Anyone who practices physical activity knows that cardio exercises are as important as warming up. But just as important as practicing them is doing it the right way. We risk a lot when we play sports, because the body can suffer if the steps are not followed properly. The consequences of making mistakes are diverse, ranging from the ineffectiveness of the exercise performed, to the risk of suffering an injury or exposing ourselves to overexertion that is dangerous for our health. The Are cardio exercises before or after lifting weights? Lets go see it.
Do you want to learn everything about cardio exercises and discover when is the most appropriate time to do them? From today you will be an expert in this matter. Because contrary to what your common sense may have told you, the order does matter, because in this aspect, the order of the factors can alter the result.
What are cardio exercises
The cardio exercises or cardiovascular are called that because when doing them they raises heart rate. By increasing the heartbeat, breathing also accelerates. The objective of these exercises is to improve resistance.
With correct cardio, you will have more endurance to exercise and what you do will be more effective because your muscles will be more receptive to the stimulus.
Despite their importance, cardio exercises are very common, because they are activities as simple and common as go up or down stairs, correr, dance, do squats and, ultimately, any activity that involves physical effort that involves acceleration of heart rate.
Cardio exercises involve activating the skeleton, with its set of muscles, and sweating profusely. However, and although they are not suitable for the lazy, doing this training has its rewards and provides health benefits, as we will see later.
When should you do cardio
The question that concerns us in this article is when to do the cardio exercises if we dedicate ourselves to weights. Is it preferable to do the cardio first or do the weight sessions come first?
Let's start from the basis that weights constitute a strength exercise, are we clear up to this point? Personal trainers really like lifting weights and it is one of the most applied fitness routines because, for the physical exercise to be complete, it must include strength exercises and exercises that make the heart work.
You would be surprised to know that even people who have been practicing for a long time and should be experts in the field, are doing it the wrong way. The first question that we must resolve for you, in case you were not clear either, is that when we talk about the aerobic exercises, we are referring to cardio.
Cardio or aerobic exercises should last for a long time and put large muscle groups to work. They must be constant and repeated movements over time. In order not to get tired, because motivation is essential, since without consistency there will be no results, you can choose which cardio exercise to practice. Choose the one you like the most: running, dancing, swimming, spinning or the one that you find most entertaining.
The ideal time to practice it is just before doing weights. Your body will have been activated to put each muscle to work when you pick up the weights and, apart from toning your muscles, you will have gained enough energy to cope with this weight routine.
Now you know if it is preferable cardio before or after weights. And another advantage is that, both cardio activity and weight training, you can do them at home if you don't want to pay a gym fee or are too lazy to travel. That is, you have no excuses not to play sports and take care of your muscles.
Improve endurance, lose weight or gain muscle?
We have seen that it is advisable to do cardio exercises first and later do the weights. Now, this must be qualified. As a general rule, when we lift weights we want to gain resistance. But if what we are pursuing is to lose weight or increase muscle mass, then it may be better for us to do it the other way around, that is, first do the weights and then do the cardio exercises.
Why does cardio exercise after lifting weights help you lose weight?
If you would like to lose weight, first do weights and then do cardio. This is because when doing strength activity, your body will burn carbohydrates, depleting its glycogen reserves. Without glycogen, you will have no choice but to draw on fat reserves for energy. By burning fat we lose weight. It's that simple.
Benefits of cardio exercises
We have resolved the doubt of before or after lifting weights for cardio exercises But, regardless of when you do them, what matters is that doing them will provide important benefits to your health:
- Aerobic exercises help burn fat and lose weight.
- They increase muscle mass.
- They improve resistance.
- Protects heart health, reducing blood pressure.
- Strengthens the immune system by increasing the flow of white blood cells.
- Prevents obesity, because the body will be burning calories for longer, even at rest.
- Helps release stress and control anxiety.
- Controls cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
- If you do cardio exercises you will sleep better.
The benefits of joining the cardio trend are many. Whether you do weight training, just try it, or prefer another type of exercise, aerobic activity is very healthy and will help you feel better physically and emotionally.
At the gym or at home
It is also not necessary to go to a gym to do cardio exercises or weight exercises. You can do them at home, guided by a personal trainer or at your own pace, just being aware that you are practicing it well and constantly.
We wanted to answer the question of whether the cardio exercises are before or after lifting weights. Although the answer depends on the objectives pursued.