likely lift very heavy loads from time to time, overworked muscles are more prone to injury. If you overtire your muscle prematurely, your coordination will suffer and your stabilizer muscles will be weakened. After a strength training session, adding running isn’t exactly ideal either, as it can interfere with the muscle-building process. Your body needs total rest to repair and rebuild your muscle tissue.
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If, on the other hand, you want to improve your endurance with running
If, on the other hand, you focus your workouts on improving endurance, then you need to go running first. To properly pace your workout, your muscles must be fully rested before a long and/or strenuous run. Tired muscles negatively affect the economy of your movement and your running technique, causing strains and injuries to joints and muscles. If you feel like going for a run after strength training, make sure you run short distances and at a slow pace so you stay in your basic endurance zone.
> Read also: 5 reasons to train running on the stairs
If you want to improve your overall fitness
In this case, you can do cardio and strength training in any order you like. But for each session, it’s good to assign a training goal to perform at your best.
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If you want to lose weight instead
It is often recommended to do strength training before running to deplete carbohydrate stores. The idea is to force your body to draw its energy from fat before carbohydrates during the run. The problem is, you can’t finish a long-distance run low on carbs. While it is true that a greater amount of fat is consumed for energy, it is also true that the calories consumed are less if it is a low intensity workout. If you’re looking for a workout to lose weight, negative energy intake is key: if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. What matters in the end is how many calories you consume during your workouts. Spread your workouts out over a few days and try to train at a high intensity and burn lots of calories while giving your body a chance to recover before your next workout. In general, you don’t have to do two workouts back to back. Always give the body a chance to recover. If you don’t want to combine these two workouts, then choose the order that best suits your goals.
> Read also: 6 tips to really lose weight thanks to training
Written by Herwig Natmessnig
A professional athlete (whitewater kayaking), Herwig oozes health and fitness from every pore. In a competition or even just among friends, she never says no to a sporting challenge. Of course, you feel at home at Runtastic!
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