Mixing Cardio and Strength Training

The most commonly asked question related to working out is whether cardio and weight training can be done in a single session, if yes what should be the other.

Hence if you are one of them with the similar confusion, read on. According to American College of Sports Medicine people who do light or moderate intensity workout can incorporate both cardio and weight training in a single day. While doing this you wouldn’t be putting high pressure on your body, and you wouldn’t compromise on the benefits of both, also there wouldn’t be any serious risk of injury.

You can do 20 minutes of cardio followed by half an hour of weight training. Else you can do six exercises of strength training circuit without any rest to have your heart thumping.

There can be risk attached to doing cardio and strength on one day when you are involved with high intensity workout. Like you shouldn’t lift heavy weights after running on the treadmill for 10-12 miles. As after the high voltage run, our body needs some time for energy restoration, rebuilding any damaged tissue, recuperate the hormones, etc.

Your body naturally enters the repair mode after a highly intense session. If you start with another equally taxing session your body will enter the metabolic mode again; which can hamper recovery. You can follow a high intensity session with a lighter session though.

Coming to the second part of the question, you can do the exercise in any sequence, but the sequence you maintain for weight training should be followed in a particular manner. You should do the movements targeting bigger muscle groups first when it comes to working with weights.

Like work on quads before your abductors and you should do exercises which involve multiple joints before doing single joint moves like a bench press before bicep curl. Another very important question related to the one above is whether doing a lot of cardio burn the muscles developed?

If you get into an hour of high intensity cardio for 5-6 times a week, it can reduce the muscle glycogen. This is more common with people on a low carb diet, this condition can hamper muscle growth. Still if you maintain a healthy diet a vigorous cardio session won’t interfere with rise of muscle mass.