Should I Lift or Run First?
It's a common question among exercisers: "Should I lift weights before or after my cardio session?"
The best solution is actually to do them on separate days. This allows your body to be fresh for both the weightlifting and the cardio, thus allowing you to give your maximum effort on each. However, due to work and/or family schedules, not everyone has the luxury of being able to work out 5-7 days a week.
So, if you must combine strength training and cardio training on the same day, you should lift weights first. Doing your strength exercises first ensures that you have the most energy and are able to execute all your lifts with perfect form and maximum effort. The last thing you want to do is wear yourself out on the treadmill, then not be able to lift heavy enough or long enough to produce any real muscle development.
So, keep your strength training relatively short but effective (about 30-45 minutes). Then, follow with a 15-20 minute cardio session. Try to keep your total workout time under 90 minutes, preferably under 60 even. Otherwise, you could risk pushing your body back into a catabolic state. In this state, the body starts breaking down muscle tissue to fuel your cardio session, thus negating the effects of the strength training you just coimpleted.
Keeping things relatively short and intense will ensure your body stays in an anabolic, or muscle-building, state, so you can reap the benefits of your double-duty workout.
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