A Gym routine It has to be balanced and perfectly focused on the goals and health of the person who is going to practice it. That’s why here we explain in detail how to combine cardio with weights.
1. Define your main objectives
Before you start balancing cardio and weights, the most important thing is to be clear about what your goals are. Are you looking to lose weight, gain muscle, improve your endurance, or simply stay fit? Setting clear goals will help you structure your routine more effectively.
Cardio plays an important role in weight loss as it helps you burn calories. However, combining it with weights is crucial because strength training increases muscle mass, which in turn speeds up your metabolism.
If you’re looking to gain muscle mass, weightlifting should be your priority. But including cardio in smaller amounts will help you maintain good cardiovascular health and improve recovery between strength sessions.
Finally, if you want to improve your endurance, cardio is the best option, but including weights is also essential to strengthen muscles and prevent injuries. A strong body better withstands intense cardio sessions, whether it is running, swimming or cycling.
2. Alternate cardio and weight training sessions
A simple and effective way to balance cardio and weight training is to alternate training days. That is, you can dedicate certain days to cardio exercises, such as running, swimming or cycling, and other days to strength training by lifting weights.
For example, you might have a five-day-a-week training schedule that looks like this:
- Monday: Weights (full body or upper body focused workout).
- Tuesday: cardio (running, cycling, swimming).
- Wednesday: Weights (focus on lower body).
- Thursday: cardio (High intensity training (HIIT) or low intensity training).
- Friday: weights (complete strength training).
This way, you allow different energy and muscle systems to work on alternate days, giving each body part enough time to recover. This approach is great for avoiding muscle exhaustion and reducing the risk of injury.
3. Combine both in one session
If you don’t have that much time available or prefer more complete workouts in each session, another option is to combine cardio and weights in a solo workout. You can split your session into two parts: start with weights and then move on to cardio, or vice versa, depending on your priorities.
For example, if you want to focus more on gaining strength and muscle mass, start with weight lifting. By doing so, you will use your energy stores (muscle glycogen) optimally for heavy lifts. Once you have completed the strength portion, you can finish the session with a moderate cardio routine, such as running on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes or cycling.
On the other hand, if your goal is to improve cardiovascular endurance or burn more calories, you can start with a higher intensity cardio session and then move on to a lower intensity weight training workout. This combination is ideal if you are looking to maintain a good balance between the two types of training without compromising your goals.
4. Prioritize training according to your needs
When combining cardio and weights in the same session, it’s important to decide what your priority is. If your focus is on gaining muscle mass, make sure weights are the first part of your routine so you can put all your energy into lifting maximum weight with good technique. At the end, you can do a moderate or light cardio session to complement your training.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to improve your cardiovascular capacity or burn more fat, you can start with cardio and then move on to lighter weights. This approach is ideal for those looking to improve endurance or those who prioritize calorie burning. Plus, doing cardio first can act as a great warm-up before lifting weights.
In short, having a Gym routine Getting it right for you isn’t always easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. All you need to do is correctly combine all the necessary elements based on your goals. If you’re interested, we can help you.
