Cardio first or after weight training? Research reveals your choice of workout may affect how much fat you lose

A recent study revealed prioritising which exercise - weight training or cardio - helps enhancing fat loss. Let's find out which exercise you should do first.

Cardio first or weight training? Fitness enthusiasts have been debating over which exercise to do first for ages. While they may still not have answers, it seems research might finally be able to shed some light on the debate.

Do you do cardio first or weight training? Prioritising one exercise could impact how fast you lose weight. (Shutterstock)

In an April study published in the Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness, the order of your workout significantly affects how much fat you lose. They found that those who did weight training first before cardio significantly lost more fat. Moreover, they became physically more active throughout the day compared to those who did cardio first.

The study: Your workout affects how much fat you lose

The research studied 45 young men aged 18-30 years who were classified as obese. They divided the participants into three groups for 12 weeks and monitored their activities. One was a control group asked to continue with their usual lifestyle habits and with no changes to their exercise regimen.

People who lift weights first became physically more active throughout the day compared to those who did cardio first.

The other two groups exercised for 60 minutes three times a week and were given sports watches to monitor their daily movements. This helped the researchers avoid reliance on self-reporting, which can often be inaccurate. Both groups had identical training programmes, with the only difference being the exercise sequence.

Strength training involved actual weights, with participants performing exercises such as the bench press, deadlift, bicep curl and squat. The cardio sessions involved 30 minutes of stationary cycling. Meanwhile, the cardio-first group walked 1,600 steps, and the second group increased their daily step count by approximately 3,500 steps.

The result

Participants from both groups experienced improvements in their cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and body composition. They lost fat mass while gaining lean muscle mass. While cardiovascular fitness improvements were similar regardless of sequence, participants who lifted weights first experienced significantly greater reductions in overall body fat and visceral fat.

Why? The reason is that resistance training depletes muscle glycogen stores, or the sugar that’s stored in the muscles, which acts as your body’s quick-access fuel. When you lift weights first, you effectively drain this fuel tank, forcing your body to switch energy sources.

So, when you do cardio after lifting weights, your body relies on fat for energy. Thus leading to better fat loss.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.