Once you get in the Gym Cardio or strength first?
Ok, so you finally decided to get back in the gym. Before you start applauding yourself, stop and think what am I going to do when I get there. What are my goals or do I even have a goal? Do I do resistance training first and then cardio? Which is best?
The American Council on Exercise and scientists at Western State Colorado University recently did some research and they discovered exactly how to best structure your workout. Problem is, this is designed for a perfect world. I found, with my 20 some years in the fitness industry, that most people will not be able to follow these guidelines due to time constraints, work, kids etc. Let me simplify things for you. If you are able to wake up and get 30 minutes of cardio in before work - great. Doing fasting cardio (no food before cardio helps to burn fat) is optimal. Otherwise - not as critical as long as you get some in: try working up to 30 min 6 times a week for a total of 3 hours per week.
Regarding strength training, it’s necessary to remember muscle is your fat burning machinery. The more muscle you possess, the less fat you have and the more calories you will burn - not only while working out – but also afterwards Your metabolism will get faster. I prefer to do my strength training without any prior cardio unless in the morning, followed by working, and doing strength training only hours later after my meals. I need all of my energy for strength training, so I prefer not to tire myself out with cardio first. Now if you are a runner or a cyclist and cardio is more important because of your goals, then yes, do go ahead with cardio first. Sometimes because of my work schedule, I may only be able to do 30-45 minutes of either strength or cardio, and have to come back later to complete the workout: that is also ok.
In closing, unless you are a professional athlete or training for a specific goal, I don’t think it will matter much. Getting in the gym and starting to work out is the main thing. Happy fitness!
strength vs cardio