It is generally not recommended to pair leg day and cardio on the same day, as it can lead to overtraining. While this is true in many cases, it depends on several factors.
For example, how accustomed you are to the weights you’re lifting, whether you’ve recently increased those weights, and whether you’re a beginner or an experienced fitness enthusiast.
Based on your responses to these factors, it is possible to integrate cardio before or after leg day, but you need to be mindful of the total intensity to avoid overloading your body and vital organs. Leg workouts are demanding on the legs, while cardio, although easier on the legs, is demanding on your cardiovascular system, including your heart, lungs, and other parts.
Additionally, understand that whether you do cardio first or leg workouts, each will affect the other. If you do leg workouts first, you won’t be able to give your best effort in cardio, and vice versa.
Let’s dive deeper into this topic and analyze whether you can do cardio on leg day and how it may affect your gains, progress, and overall well-being.
Cardio on Leg Day: Should You Do It?
First of all, the main question you need to answer is how intense your leg day is. The intensity of the overall exercise depends on individual fitness levels. For example, beginners may feel exhausted with less effort, while experienced individuals might require more to reach their limit.
If you are lifting super heavy weights, doing multiple sets of high-volume reps, and your legs hurt after finishing the workout, this can count as reaching your limit, and doing an extra cardio session could be considered overtraining.
If you’re determined to do cardio before or after leg day, there are some workarounds, such as doing a light cardio session or low-impact exercises like walking.
Benefits of Cardio on Leg Day
Cardio can help you burn extra calories, and depending on whether you do it before or after your leg day workout, it can either properly warm you up and get your heart racing, or serve as a great finisher to complete your workout.
Reaping the benefits of cardio on leg day largely depends on choosing the right exercises that complement your workout. For example, low-impact cardio exercises like walking and cycling can build endurance in your leg muscles, increase your heart and lung capacity, and improve blood circulation.
Cardio is particularly effective after leg day as it can boost your metabolic rate and promote EPOC (Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). In simple terms, this means that even a few hours after the workout, your body will continue to burn calories without damaging muscle tissue. This effect is commonly referred to as the “afterburn effect.”
However, it is very important to structure your leg day workout properly and complement it with appropriate cardio exercises that won’t overload your body. Recovery is crucial, and if you overtrain, it will be difficult for your body to recover in time for your next workout.
Cardio Before or After Workout?
If your priority on leg day is completing workouts like squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc., it’s better to do cardio afterward. Doing cardio first, especially before weighted workouts, may leave you with a “jelly” feeling, which can interfere with your primary workout.
Furthermore, doing cardio first can be problematic because you might overdo it, enjoy it too much, and eventually exhaust yourself.
If you structure your cardio workout appropriately, it can provide many benefits, such as serving as a proper warm-up, increasing flexibility and mobility, enhancing mental focus by clearing your mind and improving concentration, activating muscle groups, and increasing blood flow.
Both doing cardio before or after your workout can be effective, as long as you avoid overtraining and exhausting yourself. However, if you had to choose between doing cardio before or after leg day, doing it after would be more effective—assuming your primary objective is to complete leg day workouts.
Doing cardio before leg day is effective, but it comes with its own side effects. Your body will first use glycogen stores for cardio instead of leg training, which can negatively impact your weightlifting capabilities. However, this largely depends on the intensity of your leg workout. If you’re not lifting heavy, you may not even notice the difference.
Cardio afterward can serve as a great finisher, but depending on your fitness level and the intensity of your workout, opting for low-impact cardio like walking and cycling may be more beneficial.
Which Cardio Exercises You’d Like to Do?
Are there any specific cardio exercises you would like to do? Did you know that not all cardio exercises primarily rely on your legs?
For example, rowing and swimming are ideal cardio exercises that can complement your leg day in the best way possible. Swimming, in particular, is great because it can serve as a relaxing, rejuvenating, and empowering finisher exercise.
However, exercises like running, jumping rope, HIIT, stair climbing, and boxing are not the best fit, as they can put a lot of stress on your legs, especially after a leg day workout.
So, be mindful of the exercises you choose to pair with your leg day workout, ensuring they won’t exhaust you, lead to overtraining, or cause injury.
How Long Should Cardio Last?
It is important to time your cardio so that you don’t sabotage your results. Ideally, the cardio session on leg day should last between 15 to 25 minutes, or even less if you’re doing high-intensity cardio.
There is also another smart approach that can be quite effective. If your work schedule allows it, it’s wise to do cardio a few hours after your leg day workout. Alternatively, you can do a 25-minute cardio session in the morning and the leg day workout in the evening, depending on your timetable.
In this particular case, if you can allow yourself more rest—ideally 6 hours between sessions—you can push a bit harder in your cardio session and aim for moderate intensity.
If you’re doing cardio immediately after your leg day workout or going into leg day right after cardio, it’s better to aim for a low-impact workout like walking for 25 minutes. This can serve as an ideal warm-up, get the blood flowing, elevate your heart rate, and burn a lot of calories.
Does Cardio Kill Leg Day Gains?
This is a common misconception, but there is some truth to it. Overtraining and not allowing yourself to rest properly will eventually hinder your progress, and your muscle growth will not be as effective.
Delayed muscle recovery due to pushing too hard in your workout session can strain your muscles, and excessive soreness can interrupt future workouts.
As there are three main phases of muscle growth—breakdown, recovery, and rebuilding—putting too much stress on your muscles will definitely impact their recovery process. Ultimately, this can disrupt both the repair and strengthening of your muscles.
Intensity Based on Your Fitness Goals
As you aim to complete a double workout in a single day, it is important to plan the entire workout accordingly, ensuring you preserve energy to meet your needs throughout the session.
- Intense Leg Day/Low-Impact Cardio – This is an ideal combination for people looking to build muscle in their lower body while burning extra calories with low-impact cardio like walking or cycling (or swimming, if you have access to a pool). The leg day workout should be done first, followed by cardio, which can be done immediately after the leg workout or a few hours later.
- Moderate Leg Day/Moderate-Intensity Cardio – If your goal is weight loss and building some muscle mass, this can be a great combination. You can reduce the weights, reps, or sets for the leg day exercises and increase your effort in cardio, primarily focusing on HIIT exercises to burn extra calories.
- Low-Intensity Leg Day/High-Intensity Cardio – This combination is suited for people who prioritize cardio, like jogging, and for whom building too much muscle might affect overall endurance, flexibility, and speed. Performing a low-intensity leg day, such as bodyweight squats and lunges, will help build enough muscle to support your joints while going strong with high-intensity cardio.
The best forms of cardio that complement leg day are TRX cardio circuits, swimming, cycling, walking, and general suspension training. If you aim for moderate or high-intensity cardio, opt for HIIT or jogging.
Additionally, brisk walks on an inclined treadmill can improve your cardiovascular system. There are many creative ways to mix cardio with your leg day, including weighted vest walking or loaded carries.
Depending on your goals and needs, plan your workouts accordingly, as this will influence your gains and progress.
Running On Leg Day
Running on leg day is completely possible, but make sure you’re not overtraining. Opt for shorter runs or a lighter leg day workout, as running can be quite taxing, especially if you’re covering long distances or running at a high pace.
Ideally, allow yourself a few hours of rest between workout sessions. For example, you could run in the morning and do your leg day workout in the evening, or vice versa.
While it’s possible to run on leg day, it’s important not to exhaust yourself. Plan your workouts carefully, ensuring you can handle the exercise load and that your muscles have enough time to recover and rebuild.
Always listen to your body and avoid risking injury. If you feel fatigued or notice signs of overtraining, take a rest day, fuel your body with proper nutrition, and adjust the workout intensity to match your current fitness level.
Conclusion
Can you do cardio on leg day? Absolutely yes, but it’s important to time your workouts, adjust the intensity, and ensure that what you are doing supports your overall fitness goals.
When combining cardio with leg day, make sure you’re not overtraining or exhausting your muscles, as proper rest is essential for muscle recovery and rebuilding.
If you’re looking for world-class workout programs that already integrate cardio and leg day, customized to your personal needs and requirements, download the Workit App. Access stellar workout programs, nutrition plans, fitness tools, and trackers, and earn Bitcoin completely FREE for staying active.
Give yourself time to test and adjust. When you design your workout plan that integrates cardio and leg day, try it out for a few sessions, see how it feels, and measure your progress. If it serves its purpose well, keep doing it.
If you find that it’s hindering your progress or having a negative impact, make adjustments—either by lowering the intensity or changing the entire workout structure. The easiest way is to let an app like Workit take the headache out of planning and do it for you.