A majority of fitness experts come across questions like if it is better to go for cardio before or after workout. The first reason being both these ways of body training need a lot of energy. Secondly, going for cardio before a workout means having no energy for workout layers and vice versa.
So, why not put an end to this confusion by comparing the benefits of cardio before and after weights? Considering this let's start with discussing the parameters for healthy and smarter fitness goals.
Parameters to Decide Whether to Lift Weights or Cardio First?
You must have heard trainers say that hopping onto extreme workouts or weight training and getting knowledge about it is necessary. That is because the slightest of mistakes in workouts can lead to injuries or consequences for a lifetime. Hence, here we start with the parameters:
- Keep in mind the fitness goals. For instance, if your key fitness goal is to improve endurance, then it's always cardio before workout. In another case, if your aim is improving strength, then experts suggest that you do cardio after weights. Lastly, for burning body fats faster, the trainers advise to vouch for cardio after workouts.
- The next factor to decide whether to go for cardio before or after workout is the part of your body you choose to work on. As for upper body weight training, fitness experts suggest going for cardio before a workout. Or else for lower body training, either of these is good to start with.
- Lastly, if you have general fitness goals, then beginning with either cardio or weight training is a good option.
Note: the parameters are as per popular fitness experts' opinions.
Benefits of Cardio Before or After Workout: Comparison
The criteria listed above help give a preliminary view of the cardio or workout first queries. Further, we are going to compare the benefits of cardio before and after weights, starting with the advantages of cardio first.
In the cardio before or after workout debate, the first point that goes in favor of cardio before a workout is that it’s better to warm up. To put it differently, cardio exercises such as jogging, jumping, and cycling act as a good pre-workout.
These cardio exercises are really good for increasing the blood flow of the muscles and stretching them out before you hop on to intense workouts. In particular, cardio before workout loosens the joints and muscles a bit before workout which prevents injury.
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Enhances Cardiovascular Endurance
Performing cardio exercises before weight training or a workout also helps with enhancing cardiovascular endurance. In other words, cardio exercises before a workout help in improving the heart and lung capacity.
Also, indulging in cardio exercises before a workout is beneficial when it comes to high-intensity workouts. The cardio session prepares the body for tense and fatigue weight training or workouts. You can easily improve your workout capacity with a good cardiovascular exercise session.
Another point that supports cardio first in the argument of cardio before or after workout is better performance. The benefit of starting with cardio is that it helps to maximize performance in small steps without harming your body. For instance, cardio exercise prepares your body for extensive weight training by improving blood flow.
Moreover, many studies suggest that prioritizing cardio is also helpful in reaching your fitness goals in a lesser time and with constant practice. You can have a better and healthy routine by adding cardio before weight training.
Putting the benefits of cardio before a workout against its benefits after a workout becomes important, from a trainer's point of view. So, let's see how working out before cardio can be alternatively beneficial.
Weight training before cardio is the best way if you want to build strength. In particular, when it comes to lower body training, workout before cardio is the best approach. When people perform workouts for lifting weights before cardio, they have more energy to lift weights and complete the routine reps.
In comparison to this when people train after cardio, they have lower energy levels and strength for completing the round of extensive weight training.
Confused if it's right to cardio before or after weights to lose weight? Well, going for cardio after a workout helps in burning fat at a faster rate. For all those people looking forward to losing weight, this approach is the best as it improves the metabolism.
Weight training workouts deplete the glycogen levels in the body which helps the body to ultimately burn fats for energy. When the workout precedes a cardio session, there are better chances of losing weight. Also, resistance training is a great way to stimulate the release of hormones in the body that promote fat burning.
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Better for Weight Training
In contrast to the benefits of doing cardio first, some trainers say that heavy training requires a lot of energy. But as a consequence of losing out energy in cardio, people are susceptible to injuries. This point contradicts the benefits of cardio before a workout in cardio before or after workout arguments.
But the bottom line is that heavy weight training requires energy. Therefore, it is advisable to start with deadlifts or weight training before cardio to avoid any serious injury.
How to Choose between Cardio or Workout First?
The shortest possible answer to questions like cardio before or after workout is considering the fitness goals. As mentioned earlier, there are different parameters for choosing between cardio before or after a workout for muscle gain. Essentially, the approach you choose helps to drive you throughout the training process.
So, it is always the best idea to understand your fitness goals and consult your trainer for better guidance. If you start with clear guidance and a goal in mind it is easier to achieve that fitness goal without injuries or setbacks.
Can Cardio and Workout Go Hand in Hand?
Another doubt that people have in mind while doing cardio as well as workout, is that these two go better together. Well, ask the fitness experts to say cardio and training workouts together affect muscle growth but do not affect muscle gain.
In other words, cardio and weight lifting in the same workout routine do not interfere with or affect the result of one another. However, you can maintain a gap of a few hours between your cardio and weight training workout for better results.
Moreover, if you can have separate days for cardio and weights, it eases the process of achieving your fitness goals without straining your body.
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Conclusion
In the end, after considering all the benefits and arguments, we get to the conclusion that the key to achieving fitness is planning the order of cardio and workout according to fitness goals. If you are confused about cardio before or after workout stance, consider talking to your trainer.
By large, it is important to understand your body's capability and need for camping on extensive fitness moves. So, take your time and step up your fitness one step at a time. Try a workout order that suits your body and goals rather than getting along with cliche opinions and myths.
For more engaging content on fitness and health, do check out the other blogs on The Voice Of Woman!! Happy Training!!