Cardio before or after strength training can be beneficial if you want to gain strength and stay fit. Cardio improves your fitness and supports your cardiovascular health, while strength training remains the foundation for muscle building and strength. Research generally shows that you can effectively maintain muscle growth and maximal strength if you plan the combination wisely, although your explosiveness (the ability to produce force quickly) may be more sensitive when you do everything close together ( Schumann et al., 2022 ). Therefore, the timing is less about "is it allowed?" and more about: how to ensure your strength session remains effective, and how much cardio suits your goal (weight loss, fitness, or health) ( Eddens et al., 2018 ; Jayedi et al., 2024 ).
Why you should do cardio in addition to strength training
Many strength athletes only take cardio seriously when they want Losing weight. That's understandable, but the picture is broader. Cardio is essentially Conditioning training. Better condition can help you perform your sets and your you can better maintain your total training, you recover faster between efforts and that your training remains more consistent over weeks and months. In an RCT in which strength training, cardio and the combination were compared, the combination showed also see favorable changes in cardiovascular risk factors ( Schroeder et al., 2019 ).
Then there is another concept that is often confused explained: the interference effect . Simply put: if you do a lot of cardio and combines a lot of strength training, it can be part of your slightly slow down strength or power development. The general line from meta-analyses is reassuring: for muscle growth and maximum strength the differences are usually small , especially if your program is logically structured ( Schumann et al., 2022 ). Where it often hurts is with explosive power and with programs in which cardio and strength are placed very close together, with little break or recovery ( Schumann et al., 2022 ).
Cardio before strength training or cardio after strength training
The most important question is: what do you want to protect in your training? If your strength training is the main component (muscle growth or strength become), then you mainly want your heaviest sets to remain technically good and that you have enough strength to do your training as planned. In an acute RCT was performance during strength training worse when cardio was done first? done ( Ratamess et al., 2016 ). That doesn't mean you can't make progress make if you sometimes do cardio before strength, but it does make it more likely that you do fewer repetitions in that session, use less weight or feels “empty” faster.
In the long term, the picture is more nuanced. A systematic review with meta-analysis on the order within the same session showed that strength training followed by cardio was more beneficial for (with name) dynamic force in the lower body than vice versa, while there is no there was a clear difference in muscle growth, fitness (VO₂max) or fat percentage ( Eddens et al., 2018 ). Also an RCT comparing HIIT and strength training on the same were done daily (with several hours in between) and found no clear differences in strength, lean body mass or fitness, although some power outcomes may could differ ( Lee et al., 2020 ).
If you translate this into practice, it often comes down to this down: plan the most important part of your training at the time you are freshest . For many strength athletes, that's strength training. That's why Is cardio after strength training usually the most logical order?
How to Lose Weight with Strength Training and Cardio
Losing weight is ultimately about energy balance. Training helps, but it does not replace a proper diet. What training can do do: increase your energy consumption, make yourself fitter and improve your muscle mass maintain while you want to lose fat.
In a recent meta-analysis (≥10 weeks), cardio and also the combination of cardio + strength on average to more fat mass loss than strength training alone ( Lafontant et al., 2025 ). At the same time the same analysis also shows that some of the differences are becoming smaller when the total training load is compared more fairly between groups. That is an important nuance: “more results” often come because there is simply more total training stimulus is done.
A second important conclusion comes from dose-response data: in adults with overweight/obesity you see significant decreases in weight and fat mass especially from about 150 minutes per week moderate intensive cardio (with additional gains towards 300 minutes per week ) ( Jayedi et al., 2024 ). For a fanatic strength athlete, this does not have to be the case to be standard, but it does make it clear that two short cardio sessions per week can sometimes be too little if fat loss is really the main goal.
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Why cardio after strength training is often helpful
Cardio after strength training is often helpful because you strength session "secures". You start with the part that demands the most from technique, focus and strength. Then you can do your cardio at a pace that suits you with your day.
Research primarily supports the idea that distance in time between strength and cardio can be important. In a large meta-analysis, the flattening in explosive power greater when cardio and strength are in the same session with a short break were done (≤20 minutes), compared with programs with multiple hours in between (≥3 hours) ( Schumann et al., 2022 ). And in an RCT with rugby players, the outcome was more favorable when strength and HIIT were separated by 24 hours, compared to shorter recovery periods ( Robineau et al., 2016 ).
The type of cardio can also play a role. If you do a lot of heavy If you do leg training, running can cause additional “muscle damage” and fatigue. In a meta-analysis at muscle fiber level showed running to be less beneficial than cycling for certain fiber growth, although the practical impact remains dependent on your total program ( Lundberg et al., 2022 ). That is why many strength athletes choose prefer to combine for cycling or another low-impact option, especially around heavy lower-body days.
How long should you do cardio after strength training?
There isn't one perfect duration. The best choice depends on your goal and how much you already train.
If your goal is primarily health and basic fitness , then a moderate amount of cardio fits well alongside strength training. In RCTs with combined programs you see beneficial effects on risk factors for cardiovascular disease and vascular health ( Schroeder et al., 2019 ). In such a scenario you can do cardio strength training often planned in such a way that it remains feasible, without you strength progression structurally collapses.
If your goal is mainly to lose weight , then your total weekly duration. Dose-response data show that 150 minutes per week is moderate intensive can be an important turning point, with additional profit towards 300 minutes per week ( Jayedi et al., 2024 ). That doesn't mean everyone should do, but it helps to stay realistic: for clear fat loss Cardio volume often needs to be substantial, and you need to be able to handle that volume to persevere.
If your goal is mainly to improve your fitness without spending a lot of time , then some athletes opt for short, intensive intervals (HIIT). An RCT HIIT cycling after strength training showed that you can improve your fitness without any clear disadvantages for strength and muscle growth, although power outcomes can be more sensitive (Tsitkanou et al., 2017). These kinds of choices work especially well when monitoring your recovery time and total load.
One practical rule that fits well with research: When strength and muscle growth are your priority, it's often smarter to do cardio after strength training or at any other time of the day, and to keep your cardio as to plan your strength sessions to ensure they remain of high quality ( Eddens et al., 2018 ; Schumann et al., 2022 ).
Conclusion: Why should you do cardio before or after strength training?
Cardio before or after strength training is not a “good or bad” "wrong" question. It's about priorities and planning. The evidence usually shows that you can maintain muscle growth and maximum strength well when you do cardio and strength training is combined sensibly, but that explosive power and session quality may be more sensitive if you do cardio right before heavy training does or if you pile everything on without recovery ( Schumann et al., 2022 ; Ratamess et al., 2016 ). For many strength athletes, cardio after strength training works best: You keep your most important work focused and build up your fitness in a way that suits you can be sustained in the long term ( Eddens et al., 2018 ; Jayedi et al., 2024 ).
Reference list
Eddens, L., van Someren, K., & Howatson, G. (2018). The role of intra-session exercise sequence in the interference effect: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 48 , 177–188. Click here
Jayedi, A., et al. (2024). Aerobic exercise and weight loss in adults: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open . Click here
Lafontant, K., et al. (2025). Comparison or competitor, resistance, or aerobic training on body fat loss: A systematic review and meta analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition . Click here
Lee, MJC, et al. (2020). Order or same-day competitor training influences some indices of power development, but not strength, lean mass, or aerobic fitness in healthy, moderately active men after 9 weeks of workout. PLOS ONE, 15 (5), e0233134. Click here
Lundberg, T.R., Feuerbacher, J.F., Sünkeler, M., & Schumann, M. (2022). The effects of concurrent aerobic and strength training on muscle fiber hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine . Click here
Ratamess, N.A., et al. (2016). Acute resistance exercise performance is negatively impacted by prior aerobic endurance exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30 (10), 2667–2681. Click here
Robineau, J., et al. (2016). Specific training effects of concurrent aerobic and strength exercises depend on recovery duration. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30 (3), 672–683. Click here
Schroeder, E.C., Franke, W.D., Sharp, R.L., & Lee, D.-C. (2019). Comparative effectiveness of aerobic, resistance, and combined training on cardiovascular disease risk factors: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE, 14 (1), e0210292. Click here
