So when can you train?
A recent study in the journal of strength and conditioning research (2016), aimed to determine whether the amount of recovery between a strength and an aerobic workout influenced the response to the training program. The study concluded that S&C coaches should avoid scheduling two contradictory qualities (like running and weightlifting, or swimming and powerlifting) with less than a six-hour recovery period between them if the goal is to obtain full adaptive responses from each workout.
Avoid scheduling two contradictory activities with less than a six-hour recovery period between them.
If your aim is to get strong, there is some significant detriment that cardio can have on strength development. This is true whether you do the cardio workout in the same workout, or if you simply do cardio less than six hours before your weight training.
The researchers who performed this study also stated that daily training without a recovery period between sessions (or training twice a day) is not optimal for neuromuscular and aerobic improvements. So ideally, if you want to get stronger, you should separate your cardio and strength workouts by more than six hours.
When you are trying to get or stay fit, it can help to do a combination of endurance and resistance training—but that is not always optimal for your fitness goals. Choosing which you should do first is often a matter of determining what your goals are.
If your focus is:
To build strength-stick to doing your resistance training as a separate workout.
Training for endurance-focus on a high-quality cardio workout that isn’t interrupted by strength training.
For pure fat loss- consider combining your cardio and resistance training in one workout, with cardio first followed by strength training.
If you don’t have time to do a separate strength and a cardio workout, then do it all in one big workout with cardio first followed by strength training. You’ll see improvements in VO2max, strength and lean body mass but it’s not the optimum way to train. However, it will negate cardio turning off the mTOR pathway.
If you’re doing a cardio and strength session in the same day, separate them with at least 6 hours between them.
