• MyEVO
    • FAQ
    • Insurance refund
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    Million-dollar Question: Cardio Before or After Workout?Million-dollar Question: Cardio Before or After Workout?Million-dollar Question: Cardio Before or After Workout?Million-dollar Question: Cardio Before or After Workout?
    • What is Evo
      • What is Evo
      • Philosophy
      • EVO Manifesto
      • EVO Academy
      • EVOMOVE
    • Training
      • Training
      • Personal Training
    • CLUBS
      • EVO Basel
      • EVO Bern
      • EVO Fribourg
      • EVO Geneva Acacias
      • EVO Geneva Eaux-Vives CEVA
      • EVO Geneva Rue de Lausanne
      • EVO Lucerne
      • EVO Zurich Enge
      • EVO Zurich Oerlikon
      • EVO Zurich Schaffhauserstrasse
    • Blog
    • Join now
    • Free trial
    EN
    • FR
    • DE
    ✕

    Million-dollar Question: Cardio Before or After Workout?

    20th January 2021
    Cardio vor oder nach dem eigentlichen Workout - Cardio avant ou après l'entraînement - Cardio before or after workout - EVO Fitness

    Should you do your cardio before or after workout time? Like the most awkward Facebook relationship status of them all: it’s complicated.

    Some people slip in their cardio before their workout, many do it after, and some do it smack in the middle. What matters is that you do it at all – studies have shown that aerobic exercise (meaning, any activity “with oxygen”) is the single most important component in training.

    Continuous activities such as running, cycling, climbing, rowing or swimming at a moderate to high level, maintained for at least half-an-hour, three to seven days a week, deliver all kinds of benefits:

    • It improves cardiovascular health, lessening the risk of heart disease.
    • You get a buzzy mood-booster, thanks to feel-good chemicals (endorphins) triggered by heart-rate-increasing cardio. This positive feeling can last up to 24 hours, like a natural antidepressant.
    • A 30-minute cardio session can burn hundreds of calories and aid in weight loss.

    So now you know you should do cardio, the question is when? What will work best for you depends on your training goals. Meaning, there’s no easy anwser on the already famous debate: cardio before or after workout?

    Join EVO Fitness

    Cardio Before or After Workout?

    To increase general performance:

    Do cardio first and strength later

    A recent study in Sports Medicine analysed the difference between doing cardio before or after workout time and its effects on endurance, strength and recovery. The results showed that a morning cardio session with strength training later on was best for improving your fitness. For example, if you’re doing HIIT in the morning, wait at least six hours before hitting the weights. It gives your muscles time to get back to full function, meaning you’re less likely to plateau, burn-out or injure yourself.

    To increase strength, muscle mass or power:

    Do weight training first and cardio after

    It’s pretty straightforward: lifting is hard. You need all the energy you can muster to lift and shift weights without injuring yourself. When you’re sweaty and fatigued from a cardio session, your brain and body power is compromised and you’re unable to perform strength-building movements to your best ability. Science, as always, backs us up on this. Researchers found that cycling or running before a strength workout limited the number of weight-lifting reps exercisers could perform.

    The absolute best case scenario? Perform cardio and weight training on different days.

    There’s no reason you can’t do cardio and weights in the same workout session, or split a training session into two on the same day. But mixing up your weight training and cardio sessions throughout the week gives your body the space and energy to adapt to one specific way of moving at a time. It pretty much completely prevents any negative interaction between the two – giving your muscles time to mend after lifting or cardio and your body time to fully recover.

    No matter which way you lay things out – doing cardio before or after workout time – the bottom line is that you do need to get a regular plan going. Maximise your exercise by working with one of our personal trainers – experts in progressive and playful functional fitness.

    Share
    0

    Recent Posts

    full-body Tabata workout
    27th June 2022

    Workout of the week: 20-min full-body Tabata workout


    Read more
    functional full-body workout
    20th June 2022

    Workout of the week: 25-min functional full-body workout


    Read more
    dynamic workout
    15th June 2022

    Dynamic warm-up: Definition, benefits and routine


    Read more

    Recent Posts

    • Workout of the week: 20-min full-body Tabata workout

      Workout of the week: 20-min full-body Tabata workout

      27th June 2022
    • Workout of the week: 25-min functional full-body workout

      Workout of the week: 25-min functional full-body workout

      20th June 2022
    • Dynamic warm-up: Definition, benefits and routine

      Dynamic warm-up: Definition, benefits and routine

      15th June 2022
    • Workout of the week: 30-min full-body strength workout

      Workout of the week: 30-min full-body strength workout

      13th June 2022
    • Workout of the week: Full-body workout for time

      Workout of the week: Full-body workout for time

      6th June 2022

    EVO SWITZERLAND

    Address of Central Office
    Lifestyle Concept AG
    EVO Fitness Switzerland
    Seestrasse 97, CH-8942 Oberrieden
    Phone French Area: +41 78 657 00 27
    Email French Area: info.fr@evofitness.ch
    Phone German Area: +41 78 750 00 07
    Email German Area: info.de@evofitness.ch

    MEMBERS

    • MyEVO
    • FAQ
    • Insurance refund
    • Careers
    • Contact Us

    DON’T MISS OUT ON OUR NEWS!

    Subscribe to EVO's Newsletter full of training tips, workout plans, event invitations and exclusive offers.

    I agree to the processing and storage of my personal data in order to receive EVO’s communications.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    © EVO Fitness, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
    EN
    • EN
    • FR
    • DE
    • MyEVO
    • FAQ
    • Insurance refund
    • Careers
    • Contact Us