The Great Debate: Which to do first, cardio or strength training?

Do you sometimes find it annoying when you ask a question, seeking a specific or definitive answer, and the response you get is, “It depends …”?

That seems to happen to me often. When I’m looking for an answer to a question, I usually want an answer, not a menu of options (although that is sometimes a plus to have).

When it comes to the long-debated topic of which should you do first, cardio exercise or strength training when doing both in a workout, the most common answer starts with, “It depends …”

In this case, I have to agree with that response!

Answering the “cardio or strength training first” debate does depend … it depends on what your personal fitness goals are. But even with that non-committal start, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) offers a public response to the debate with some greater clarity after starting with an “it depends.”

Because it does depend.

According to ACE, it depends as follows:

• • If your goal is better endurance, do cardio before weights.
  • If your goal is burning fat and losing weight, do cardio after weights.
  • If you want to get stronger, do cardio after weights.
  • On upper-body strength training days, you can do either first.
  • On lower-body strength training days, do cardio after weights.
  • If your goal is just general fitness, do either first, but maybe start with the one you like less.

That’s generally the coaching I’ve provided to my Personal Training clients over the years. I won’t take the time here to explain the reasoning for the above recommendations, and even with all the reasoning, you can find studies and advocates for and against just about every view, but after all of that, most fitness professionals will conclude with the advice ACE offers as shared above.

That’s because whether you should do cardio or strength training first really does depend on what your personal exercise goals are.

Scotty