It’s important to build muscle strength not only for toning benefits, but to preserve bone mass as well. On the other hand, cardio is important for working the body’s most important muscle – the heart. If you have limited time to spend in the gym, which should you do first – cardio or strength training?

Cardio or Strength Training: Which Comes First?

If you want to get the most out your strength training workout, it’s best to start with it. Why? According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, muscles become fatigued during cardio training which makes it difficult to do an effective strength training workout. After testing the strength of older women after they had completed an aerobics session, they found their ability to perform strength movements was significantly reduced. This is hardly surprising since a good aerobics workout is tiring and can make strength exercises – particularly lower body ones – more challenging.

The other problem when it comes to cardio vs. strength training is it’s harder to focus when you’re tired after a cardio session. Strength training exercises require concentration to give each muscle the best workout possible. Few people have that kind of mental focus after a thirty minute cardio session. Do the workout that requires the most focus first – and then you can take a mindless jog around the track.

Cardio or Strength Training: Other Options

There are two other options when it comes to prioritizing cardio or strength training. You can do a circuit training workout by incorporating short periods of cardio into strength training sets. This works well for burning calories, but may give a less than optimal muscle building workout – so it’s better for toning than it is for building muscle. The other option is to do cardio and strength training on separate days so you can really focus in on each one.

Look at Your Individual Situation

When considering cardio vs. strength training, it’s important to decide which takes priority. Are you trying to lose a significant amount of weight? If so, aerobics should take precedence until you can shed some of the excess body fat. In that case, it’s best to start with cardio. If you’re more focused on building lean body mass, make strength training the first group of exercises you do – and save cardio for later.

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