An Expert-Approved Strength Training and Cardio Routine That Will Get You Fit

Cardio or Weights First? The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Workout Routine

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether to prioritize lifting weights or doing cardio, you’re not alone. The good news is, you don’t have to choose one over the other. The decision ultimately depends on your fitness goals: whether you’re aiming to improve your overall health, gain muscle, or lose weight. To help you navigate this common dilemma, we consulted with a personal trainer to break down the best approach to combining cardio and strength training for optimal results.

What Are Your Fitness Goals?

Before deciding whether to do cardio or weights first, it’s essential to identify your primary fitness objectives. Are you looking to lose weight or gain muscle tone? Perhaps you want to enhance your endurance or build bigger muscles. Understanding your goals will help you structure your workouts more effectively.

One common misconception is that cardio is the most critical exercise for losing weight. While cardio is undoubtedly effective for burning calories, strength training is equally important for achieving your weight loss goals. In fact, a combination of both is often the most effective approach.

Benefits of Doing Cardio Before Weights

Cardio is well-documented for its ability to burn calories efficiently. If you spend 30 minutes lifting weights versus doing any other cardio activity for the same duration, cardio will typically burn more calories. With this in mind, you might want to start your workouts with cardio at a steady intensity to enter the heart rate zone needed for fat burning. Once you’ve warmed up, you can transition into weight lifting, which creates an “afterburn” effect that continues to burn calories even after you’ve finished exercising.

You don’t need to push your body to its limits to reap the benefits of a cardio workout. “Cardiovascular exercise at a lower intensity (in the fat-burning zone/aerobic training zone) will help you lose weight, but it needs to be sustained for longer periods of time,” says Mollie Millington, a personal trainer based in London.

Lifting weights first, especially if you’re lifting heavy using your entire body, can tire you out before you even get to the cardio portion of your workout. This could lead to cutting your workout short and missing out on the calorie-burning benefits of cardio—especially if your goal is to burn as many calories as possible in a set amount of time. Try starting with cardio and then moving to weight lifting to see what works best for you. If you’re using light weights, this can help increase your heart rate and prepare your body for running, biking, or another cardio activity.

Additionally, if you enjoy running, biking, or swimming and want to improve your speed or overall endurance, starting with cardio is a smart choice. This way, you’re tackling the most important exercise for your long-term goals when you’re fresh, allowing you to make progress more quickly.

Benefits of Doing Weights Before Cardio

If your primary goal is to improve your strength, lift heavier weights, or build more muscle, starting with weight lifting is the way to go. Avoid tiring out your body by doing cardio first. The less fatigued you are, the more repetitions you’ll be able to perform with correct form—and proper form is crucial for safely and effectively performing resistance training exercises.

Doing weights first can also be beneficial for fat loss when combined with cardio, according to Millington. “In theory, doing weights first would put your body into aerobic mode, so by the time you get to running, you will already be in an aerobic/fat-burning state. This means you may maintain that aerobic state longer while running and thus use fat as an energy source,” she explains. This approach is most effective when you’re lifting lighter weights that don’t fatigue your entire body.

Can You Do Cardio and Weightlifting on the Same Day?

While science is still inconclusive about whether doing cardio or weights first is best, one thing is clear: doing both is highly beneficial. Studies show that combining cardio and strength training is the best approach for overall health, increasing muscle mass, and reducing body fat.

If you want to give 100% effort to both cardio and weight training, you can try doing them on separate days, allowing your body time to recover in between. However, if you prefer to do both in the same session, experiment to see what feels and works best for you.

“I am a firm believer in doing what you love. Exercise can be fun,” Millington says. “If you’re in the groove during your warm-up on the treadmill and having fun, don’t stop to do weights. Keep going until you’re ready to switch to weights. Or if you prefer weights to running, start with a shorter run and then ‘treat’ yourself to weights.”

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