Cardio or Strength Training

Cardio or Strength Training
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here’s been an ongoing debate as to whether it’s better to do cardio before resistance training in the same workout session, or to do resistance training before cardio if you’re looking to build a lean and muscular physique. This article will tell you everything you need to know (and nothing you don’t) about how different sequences of concurrent training (i.e., resistance + cardio in the same workout) affect cardiorespiratory and muscular adaptations, and also settle the debate as to which sequence is best to use for the goal of maximizing physique development.
Cardio Training Before Resistance Training

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that although both orders of training produced significant improvements in VO₂ max— which is the highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal or exhaustive exercise—
the improvement was greater in the group that did the cardio training
first, as opposed to the group that did resistance training first.

A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that the aerobic-first sequence was more effective in increasing excess post-exercise oxygen consumption(EPOC,
informally called “the afterburn”), which is a measurably increased
rate of oxygen intake following a bout of exercise that’s associated
with an elevation in metabolism.

Resistance Training Before Cardio Training

A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology demonstrated that fat oxidation and calorie burning were increased during the aerobic exercise component when it was done after
resistance exercise. This increased metabolic effect was even more
pronounced when the resistance exercise that preceded it was performed
at a higher intensity. This is important to note because several studies
have shown that performing cardio first in the workout can compromise
the performance of subsequent resistance training exercises due to
residual fatigue, therefore reducing the tension developed during the
strength training portion of the sessions, which interferes with the strength and muscle gains.

Also, a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
also found that the resistance exercise first sequence seems to
increase the metabolic effects of the subsequent aerobic session.

What’s Your Training Goal?

Put simply, since there are benefits and limitations to each training sequence, the “best” sequence is relative to the specific training goal , because different training goals require different training approaches, as summarized by a 2014 paper published in the ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal:

“Performing aerobic exercise first may be a preferred choice for
developing maximal aerobic power. On the other hand, resistance exercise
first seems more favorable for developing strength, power, and muscle
hypertrophy. Resistance exercise first also can yield some metabolic
benefits, and the high-intensity nature of resistance exercise can
potentiate energy expenditure and create a metabolic environment that
favors fat utilization during a subsequent aerobic session.”

Resistance Before Cardio for Building Your Best Body

As you’ve just learned, both cardio before resistance training and resistance training before cardio offer metabolic (i.e., fat-burning)
benefits. That said, when looking to build your best-looking body,you
don’t just want a “lean” physique— you want a lean, strong and
athletic-looking physique. In order to achieve the “strong and muscular”
part, you’ve got to focus on maximizing the results of resistance
training. And, the research clearly shows that doing resistance training
before cardio (in the same workout session) is the way to go
when looking to maximize strength and muscle, whereas doing cardio first
is best reserved for those who are maybe training for an endurance
event such as a marathon.

Muscle: Metabolically Active Tissue

Another reason it’s smartest to do resistance training first in the
workout for the goal of maximizing physique development, is because
muscle is metabolically active tissue, as fat is sent into the muscle to
be burned. This is why strength training first, which gives you a
better ability to build and maintain muscle, is critical for fat loss.

In other words, muscle is the physical location in your body where stored body fat
is burned (i.e., used as energy). More muscle requires more energy, so
the more muscle you have, the more calories and fat you’ll burn over a
24-hour period of time, even while you sleep!

Put simply, humans are just like cars. If you put a bigger motor in
your car (i.e., add muscle mass), you’ll burn more fuel (i.e., calories)
while driving (i.e., doing activities) than you did before. You want to
be opposite of your car in that you want to become fuel inefficient,
because the more fuel you can burn to perform a given activity, the
better!

Women and Weight Training: You WON’T Get “Bulky”

Many women seem to get uncomfortable with training to gain muscle
because they’re under the impression that they’ll get “bulky.” This is
just plain silly, since women have significantly less testosterone than men.

When you talk about “shaping” certain areas of your body, what you’re
really talking about is muscle. Put simply, muscle creates the shape of
your body, and therefore more muscle equals more muscle tone. You can’t
build a perkier, rounder or sexier anything without building muscle.
And, being “toned” just means that you are lean enough to show off that
shape, which comes from fat loss, which, as you’ve just learned, muscle plays a most important role in.

The Strength Before Cardio Workout Structure

The strength-training portion of your workouts should alternate sets
and rep ranges. By alternating set/rep schemes, it ensures you hit your
muscles in a different manner, which has been shown in research to be a
more effective method of improving muscle than using the same old rep
every workout. Plus, changing the sets and reps keeps your workouts more
interesting and varied.

Each time you do your resistance-training portion of the workout (before doing cardio), alternate each workout between the following set/rep schemes for each exercise:

Set/Rep Scheme 1: 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps

Set/Rep Scheme 2: 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps

The Cardio Workout Structure

Not only should you alternate between the two set/rep ranges that I
provided, you should also alternate between two different types of
cardio workouts: short duration/high-intensity training, and longer
duration/medium-intensity training, as follows:

Cardio Workout 1: 30-40 minutes at approximately 70% of your max HR

Cardio Workout 2: 10-15 minutes go as hard as you
can,* or use intervals where you alternate intense bursts of work with
medium-intensity active recovery periods.

*If you’re running on treadmill or on a bike, go as far as you can (rack up the most miles) in the time frame. Try to beat your previous time each workout.

Putting Your Workouts Together

On the workout days where you use the higher set range (e.g., 4-5
sets of 6-8 reps), you’re weight training will take longer, so you’ll
follow it by performing the short duration/high-intensity training
(e.g., 10-15 minutes. Go as hard as you can or do intervals).

On the workout days you use the lower set range, you’re weight
training will take less time, so you’ll follow it by performing the
longer duration/steady-state training.

Great read. I love doing excercises that raise my heart rate quickly.

I believe in cardio after weights...doing cardio first just takes away energy that should be going toward pumping iron...
Ive been doing 60 second extreme blasts in sets of 3 lately and its working good but I dont do it before I lift, no freakin way

I've always done my weight training before cardio. Now, I've done cardio in the morning and then weight training in the afternoon, which works great for me. But, as far as back to back, it's weight training first for me.

deplete out the gylcogen with you training then do your cardio. always cardio after or your weight training will suffer

this is a great read. I do cardio first to warm up as any heavy weight work causes me to pull a muscle or sprain something. I may warm up with 10 minutes of cardio then hit the weights and then smash heavy cardio after. want to see my abs this summer

I train for a lot of endurance now and not bulk. Just, for me, nothing I'm interested in anymore. I'm still a good size....just not big and bulky anymore.
I'll do a lot of workouts with 3 lifts in them. Example. Today's workout at our gym was..

200 double unders for warm up..then

Find 2 rep max bench...and super set with 10 push-ups and strict chin-ups with a 45 pound vest on (max reps each set)

Workout of the day..
3 rounds for time of...
21 bench press (135)
21 dips
21 pull-ups (strict)

So with all that I get my strength and cardio together.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skeletor

I train for a lot of endurance now and not bulk. Just, for me, nothing I'm interested in anymore. I'm still a good size....just not big and bulky anymore.
I'll do a lot of workouts with 3 lifts in them. Example. Today's workout at our gym was..

200 double unders for warm up..then

Find 2 rep max bench...and super set with 10 push-ups and strict chin-ups with a 45 pound vest on (max reps each set)

Workout of the day..
3 rounds for time of...
21 bench press (135)
21 dips
21 pull-ups (strict)

So with all that I get my strength and cardio together.

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I really want to know what this is. Double unders?
Is there any rest between the press, dips and pull-ups?

I am restricted by RAKE. But if I knew how to do this in my gym I could just ditch him a few times a week and try it.

Double unders is jumping rope, but the rope going under twice. And nope, no breaks. This is an all out sprint to finish as fast, but as safe as you can with form. You will indeed have to rest a few times while doing this..I certainly did. Just doubt rest more than 10-15 seconds at a time (if possible)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skeletor

Double unders is jumping rope, but the rope going under twice. And nope, no breaks. This is an all out sprint to finish as fast, but as safe as you can with form. You will indeed have to rest a few times while doing this..I certainly did. Just doubt rest more than 10-15 seconds at a time (if possible)

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Thanks, I think I get it. Sounds better than an hour and half am then 45 min cardio pm.

Sure! Just to set a time frame, I got done in 12:01. That's about 4 minutes per round. And the weight for women for the 3 round part is 95 :)