Separate or no

[bananamilk]

Is it better to do cardio and weight training on separate days instead of together?
Ex.
Mon-Cardio
Tues-Back, Bis &Abs
Wed-Cardio
Thurs-Chest, Tris & Abs
Fri-Cardio
Sat-Legs, Shoulders & Abs
Sun-Cardio

 

[Sassy69]

My comment personally ... you might want a day just "off" in general at least once a week. One of the big points in training si to find a healthy medium with how you spend your time. If you do nothing but train all week every week, I think it eventually catches up with you and I really think you need to take those days off - both for sanity and for physical recovery.

There's nothing wrong w/ doing cardio & training on the same day. My choice is AM cardio & train at night, no or very light cardio on leg day - or just to warm up with. Or if AM cardio isn't feasible, I do a 6 min warmup, train, and then cardio afterwards (except on leg day). I don't know if you are looking for an optimal training schedule or an answer as to wether or not its provably 'better'. Separating each training day gives you a little more recovery time tho.

 

[FitFossil]

Finding "the healthy medium" Sassy spoke about is key. For every study that says one way is "best", there are probably a dozen others saying the exact opposite. Part of training is periodically changing your variables, so you could experiment with different schedules to see what works and what you like.

I really like my 4 day a week schedule. I think of it as a "work hard - rest hard" plan, because even though I go balls to the wall on my training days, it gives me three complete rest days on Wed, Sat & Sun. I do about 45 min of weights first, followed by 30 min of cardio, then 15 min of stretching. Twice a week my cardio is HIIT intervals.

Whatever training schedule you have, it's always going to be a balancing act between results, injury prevention, and mental freshness.

 

[The Shadow]

I personally like a mon-fri workout basis on a one bodypart per day with cardio(moderate) on three of the training days(not on leg day) and then take the entire weekend off