Many people who weight train use a split routine, that is, they work out a particular body part on each training day. For most of these people, leg day is the most grueling of each week, or training cycle.
The big question is, can you do legs and cardio on the same day?!
Ultimately, yes you can do cardio on leg day. However you will definitely want to do the weight training first. You see, you won’t perform as well on whichever one you do second, due to fatigue. If possible, spread them out a few hours, and don’t expect to train too hard on the cardio, your legs probably won’t handle it well. Low impact cardio choices, like swimming or the elliptical trainer, are your best options. Because leg training is so strenuous, it’s really better to do them on separate days. But if your schedule requires it, or if your leg training is not too intense, you can do it and not suffer any reduction in results. It is most important to do the leg training with well rested muscles, so don’t do any intense cardio for at least 24 hrs before if you can help it.
Of course your individual situation may make cardio on leg day no big deal at all, or it may rule it out completely. So, let’s discuss it a little further…
So It’s Best Not To Do Cardio On Leg Day?
It’s probably best not to, but unless you are training really hard, it most likely won’t sabotage your progress.
A light, 20 minute jog first thing in the morning, followed by a weight training leg session later in the day after several hours of rest and a few meals will not hamper your training at all. Whereas a 5 mile uphill run to the gym to do heavy squats will not be a good situation.
The intensity of both your weight training and of your cardio, along with the time spacing throughout your day will make a big difference. If you’re not going very hard in the gym and your “leg day” consists of leg extensions and leg curls, you will be able to do a lot of difficult cardio afterwards.
After a light workout like that you may want to go for a run or hop on a stair-climber right away. No big deal. But if you’re really going at it hard with heavy squats and dead lifts, leg presses etc. your muscle glycogen will be thoroughly depleted. This will make any attempt at anything other than the lightest cardio, i.e. slow walking or swimming, near impossible to perform. Your legs will be shaky, and very weak.
You can also risk injury when you push yourself too far after already fully fatiguing the muscle. Have you ever done a thorough chest workout, then late that day tried to do a few push ups? It doesn’t feel good, and the pain is definitely a warning to give it a rest for a little while.
So Is It OK To Do Cardio And Legs The Same Day?
As with most things, the answer to this question depends on your goals. If your only goal is to gain muscle, then really, why do any cardio at all? If it’s simply to maintain heart health, 2-3 cardio sessions a week is plenty, and there’s no need to do it on leg day. Just focus your energy on the weights that day.
If you are primarily focused on fat loss, by all means do cardio 5-6 days a week – including on leg day. Just be sure to do it after you hit the weights, and if possible put a few hours in between.
The problem with that, is that a few hours after the weight workout your legs may not have the strength to go running etc.It all depends on the intensity of that weight workout. Keep the intensity moderate, and you shouldn’t have a problem doing cardio later that day.
If you’re doing heavy squats for dozens of sets, it’s too much strain on your body to immediately perform cardio of any significant intensity. Besides, you probably won’t be up to doing cardio the same day, (or the next day or two either)! Let your muscles recover, then go for a run.
So, if your leg day workout looks something like this (rather extreme) example:
| Squats | 5*10 |
| Leg Press | 5*10 |
| Hack Squats | 5*10 |
| Straight Leg Deadlifts | 5*10 |
| Lying Leg Curl | 5*10 |
| Seated Leg Curl | 5*10 |
| Leg Extensions | 5*10 |
| One-legged Leg Extensions | 5*10 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 5*10 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 5*10 |
| Donkey Calf Raise | 5*10 |
You should give yourself a couple of days or so to recover before doing any intense cardio.
If it looks more like this:
| Leg Press | 3*10 |
| Leg Extension | 2*10 |
| Leg Curl | 2*10 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3*10 |
You’ll be fine doing cardio the same day.
Focus On Training The Legs, Do The Cardio Another Day.
Even if you can’t muster the energy to do cardio after lifting weights with your legs, just take comfort in the knowledge that you are training legs.(A lot of guys don’t). One day a week of intense leg work will yield more results than one extra cardio session.
Giving your lower body a good workout in the gym will burn a ton of calories, and will help your physique more than all the upper body training in the world. Thoroughly stimulating the large muscles of the lower body is known to have a positive effect on growth hormone and testosterone levels, as well as providing a boost to your metabolism. Cardio won’t do any of this. So never underestimate the importance of leg day.
I’m not saying that cardio shouldn’t be a priority, just not on leg day.
What If Every Day You Go To The Gym Is Leg Day!?
All this talk of ‘Leg Day’ makes you think that there is only one approach to weight training: Chest on Monday, Back on Tuesday etc. This is the split workout approach, and it is far from the only approach.
Personally, I prefer full-body weight training routines, so your legs are getting hit every time you go to the gym. Obviously this will mean that there will be some overlap between cardio and weight days. Especially if you want to do cardio 5-6 times a week for maximum fat loss and conditioning, while also lifting weights at least 3 times a week. As long as you are not pushing yourself to the point where your recovery won’t be complete by the next resistance workout, you’ll be fine throwing in cardio after your weight training. Even if you do squats every time you go to the gym, it’ll be fine, just keep your volume (number of sets and reps) under control.
A standard one exercise per major muscle (2 for quads) for 3 sets of 10 reps, or 2 sets of 20 reps (depending on personal preference) will be plenty to see muscle growth, but will also not be too much for the body to handle cardio afterwards. Here’s an example of a good total-body workout to be performed 3 times a week.
| EXERCISE | SETS*REPS |
| Squats | 3*10 |
| Leg Extensions | 3*10 |
| Leg Curls/Straight-Legged Deadlifts | 3*10 |
| Calf Raises | 3*20 |
| Bench Press | 3*10 |
| Pull-ups/Bent Over Rows | 3*10+ |
| Overhead Press | 3*10 |
| Barbell Curls | 3*10 |
| Tricep Pushdowns | 3*10 |
| Abdominal Machine | 3*20 |
Related Questions:
Can I train legs with only body weight movements?
You can absolutely get a great leg workout in using only bodyweight movements, or calisthenics! To start, squats, toe touches/good mornings, calf raises and wall sits, will give you a good base. They will help you bulk up your quads, hamstrings, and calves, build strength and endurance, and shape up your legs. When you get to where you need more than a practical amount of volume to progress, there are plenty of more advanced exercises to graduate to. Read here about how to get a good leg workout at home with little or no equipment.
I have under-trained my legs for years: can I catch them back up?
Do you look like a bull up top, and a chicken down below? Don’t worry, you can bring your legs up to par faster than you think. By focusing on your lower body, and putting your upper body on the back burner for a bit, you can even out your physique in a few months. You training volume for legs will need to be at least twice that of your upper body. This makes sense anyway, since this is where 60-70% of your muscle is located. Plenty of squats, leg presses, and calf raises and you’ll have balance and symmetry in no time! Want to know more? Here’s a plan to catch up.
