Fitness experts recommend weights before cardio

Prioritizing weightlifting ensures your muscles have access to their primary and most immediate energy source, glycogen. Performing cardio first depletes these stores, which can limit the number of repetitions you can perform and reduce muscle power during your subsequent lifting session. A study in *The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research* confirmed this, finding that participants who ran or cycled before lifting weights completed fewer reps than when they lifted without prior cardio. This is because lifting is an anaerobic activity, relying on short, intense bursts of energy, while cardio is primarily aerobic, using a steady supply of oxygen. From a hormonal perspective, resistance training triggers the release of anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone, which are crucial for muscle repair and growth. Engaging in intense cardio beforehand may lead to fatigue, potentially compromising the form and intensity needed to stimulate this optimal hormonal response. However, the ideal order ultimately depends on your primary fitness goal. If your main objective is to improve cardiovascular endurance for a race, performing cardio first on fresh legs is more beneficial. For general fitness, either order is acceptable, but for strength and muscle gains, weights should come first. Interestingly, doing cardio after weights can also enhance fat burning. Since weight training depletes glycogen, your body is more likely to tap into fat stores for energy during the post-lift cardio session. One study noted that this approach burns more fat at the beginning of the cardio workout compared to starting with cardio. For those looking to maximize both strength and endurance, some experts recommend separating the two types of workouts by at least 24 hours. This allows for full recovery and enables you to give maximum effort to each session, which research suggests could lead to greater fat loss compared to doing both in the same session.