Should I do cardio or strength training first to lose weight?

Author: Eddie O'Hara  |  Last update: Sunday, May 11, 2025

One small study found doing weights before cardio burned more fat. In another small study, researchers found that doing strength training first increased heart rate more than doing cardio first (in the same workout). So, starting your workouts with strength training could help you burn more calories.

Should you do cardio or weights first for fat loss?

In order to do this, you must burn off your glycogen stores first. When you weight-train, you typically use glycogen as fuel. By doing weight-training first, you can burn the majority of your glycogen stores. Knocking out your cardio after you crush the weights will burn more fat!

Which is the correct order to perform a workout?

There are 3 parts of a Work-out, followed in the this order: You ALWAYS Warm-Up first, typically, low intensity cardio. 2nd comes the Workout, typically Anaerobic exercises such as strength, speed, and/or power training first, followed by Aerobic Endurance exercise such as cardio exercises.

Should I lose weight first then strength train?

It's best to start with strength training before cardio for weight loss. This approach maximizes muscle engagement during strength exercises and allows you to burn more calories during cardio. Explore my Quora Profile for more fitness tips!

What is the 3/2/1 rule in gym?

What is the 3-2-1 method of working out? The 3-2-1 refers to your weekly split of workouts - three strength training sessions, two Pilates sessions, and one cardio session. All up, that's six sessions per week, leaving you one full rest day, too.

Cardio Before or After Weights to Burn Fat Fast | Cardio before or after lifting | Weight Training

What is the 70 30 rule gym?

Shifting stubborn fat comes down to the 70/30 rule: only 30% comes from exercise whereas 70% comes from making changes to what you eat. It is the most important factor in a shredding fat.

What is the 80 20 rule at the gym?

The 80/20 rule simply means: 80% of the effects come from 20% of the things u do. 20% from exercise. It isn't just about the weight loss but actually about the fat loss and muscle gain.

Is doing cardio after lifting bad?

In fact, newer studies have shown quite the opposite could be true: cardio doesn't inhibit muscle gain and may even help it. “In recent years, the body of research evidence indicates that doing concurrent training does not interfere with hypertrophy following resistance training,” Rosenkranz says.

Should I lose belly fat before building muscle?

If you're starting out with an already high body fat percentage, you'll want to shed the excess body fat before you bulk. This is because some fat gain is inevitable during a bulking phase, and an excessively high body fat percentage comes with a host of health risks.

What is a good workout schedule for weight loss?

Example 1: Weekly Workout Schedule for Weight Loss
  • Monday: Cardio.
  • Tuesday: Strength Training (upper body)
  • Wednesday: Cardio.
  • Thursday: Strength Training (lower body)
  • Friday: Rest.
  • Saturday: Cardio.
  • Sunday: Active Recovery.
  • Monday: Strength Training (chest, shoulders, triceps)

Which muscles should not be trained together?

One of the biggest mistakes made by gym goers is training two big muscle groups in the same training session. Combining leg and back exercises, for example, requires a lot of energy and puts pressure on the nervous system.

What is the best order for weight training?

Answer: The conventional theory is to lift larger muscle groups and then smaller groups. For example, bench press then triceps press-downs. The rationale is that you use triceps for both bench and press-downs, but you also use chest and shoulders for bench.

Is 30 minutes of cardio after weights good?

Doing a cardio workout after weight training is ideal if you want to lose fat and get stronger.

What exercise burns the most belly fat?

Aerobic exercise includes any activity that raises your heart rate such as walking, dancing, running or swimming. This can also include doing housework, gardening and playing with your children. Other types of exercise such as strength training, Pilates and yoga can also help you lose belly fat.

How to combine cardio and strength training for weight loss?

Example exercise routines combining strength training and cardio
  1. Monday: Walk for 30 minutes throughout the day, and do 30 minutes of the cardio exercise of your choice.
  2. Tuesday: Do an hour of weight lifting or resistance band work, and incorporate 30 minutes of walking into your day.

Should I lift weights every day to lose weight?

Combined with a healthy diet, light weight training daily will help you lose weight and gain lean muscle mass. At the same time, incorporating rest days is an important part of your fitness routine. Be strategic with your weight lifting and rest periods for optimal results.

How to lose 10 pounds in a month without cardio?

Cutting and Losing Weight Without Cardio
  1. Keeping your caloric intake down. ...
  2. Avoiding processed carbs. ...
  3. Avoid saturated and trans fat. ...
  4. Keep your protein intake up. ...
  5. Lifting weights for cutting. ...
  6. Upping reps and dropping rest periods.

Is 30 minutes of cardio a day enough?

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that adults should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity 5 days per week OR engage in 20-minutes of vigorous activity 3 days per week.

Is it better to do strength or cardio first?

If you want to increase your endurance, do cardio before weights. If you want to build muscle strength, do weights before cardio. If you want to improve your overall fitness, you can do either cardio or weights first.

Is doing cardio every day bad?

Doing light to moderate cardio daily is a great place to start if you want to increase overall fitness, improve heart health, and decrease your risk of all-cause morbidity. Research suggests that one of the best ways to reduce your risk of all-cause mortality is to walk 10,000 steps a day.

Should I do incline walk before or after a workout?

With lifting as your priority, it makes sense to do it first followed by 25-30 minutes of cardio if you have time, according to Calliet. He recommends choosing cardio that will fire up your muscles, like incline walking, the stairmill, or the elliptical with a challenging level of resistance.

What is the 2 2 2 rule in gym?

The rule that both NSCA and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend is the “2-for-2 rule.” After a few workout sessions, you can increase the weight for a certain exercise once you can perform two more repetitions beyond your repetition goal for the last set for two weeks in a row.

What is the number one rule in the gym?

1: Rerack your weights. This is the most fundamental rule of gym etiquette. Leaving the plates on a barbell after you finish your sets forces the person after you to waste time and energy and is just plain annoying.

What is the 30 60 90 rule gym?

The 30-60-90 interval training workout consists of three sets with three intervals. The first set includes three intervals of 30 seconds, followed by three intervals of 60 seconds and three intervals of 90 seconds. After each interval, rest for the length of the interval.

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