Some people like to argue whether cardio or weights are better for your health. It’s not a debate because both have benefits, and you should do the exercises you enjoy and that help you achieve your goals. But, if you do both, it’s helpful to know whether you need to prioritize one form of exercise over the other.
A recent review published on Springer Link of 19 studies analyzing “training order” found that strength is more likely to be decreased if it comes second in a workout.
When you perform resistance training followed by cardio, you don’t see much of a drop off in endurance or aerobic capacity compared to starting with cardio first. However, the study showed that if you do cardio before weights, there is a noticeable reduction in strength.
There’s more. It appears that cardio-before-resistance didn’t have too much impact on strength in programs that were less than 8 weeks long. But in any workout program lasting longer than 8 weeks, the cardio-first approach led to a larger reduction in strength.
So, if building strength is a priority for you, it’s best if you do that first, then follow with your cardio. Either way, you will likely see the best results by prioritizing your goals and starting your workouts with your biggest focus.
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