Doing your cardio before or after weights has been a topic of discussion in the fitness industry for a long time. I have found that when asking people, there isn’t going to be one clear cut answer. As with many topics in the fitness industry, the answer you receive is going to depend on who you ask. Gender, age, how long someone has been training, where they train, previous experiences and even the social media accounts they follow are going to have an impact on their answer.Can you imagine doing a gruelling cardio session and then having to go and do a leg day?
It may just be because I
have been in the fitness industry for a long time and I’m slightly bias towards this answer, but most people when asked are going to reply with its best to do cardio after weights. Without being stereotypical, these people are most likely the ones who are bothered about their physical performance in the gym relating to weighted exercises, have a good amount of muscle mass and want to look good naked. They might not even do any cardio, so they were always going to favour weights first. The argument behind their answer is pretty straight forward, they want to put all their energy into lifting weights. As I am sure you know, lifting weights is very taxing on the body, especially if you are taking your sets close to failure. Can you imagine doing a gruelling cardio session and then having to go and do a leg day? Imagine trying to squat to the best of your ability after spending 45 minutes on the treadmill. I think it's fair to say even with your best efforts you wouldn’t be jotting down any progress in your logbook.
Doing your cardio first makes sense if your main goal is to improve your cardiovascular fitness.
On the flip side, there is still a large majority of people who will say it's best to do cardio first. It's going to be reliant on their goals. Now, I don’t know what everyone’s goals are in the gym, but you’re most likely to find people doing cardio before their weights session if either their number one training priority is cardiovascular fitness, or they want to look good with a bit of muscle whilst still feeling relatively fit and healthy. Believe it or not, everyone’s main goal in a gym isn’t to build as much muscle as possible (weird I know). If you fall into this camp, then doing your cardio first makes sense if your main goal is to improve your cardiovascular fitness. It also makes sense if you still want to look good naked by building some muscle in the process. It's also important to remember that some people may just feel more comfortable doing cardio. Lifting weights is a skill and takes time to learn, it can be intimidating for a lot of people to step into the free weights area. Where-as stepping onto a treadmill or a bike is much simpler.
That should give you a good insight into choosing if cardio before or after weights is better for you.
However below I have outlined some scenarios that may help point you in the right direction.
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Male or female looking to add muscle – cardio after weights
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Male or female who wants to be fit but also build some muscle – cardio before weights
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Male or female wanting to tone up and lose weight – Either or – whatever you feel is best
Whatever side of the fence you are on, remember to work hard in every workout. The body won't change without a stimulus. It’s up to you to give it one!
