Can you do cardio and strength training on the same day?
First things first: To achieve total body fitness that will make you stronger, healthier, and more energized, you should be incorporating both cardio and strength training into your workout regimen. So if it works best for your schedule to do them on the same day, you absolutely can. If you structure your workouts in an intelligent way, you can get the benefits of both. A study published last year in the journal Sports Medicine Open measured the cardiovascular endurance and strength performance of soccer players, half of whom structured their workouts with cardio before strength and half of whom did the opposite, and found equal improvements in both groups. If your weekly schedule accommodates just a few longer workouts as opposed to more shorter ones, or if you feel more accomplished and more satisfied with your workout if you’ve cycled through some muscle burn and some breathing heavy by the end of your session, you can—and should!—do cardio and strength training on the same day.
Not only can you do cardio and strength training on the same day, but you can also do them at the same time if you so choose. For example, the amp app includes HIIT, tabata, and endurance-based workouts designed to challenge your muscles and your cardiovascular system at the same time.
The case for cardio before strength
If your biggest fitness goal is improving your cardiovascular endurance or if you’re training for a race or other endurance-based event, you will likely want to do your cardio first. Whether you’re going for distance, speed, or effort, you’ll feel fresh and rested and able to push yourself harder. Likewise, if you’re someone who prefers strength training over cardio, it’s smart to get the cardio portion of your workout done first so you aren’t tempted to skip it or shorten it to carry on with your day since you’ve already completed your favorite part of the workout.
Doing cardio before strength training also doubles as a full-body, dynamic warm-up (or a warm-up that includes active movements as opposed to static stretches). This ensures that your muscles are warm and loose when it comes time to start strength training, which can lower your risk of injury. According to a review in Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, effective dynamic warm-ups reduce muscle strains, sprains, and overuse injuries compared to static stretching or no warm-up at all prior to a workout. Just remember, if you’re going for a run then planning to do some upper body lifting, make sure to warm up your arms and chest first. But if you’re hitting your butt and legs, you should be plenty ready to go.
The case for strength before cardio
Looking to maximize your muscular gains? You likely want to start with strength training before you do cardio. Provided you do complete a warm-up first, knocking out your reps before hitting your cardio can help you push yourself just a little harder, perhaps going for the heavier weights and feeling up for an extra set that you would have otherwise skipped if you did your strength training second.
Just as cardio can be an effective dynamic warm-up for strength training if you do it first, it can also be a form of active recovery if you do it second. Active recovery is considered any light activity done after a workout—and a review in the Strength and Conditioning Journal found that it can reduce muscle soreness and improve flexibility. Taking a few minutes to walk or jog before easing into your run? There’s your active recovery.
The case for splitting up cardio and strength training
The biggest drawback to doing cardio and strength training on the same day, especially if you are doing one and then the other, is that you are going to be fatigued from the first one by the time you reach the second modality. So if you push yourself through intervals while running or on the elliptical, you may end up doing fewer reps or using lighter resistance once you get to your strength training. Or if you work with weights first, you may find yourself running tight on time and cutting ten minutes from your dance cardio session.
Switching up the order can help prevent an imbalance in which you end up constantly working harder in one format than the other if you prefer to do them both on the same day. Or you can split them up, focusing on cardio in one exercise session and then zeroing in on strength training in your next. As we mentioned above, the most important factor in deciding how to structure your exercise regimen is whether or not it is going to work for you. After all, you aren’t going to see any benefits or changes if you don’t complete the workouts, so logging those reps or minutes in whatever way you can should take priority above all else.
Feel better than ever
There are plenty of people who prefer to split up their cardio and strength training, either by doing one and then the other on the same day or by alternating days, and these people are certainly getting stronger, fitter, and healthier. But here at amp, we prefer to combine our cardio and strength training into one killer workout that improves our cardiovascular and muscular endurance while growing and strengthening our muscles. To learn more about how you can do just that with the amp device, reserve yours today.