Pairing cardio with lifting

For most people, some cardio doesn’t hurt lifting progress. Lots of hard running can.

The short version

• Do both. The guideline is 150 minutes of moderate cardio a week plus 2 days of strength training [1]. Every program here fits in that.
• Walking hardly interferes with lifting. Most people can add daily walks with no downside.
• Lots of running can slow strength and muscle gains. In a meta-analysis, the more often and the longer people did endurance training alongside lifting, the smaller their strength and muscle gains; running got in the way more than cycling [2].

Scheduling it

• Lift first if strength or muscle is your main goal. Cardio first leaves your legs tired for squats and deadlifts.
• Separate them when you can: lift in the morning and walk in the evening, or use different days.
• Put hard cardio away from leg days. Intervals or long runs the day before squats cost you reps.
• Easy walks can go anywhere, including right after lifting.

Example weeks

Beginner program (3 lifting days):

Muscle program (4 lifting days): walk 20–30 minutes on most days, and at most one harder session a week, on a rest day.

Fat loss program: walk every day. Walking adds to your energy use without much fatigue; diet does most of the work (see losing weight on eatgood.now).

If your goal is endurance

If running a race is the main goal, keep lifting 1–2 days a week with the general health program. You’ll hold on to most of your strength while your running improves.

General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, check changes with your doctor.