Cardio before or after weights? This study finally has the solid answer I've been looking for

Mixing up my workouts to include some cardio and strength training keeps me motivated. know they're both important types of exercise, so doing them together keeps me from doing one more often than the other.

However, it wasn't until recently that I thought about the order in which I do my strength training and stints on the indoor bike. Should I do my cardio before or after weights? A 12-week study, published in the Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness, examined how exercise sessions done one after the other affected body composition, physical activity levels, fat loss, and muscular strength.

Participants were divided into three groups: weights first, then cardio; cardio first, then weights; and a control group who did no exercise. The results showed that both groups who did exercise saw improvements in their physical activity levels, body composition, bone density, and muscle strength. However, one had the edge.

Is it better to do cardio before or after weights?

The group that did weight training followed by cardio showed the most "remarkable progress" in the study. They saw reductions in fat mass, increases in fitness markers like explosive strength, and they exercised more often.

The study looked at men between 18 and 30 years old, and not very many of them, so we can't take the researcher's word that this will work for everyone. However, it is a clear sign that lifting weights before a bike or treadmill workout could be the way to get stronger and maintain muscle with fewer limits.

Another study, this time from The College of New Jersey, found similar results to this one. The participants in this one included 21 women. The study concluded that doing "higher-intensity resistance exercise first" improves fat utilisation and energy expenditure during cardio, meaning it's more beneficial for weight loss.

However, the real reason why it's better to do weights first, then cardio, is even simpler than this. If you work hard on the treadmill first, you'll have less energy for your weights session. Your muscles will already be tired, and you won't be able to lift weights as heavy or for as many repetitions, slowing your progress.

A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research supports this idea. In this study, researchers found anaerobic exercise (short, intense bursts of activity) before strength training "impairs" the weights session by limiting endurance.

Do I need to do cardio and strength training?

To stay healthy, the NHS recommends adults do strength training at least two days a week, alongside 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise.

The guidelines also suggest spreading this exercise across four or five days, or exercising every day.

So, there's no need to choose between cardio vs weights. Both workouts also have unique benefits. Cardio is great for boosting cardiovascular health, maintaining mental health, improving sleep quality, and lowering blood sugar levels. Even just walking 30 minutes a day can have a hugely positive impact.

Weight training also has similar benefits, but is especially good for women approaching menopause, when the decrease in oestrogen puts us at a higher risk of osteoporosis. Lifting weights can increase bone density and muscle mass, which helps to avoid conditions like osteoporosis and sarcopenia later in life.

How much cardio should I do after lifting weights?

If you do 30 minutes of moderate cardio five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise four days a week, this meets the requirement. You can do this indoors or outside, on separate days from your weight session or after you've finished.

Moderate exercise includes walking workouts, cycling, and swimming, but also continuous gardening or climbing stairs at home. Vigorous exercise is running, faster cycling workouts (i.e. spinning workouts), and HIIT workouts.

That being said, any cardio is better than none at all. If you can manage 20 minutes a few times a week, start with that and work up.

There is another way to reap the benefits of cardio, though, without sacrificing time in the gym or risking muscle fatigue. This tip comes from Emily Servante, a personal trainer at Ultimate Performance.

She says: "If you’re weight training three times a week, my recommendations would be to try and hit a daily average of 10,000 steps a day. This will increase your daily calorie burn but is also very low in intensity, so it will not affect your recovery times."