Does It Matter Which Order You Exercise?
Having healthy testosterone levels is paramount to a happy lifestyle. Testosterone helps maintain hair growth, bone strength, mood, cognitive functions, muscle growth and the burning of body fat.
The average aging male loses 1% of their total testosterone levels every year after their early to mid 30s. Consequently, it is often important for aging men to find ways to boost their testosterone levels in order to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle. One way to keep up your testosterone levels is through exercise.
Strength and cardio are two quite different focuses for training. However, scientists are still questioning which school of exercise is more important to increasing testosterone levels.
Benefits Of Training Cardio First
A study completed within the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research observed ten total subjects as they performed various strength and cardio workouts. Rather performing strength training or cardio training first, the cortisol and testosterone levels of each subject increased post-workout.
However, it was discovered that doing cardio first caused a minor rise in testosterone levels during the following strength training. On the other hand, those that first performed strength training experienced drops in their testosterone levels during the later cardio workouts.
It was ultimately determined that doing cardio first lead to a longer duration of elevated testosterone levels for those performing short to moderately long workouts.
Benefits Of Training Strength First
A recent Finish study observed a total 42 individuals each up to two days after their workouts. This time around, the results were quite different. The study ultimately determined that performing cardio training first led to decreased testosterone levels 24-48 hours post-workout.
The study observed an overall decrease in anabolic hormone levels for those that performed cardio workouts first, leading to a less optimal recovery period following the strength training regiments. Consequently, beginning your workout with strength training can provide long term benefits compared to the short term gains from performing cardio workouts first.
