Weight loss: Why you should do cardio after strength training

Strength training and cardio both have their distinct benefits. One helps to condition your heart muscles, while the other is beneficial for strengthening your bones, bulking up and weight loss. It is essential to add both in your workout session to get fitter and improve overall performance. In general, it is recommended to perform cardio and strength training exercises on different days so you can focus well on one form of workout. But if you want to combine them to get maximum health benefits, we would always suggest you lift weights first then hit the pavement. Here are three valid reasons to prove why performing strength training exercises first is always a better idea.

Read more: 3 reasons you gain weight when you start working out

Cardio is a type of exercise that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up for a prolonged period. Your body's need for oxygen increases, and your heart and lungs have to work harder to keep going. Another fact about cardio is that it is a demanding exercise and can easily make you feel tired as compared to strength training. So, after a cardio session, you might not have enough energy left to finish your strength training routine. Even if you push yourself harder, there would always be a risk of injury and muscle strain.

To make progress and reap maximum benefit from any workout routine, you need to challenge yourself from time to time. Like in the case of cardio you can increase the speed or distance, and in the case of strength training, you can increase the number of reps and weight. When you combine the two forms of workout and choose to perform cardio first, you might be able to lift a heavyweight due to post-cardio fatigue. High-intensity sprint work will deplete all your stored energy which is also required to lift heavyweights. It can easily slow down your progress even if you exercise consistently.

Read more: 3 reasons why you should not exercise before going to bed and how to deal with the consequences

If your prime objective of exercising is to build muscles and tone your body, it is better to focus on strength training first. That's because some enzymes responsible for creating chemical reactions in the body for building muscles are hypothesized to conflict with resistance and cardio training. In simple words, performing cardio first would lower the effects of the enzyme responsible for building muscle.

For most people, lifting weight first is a better deal. You can reverse the order if your motive is to improve your speed or you are preparing for a marathon. In such a case, you can take up cardio first, followed by a strength training session. This way you would be able to put your maximum output on the cardio session, which is your priority. For example, if your goal is to run for 5 kilometres at a certain speed, do that first because if you will run after a strength training session you might not have that much energy left to finish the task. But do not skip the strength training session. Even if you are working on your speed, weight training is essential to reduce the risk of injury and strengthen your muscles.

If you have a tight schedule, you can perform cardio and strength training exercises on the same day. You just need to be a little strategic about it. Performing strength training first is always better than cardio, but you can reverse the order depending on your goal and fitness level.