Which should I do first; cardio or weights?

Both cardio and weights are crucial for achieving a well-rounded, healthy body, and each serves a unique purpose in your fitness journey. Here's how they interact at the cellular level and how you can maximize their benefits by combining both:

Strength Training First (Weights):

When you start with strength training (weights), your muscles go into a state of hypertrophy, which is the process of muscle growth. During strength training, the muscle fibers experience micro-tears and are placed under oxidative stress. This breakdown of muscle cells is a natural part of the muscle-building process, and once the cells repair, they grow back stronger and more resilient.

• Cellular Impact: The body responds to the stress of lifting weights by triggering cellular repair mechanisms. These cells grow back bigger and stronger as part of the recovery process. However, this breakdown needs adequate oxygen and nutrients to fully repair and regenerate.

Cardio for Cellular Repair and Oxygenation:

On the other hand, cardio (aerobic exercise) works differently. Cardio increases oxygen intake, which helps improve blood flow and circulation throughout the body. The increased oxygen supply helps carry vital nutrients to the cells, facilitating faster repair and recovery.

• Cellular Impact: Cardiovascular exercises stimulate the body’s endurance systems and promote better oxygen delivery to cells. This not only aids in recovery after strength training but also helps reduce the fatigue caused by muscle breakdown. By doing cardio on alternate days, you give your cells the ability to restore oxygen levels and optimize their performance.

Balancing Both for Optimal Health:

• Hypertrophy and Oxygenation: Both strength and cardio exercises affect your cells in different, complementary ways. Strength training creates oxidative stress that leads to muscle breakdown and repair, while cardio improves oxygen delivery to the muscles, speeding up recovery. To keep your muscles healthy, both strength and cardio are essential, as you need both stored strength and proper oxygen levels for your cells to function at their best.

• Alternating for Maximum Recovery: Ideally, if you train intensely with weights one day, incorporate cardio the next to enhance oxygen flow and recovery. Alternating these two types of workouts ensures that your muscles receive the necessary oxygen and nutrients to repair efficiently and grow stronger over time.

Conclusion:

Both cardio and strength training are important. Strength training puts your muscles into hypertrophy, creating oxidative stress and stimulating cell repair, while cardio enhances the oxygenation of these cells, helping them repair and regenerate faster. To maintain a healthy and balanced body composition, combining both types of exercise on alternate days or within the same workout is the most effective strategy for overall health, muscle growth, and recovery.

A well-structured program that includes both strength and cardio will give your cells what they need: the strength from muscle-building and the oxygen from cardiovascular fitness to keep your body in top condition.