Concurrent Training: Should You Gym or Run First?

Should I gym or run first?

The optimal sequence for combining strength training and cardiovascular exercise within a single session depends primarily on your specific fitness goals, energy levels, and the intensity of each component.

Understanding Concurrent Training

Concurrent training refers to the practice of performing both resistance training and aerobic exercise within the same training cycle, often within the same workout session. While highly effective for overall fitness, the order in which these modalities are performed can significantly impact adaptations, performance, and recovery. Understanding the physiological interplay between strength and endurance is key to optimizing your training.

The Case for Strength Training First

Prioritizing strength training before cardiovascular exercise is often recommended for individuals whose primary goals revolve around muscle building, strength gains, or power development.

• Physiological Rationale:

  • Maximal Performance: Strength and power exercises demand high levels of neuromuscular coordination and readily available ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and phosphocreatine. Performing these while fresh ensures optimal force production and technique.
  • Glycogen Stores: Strength training heavily relies on muscle glycogen. If you perform intense cardio first, you deplete these stores, potentially compromising your strength performance and the quality of your lifts.
  • Neuromuscular Fatigue: Intense cardiovascular exercise can induce central and peripheral fatigue, which may impair your ability to recruit motor units effectively and maintain proper form during complex lifts, increasing injury risk.

• Specific Benefits:

  • Enhanced Strength and Hypertrophy: Maximizing your effort on compound lifts and resistance exercises leads to greater mechanical tension and metabolic stress, crucial for muscle growth and strength adaptations.
  • Improved Lifting Technique: Being fresh allows for better concentration and execution of proper form, reducing the risk of injury and ensuring target muscles are effectively stimulated.
  • Power Development: Explosive movements, like plyometrics or Olympic lifts, require peak power output, which is best achieved with a rested nervous system.
  • Reduced Injury Risk: Fatigue compromises form, making you more susceptible to strains or other injuries during heavy lifting.

• Ideal Scenarios:

  • You are an athlete focused on strength, power, or sport-specific performance (e.g., powerlifter, bodybuilder, sprinter).
  • Your primary goal is muscle gain (hypertrophy) or increasing maximal strength.
  • You want to ensure the highest quality of your resistance training session.

The Case for Running First (Cardio First)

Beginning your workout with cardiovascular exercise can be beneficial, particularly if your main objective is endurance improvement, cardiovascular health, or if your cardio session is of lower intensity.

• Physiological Rationale:

  • Effective Warm-up: A moderate cardio session can serve as an excellent general warm-up, increasing core body temperature, blood flow to muscles, and joint lubrication, preparing the body for subsequent resistance training.
  • Energy System Priority: If your cardio session is long or high-intensity, doing it first ensures you have the necessary energy reserves to complete it effectively.
  • Less Impact on Strength (Lower Intensity): A moderate-intensity cardio session (e.g., 20-30 minutes at a steady pace) is less likely to significantly deplete muscle glycogen or cause debilitating neuromuscular fatigue compared to a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session or a very long run.

• Specific Benefits:

  • Optimal Endurance Performance: If you're training for a race or aiming to improve your cardiovascular endurance, performing your run first allows you to maximize your effort and focus on your running performance.
  • Enhanced Fat Oxidation: For steady-state cardio, performing it first can leverage fat as a primary fuel source, especially if done in a fasted state (though the impact on overall fat loss is marginal compared to total caloric deficit).
  • Cardiovascular Health: Prioritizing cardio ensures you dedicate sufficient time and energy to improving heart health and stamina.

• Ideal Scenarios:

  • You are an endurance athlete (e.g., marathon runner, triathlete) focused on improving running performance.
  • Your primary goal is general cardiovascular fitness and health.
  • You prefer to use your cardio as a comprehensive warm-up for your strength training.
  • Your strength training session is less intense or shorter in duration.

The "It Depends" Factor: Your Primary Goals

The most evidence-based answer is that the optimal order is highly individualized and depends on your specific fitness objectives:

• Strength & Hypertrophy Focus: If gaining strength or muscle mass is your top priority, perform strength training first. This ensures you lift with maximal effort, recruit more muscle fibers, and maintain proper form.
• Endurance & Cardiovascular Focus: If improving your running pace, endurance, or cardiovascular health is your main goal, perform your run first. This allows you to dedicate your freshest energy to the demands of your aerobic workout.
• Weight Loss & Body Composition: For weight loss, the total volume and consistency of both exercise types are more critical than the order. However, strength training first can be advantageous as it maintains muscle mass during a caloric deficit and boosts post-exercise metabolism (EPOC). If you enjoy running more, or it helps with adherence, doing it first is fine.
• General Fitness & Health: If your goal is general fitness, the order is less critical. You can experiment to see what feels best and maintains your motivation. Consider starting with the activity you find most challenging to ensure you complete it.

Practical Considerations & Best Practices

Regardless of which activity you choose to do first, several practical tips can optimize your concurrent training sessions:

• Warm-up & Cool-down: Always begin with a dynamic warm-up (5-10 minutes) to prepare your body for exercise. Conclude with a cool-down and static stretching (5-10 minutes) to aid recovery and flexibility.
• Intensity & Duration: The greater the intensity and duration of the first activity, the more it will impact the second. If both are high-intensity, consider separating them into different sessions or different times of day.
• Nutrition & Hydration: Ensure you are adequately fueled before your workout, especially if it's a long or intense session combining both modalities. Hydration is critical throughout.
• Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to fatigue levels, performance drops, and recovery. If you consistently feel excessively fatigued or your performance in one area is significantly declining, adjust your order or consider separating your sessions.
• Separating Sessions: The ideal scenario for maximizing adaptations in both strength and endurance is to separate them by at least 6 hours, or ideally, perform them on different days. This minimizes the "interference effect" where adaptations from one modality might blunt adaptations from the other.

Conclusion: Tailoring Your Training

There is no universal "right" answer to whether you should gym or run first. The most effective approach is one that aligns with your primary fitness goals, fits your schedule, and allows for consistent, high-quality training. Experiment with different orders, monitor your performance and recovery, and make adjustments as needed. For personalized guidance, consulting with a qualified fitness professional or kinesiologist can help you design a program optimally suited to your unique needs and objectives.