The subject of whether a person should perform aerobic activity before or after a resistance training session is one that I am frequently asked and one that I have seen countless times on message boards all over the Internet.
Before continuing, I want to make it very clear that I believe everyone should exercise for 5 to 10 minutes using a cardiovascular activity of their choice before engaging in any workout, whether it be cardiovascular, resistance, or flexibility training. This is important for many reasons, including the fact that an appropriate, low-intensity aerobic activity will warm up the muscles, ligaments, joints, and tendons that will be used more intensely in the next workout schedule.
Cardiovascular exercise helps prepare the heart for an increased exertion, as well as slightly raise core temperature, circulation, and heart rate. It also improves lung function and helps you concentrate mentally on the approaching workout regimen. The significant reduction in injury risk is the key benefit of warming up with light intensity cardio. You are far more prone to sustain a muscle, joint, ligament, or tendon damage if the body is not sufficiently warmed up.
Reverting to the original query, should cardiovascular exercise be performed before or after a resistance training session? There is no one optimum solution in this situation; instead, you should consider your personal fitness objectives.
If your goal is to improve your cardiovascular health overall, your endurance, and stamina, I advise performing your cardio exercise before weightlifting and resistance training.
You can engage in more intense cardio, which may involve some intervals, where you really push up to your lactic acid threshold or VO2 max, by performing the cardio first, (after your 5-10 minute warm-up, of course).
After a weight training session, it is considerably less probable that you will be able to perform high-intensity cardiovascular exercises. Therefore, if your objective is to improve your cardiovascular fitness levels, you should engage in aerobic exercises before engaging in resistance training.
