What each one does for you
Strength training and cardio both belong in a good program. Where most people get stuck is fitting the two together. It helps to know what each one actually gives you first.
What strength training gives you
- More muscle and more strength
- A higher metabolism and easier fat loss
- Stronger bones and healthier joints
- Better performance in sport
In an 8 month trial of overweight adults, the groups that lifted gained lean muscle, and the group that did both lifting and cardio lost fat and gained muscle at the same time (Willis et al., 2012).
What cardio gives you
- A stronger heart and lungs
- More endurance and stamina
- More calories burned and easier fat loss
- Lower risk of chronic disease
A large meta analysis found that people with better cardio fitness had a lower risk of heart disease and of dying early (Kodama et al., 2009).
Putting the two together
1. Pick your main goal
Fat loss, muscle gain or general fitness? Your answer decides how much of each you should be doing.
2. A sample training week
Here's a rough guide to how your week could look:
- For fat loss: 3 to 4 days of strength training plus 3 to 5 days of cardio
- For muscle growth: 4 to 5 days of strength training plus 2 to 3 days of light cardio
- For general fitness: 3 to 4 days of strength training plus 3 days of cardio
3. Which one goes first
If you do both in the same session, let your goal decide the order:
- If you want to build muscle, lift first and do your cardio after.
- If you're training for endurance, do cardio first and lift after.
4. HIIT or steady state cardio
Both work for fat loss. A review of trials in overweight adults found HIIT and steady state cardio cut body fat by about the same amount, but HIIT took about 40% less time (Wewege et al., 2017). Steady state cardio is easier to recover from, so it suits building endurance and lighter days.
5. Recover properly
Stack lifting and cardio without enough recovery and you'll end up overtrained. Cover the basics:
- Sleep 7 to 9 hours a night
- Put real rest days in your week
- Eat a balanced diet with enough protein
Two myths worth dropping
1. "Cardio kills your gains"
A 2022 meta analysis found that adding cardio to a lifting program didn't reduce muscle growth or max strength. It did blunt explosive strength a little, like jumping and sprinting (Schumann et al., 2022). So a sensible amount of cardio won't cost you muscle, as long as you're still lifting and eating well.
2. "Lifting doesn't help with fat loss"
It does help, just not on its own. In the trial above, cardio burned more fat than lifting did, but lifting was what added muscle (Willis et al., 2012). Keeping your muscle while you diet means more of the weight you lose comes from fat.
Adjust as you go
The right split depends on your goals and on what you enjoy enough to keep doing. Start with one of the sample weeks above, watch how your energy, strength and recovery hold up for a month, and shift the balance from there.
References
- Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, et al. (2012). Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults. Journal of Applied Physiology, 113(12):1831-7. PubMed
- Kodama S, Saito K, Tanaka S, et al. (2009). Cardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in healthy men and women: a meta-analysis. JAMA, 301(19):2024-35. PubMed
- Wewege M, van den Berg R, Ward RE, et al. (2017). The effects of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 18(6):635-646. PubMed
- Schumann M, Feuerbacher JF, Sünkeler M, et al. (2022). Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 52(3):601-612. PubMed
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