Getting active and making your body stronger through exercise and training will make you healthier and fit. However, it requires balancing many activities, like cardio, strength training, to get the results you want. However, many people wonder if these two should be separately done on different days of the week or if it is acceptable to combine them. Many points advocate for both sides, but it ultimately boils down to your fitness goals.

People mistakenly believe that all cardio is good for is burning fat and strength training only builds muscle, but it depends on the specific exercises you do. Combining the two can yield fantastic results, though you’ll have to consider a few things, like how your body feels and if you’re experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. Here’s what you need to know about combining cardio and strength training:

Why Bodybuilders Don’t Do Intense Cardio

You may be wondering why those with big muscles choose to walk slowly, albeit consistently, on a treadmill during their recovery or off-weights day. The reason is that bodybuilders prioritize their muscles, and intense cardio can tire them out more than they expect, preventing them from continuing their regular weight-lifting sessions the next day. Instead, steady-state cardio allows them to enjoy heart-pumping exercise benefits without requiring recovery.

Some research shows that low to moderate intensity workouts can also help you get back into the game faster since it pumps blood flow to damaged muscle tissue more quickly. If you’re hoping to be a bodybuilder, this is something you’ll want to consider.

When Should You Do Cardio?

If you’re feeling DOMS, that’s the best time to do some slow, consistent cardio training. It also helps to have a fitness watch to monitor your heart rate and ensure you fully recover between training sessions. You’ll also need to listen to your body, pay attention to signals, and look at what your fitness watch is recommending you to do. 

You don’t have to force yourself to complete a HIIT workout session after lifting weights or even the next day if your muscles still feel sore and exhausted. What you can do instead is to get on the treadmill and maintain a steady pace, below 80 percent of your heart rate. 

Building Strength and Doing Cardio

Meanwhile, if you want to build muscles and you’re performing cardio within six hours of lifting weights, then you may be compromising your strength gains. Given the different forms of exercises you’re doing, you’re confusing your body with several activation patterns. However, endurance cardio and similar intensity workouts can be taken to the next level by strength and power workouts. If your end-goal is to get bigger and stronger muscles, you’ll want to avoid combining cardio and strength training.

However, if you’re training for endurance, you can benefit from concurrent training, especially if you’re a regular exerciser whose goal is to maintain fitness. You can combine cardio and strength training just fine, which is also easier to carry out if you have a busy schedule that doesn’t allow several workouts a week. You can even try the high-low method, popularized by sprint coach Charlie Francis, where you’ll have days dedicated to high-intensity training like sprinting and Olympic lifting. You’ll also have days for low-intensity activities like tempo runs or lifting lighter weights.

Conclusion

Cardio and strength training offers many benefits, but they may not help you achieve your goals if you want to build massive muscle. The best way to approach it is to outline your goals and get a consultation from a personal fitness studio, guiding you on the best exercise regimen to help you achieve your dream body.

If you want to take your body to the next level, let us know at The Fit Factor! We are an exclusive, results-driven personal training studio in Wellesley. Our complimentary consultation and tailored programming will make sure that we create customized programs specific to your needs. Contact us today to book an appointment!