When I used to work at a University gym there was a common question that would keep coming up time after time.
- When I go to the gym what should I do first, cardio or weights?
A simple enough question, but the answer is quite complex. I have heard people answer this by going into duration and timings of fuel utilisation by the body. However, justifying which one to train before the other this way (without first mentioning what I have below) is a bit like recommending a smoker to increase their fruit and vegetable intake to decrease their risk of cancer – an analogy I have used previously. This is because these are relatively minor points you need not to focus on initially.
The best answer is that what you do first should depend on two things:
- Your current training status
- Your training goals
Which one do you want to get better gains in? Are you an endurance athlete or someone that wants to build muscle?
The golden rule is to do whatever is most important to achieving your goals first. I will categorise three broad groups of which I hope you fall under one:
- Performance goal orientated
- Fat loss orientated
- Health orientated
Now, it is always hard to give generic prescription because in reality there are a multitude of factors you consider. That said, here are some basic rules.
Performance Goals
Break down your performance – would it benefit more from weights or cardio? Compare this to your weaknesses and do which ever factor you identify first. For example, if you are a marathon runner who is not strong aerobically, then do the aerobic first; if you are a sumo wrestler who is weak anaerobically, then do the weights first.
Fat Loss
Do your weights first… Unless you are especially weak aerobically.
Health Orientated
Vary which one you do first 50/50. There are numerous health benefits from both types of training, and neither type of training is more important than the other.
