January is here, and with it comes New Year’s resolutions to get fit and healthy – a pursuit that often sees many flocking to their local gyms.
While many might associate cardio with weight loss, one personal trainer is challenging this notion, suggesting the fat-burning exercise should be saved for the end of your workout to promise more benefits.
Emily Kerley, an online fitness coach, shared her insights on TikTok, advising: “If you’re doing cardio before your weights, you’re going to use up all your energy before you even start your training session.”
She recommends warming up with mobility exercises or a quick five-minute walk instead, and to tackle cardio post-weights. Kerley continued to debunk fitness myths in another video, expressing that solely focusing on cardio to lose weight could actually hinder fat loss.
“Yes, cardio does help you burn calories, but only for that 30 minute session you’re doing,” she explained. Instead, she argued that weight training is a better alternative: “Yes, you’ll be burning less calories during your session, but you’ll be building a lean muscle.”
She also added lean muscle boosts your metabolic rate throughout the whole day, not just during workouts. Despite Emily’s helpful fitness suggestions, not everyone was convinced that saving cardio for the end of a workout was the optimal approach.
One individual commented: “I literally feel the opposite, I lose my energy after weights and don’t feel like doing cardio. I knock out cardio first.”
Another chimed in with: “If you want to lose weight by doing both cardio and weights, the order does NOT matter as long as you get it done, find what works for yourself.”
Yet, there were those who were in agreement with Emily’s advice, noting that making the switch helped them in achieving their fitness goals.
“I lost weight quicker doing my cardio after,” wrote one user, while another said: “I do 10 mins before my workout, then 20 minutes after, works for me.”