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Last Updated: December 19th, 2024 at 12:01 am
Many of you reading this are already in some habit of doing some sort of cardio regularly
Whether it be walking, running, cycling, or swimming, most of us find enough time to do something daily
For those who are really trying to do the best for their bodies, there is also a need to make time for weight lifting and cross training
So when you have 2 different workouts to fit in a day, which comes first?
There is one main thing to consider: fatigue
Whichever workout comes second during the day, you’ll be doing in some degree of a fatigued state
For most of us, the priority is a good performance in running, cycling, or swimming
So it would be preferred to perform those activities when you’re fresh and energized
Saving the lift or cross training for afterwards
Also, doing weight training in a fatigued state, improves your ability to recruit more muscle fibers while fatigued
However, this concept of training in a pre-fatigued state can go both ways
You can lift or even perform another type of exercise before your run and train your run in a pre-fatigued state
Helping you practice running on tired legs
Running pre-fatigued is common in triathlon training
A ‘brick run’ is a run that occurs immediately after you ride your bike
This gives you practice running with tired legs
Just like you’d be doing for a triathlon race
So, frustratingly, the answer of whether or not you should lift or run first is: it depends on your goals
Typically, when I answer this question for my patients, the running is king and performing well on the run is most important
That’s why, in general, I advise my people to lift AFTER they run
Happy runnin then lifting