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Should You Do Cardio and Weights?

Should You Do Cardio and Weights?

Most experts recommend you do a combination of cardio and strength training as part of your exercise program. However, some caution that doing cardio can affect your strength training gains. So, which is it?

 

Should You Do Cardio and Weights?

One meta analysis set out to discover the impact of cardio on strength. The meta analysis compiled the results of 21 studies analyzing the impact of doing strength training and cardio (known as concurrent training) in the same program on a number of variables. Here are the main takeaways:

 

How to Structure a Program:

 

Conclusion:

Adding cardio to a strength training program will improve cardiovascular fitness and could decrease body fat. It also greatly improves your overall health. To minimize the overall negative impact of cardio on strength training, you should (1) cycle (2) or do high intensity interval training (3) for 20- 30 minutes a day (4) for 3 days a week or less. It may also be worth look at different workouts, similar to the spiderman workout, that provide both cardio and weight exercises! Good luck!

 

Citation:

Wilson, Jacob M., et al. “Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26.8 (2012): 2293-2307.

 

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