FEATURED 2009 / FALL fitFLEX.com ARTICLE: When is the Best Time for Aerobic Exercise?
Over the years we've heard conflicting opinions about when to do aerobic training. Some experts say to do aerobics on the same day as weight
training, while others say to do them on different days. So ok, what then is the best approach?
Once again the answer is, it depends. If your goal is to do your absolute best in both weight training and aerobic training, then you must
set up a schedule in which you have separate training days for weights and aerobics. If strength arid muscle gains are very secondary goals,
you can do aerobic training first and then later on the same day do your weights. If, however, strength and muscle gains are your top
priorities, do your weight training first followed by the aerobics.
I don’t believe that weight training and aerobics are basically incompatible. People run into trouble and undermine strength and muscle gains
when they don’t allow enough overall recovery time. Thus, one advantage of same-day training for both activities is that the next day is
typically a complete rest day. If you simply alternate hard weight-training and aerobic-training days while taking few rest days, you’re
bound to become overtrained.
There are, however, sensible limits to what you can productively do. For example, brief, higher-intensity aerobic training can work in
combination with strength training if the session is indeed brief and doesn’t leave you exhausted. In contrast, doing a very hard one-hour
Spinning class or a hard one-hour run, swim or outdoor bike ride following weight training or on your off day is courting disaster. There’s
just so much higher-intensity work that your body can tolerate.
|
