Strength training or cardio, which one comes first?

Maybe you are often confused about what you want to do when you start exercising, whether cardio exercise or muscle strength training (strength training). Relax, you are not alone, really. Many people are confused about this. Do you have to train the muscles first or move quickly with cardio exercises?

Do you have to do muscle strength training or cardio first?

Reporting from the Verrywell Fit page, actually, there is no right or wrong answer yet, what should you do for the first time during exercise. This depends on the choice of each person and his current condition. The purpose of the exercise that is carried out also certainly affects this, so it will be easier for you to decide.

For example, if your main goal is to build bigger and stronger muscles, then muscle strength training should take precedence over cardio so that you can give all your strength and energy to achieve that goal.

Conversely, if you really focus on losing weight and want to burn more fat, you can prioritize doing cardio exercise first. Not that muscle strength training won't burn fat, huh. Both will still cut body fat, but indeed in different ways and at different speeds.

Why is cardio better for weight loss?

If your goal is to lose weight, cardio before strength training may be the best option. Because cardio training will cause side effects such as:

Maximizing the burning of calories in the body

Doing cardio first can really maximize the calorie expenditure of your first training session. A cardio session will burn more calories than a strength training session or strengh training.

Increase the calorie burning effect after exercise

Doing cardio first can maximize the amount of EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). The higher the amount of EPOC, the higher the number of post-workout calories the body will burn.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Planning Research, followed 10 men who completed 3 different types of exercise:

Just do weight training
Do weight training and then run
Doing running training then weight training

The results showed that, the greatest calorie burning effect was found when doing running training followed by weight training. This study also found that running training will be more difficult to do after the body has done weight training first, especially if the weight training is done to train leg muscle strength.

Therefore, if you do weight training first and then run, you will feel tired faster because you have previously lifted weights which takes energy.

If it is done in close proximity, it may not be effective

A study also published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that doing cardio followed by strength training did not change muscle strength or muscle endurance, said a 3-month study.

Reported on the Livestrong page, another study in the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that cardio training in the form of light-moderate intensity aerobic exercise before weight training had little effect on the way muscles contract. However, this effect is so small that it does not affect the body's physical ability to perform the next training session.

Therefore, for those of you who are targeting training for muscle building, you don't need to worry too much about the effect of cardio training on your next workout performance. However, start according to your goals so that the maximum energy expended.

Sports rules for beginners

If you are just starting out with regular exercise, you don't need to be confused about which one to choose. In choosing the right sport, there are 3 things you should consider:

Destination

All options are customizable for purposes. If your goal is to lose overall weight, it's best to do cardio first to maximize your training time.

For example, if you have a goal to be able to do a marathon. You should focus your best energy on running training, and schedule your strength training less.

If the first muscle strength training or weight lifting feels good to your body, then do it. The most important thing is to get used to regular, consistent exercise.

Schedule

Some people may have time to do cardio and strength training at separate times. However, most people also do not have such training time, so have to combine their training schedules. Actually both are not bad, the important thing is to take the time to exercise according to what you can do.

There are various ways to do cardio and muscle strength training in the same amount of time, for example training high intensity circuit training. This exercise provides the benefits of both cardio and muscle strength training in the same time and for a short time.