Every new member who walks through our doors ends up asking the same question, usually somewhere between their second and third session: should I be doing weights or cardio first?
It's a great question. And the honest answer — the one we'd give you if we were standing next to you on the gym floor — is that it depends on what you're trying to achieve. But there's a simple default that works for the vast majority of people, and we'll get to it in a minute.
What weights are actually good for
Lifting weights (or doing any kind of resistance training — bands, bodyweight, kettlebells, machines) builds and maintains muscle. That's the headline. But muscle does a lot more than just look nice in a t-shirt.
Muscle is metabolically active tissue, which means the more of it you carry, the more energy your body burns at rest. Resistance training also strengthens your bones, protects your joints, and builds the kind of real-world strength that makes everything from carrying shopping to playing with the kids feel easier. As we get older — and this hits hardest from about age 35 onwards — we naturally lose muscle every year unless we actively work to keep it. Weights are the single best tool for slowing that down.
What cardio is actually good for
Cardio (running, cycling, rowing, spin class, a brisk walk — anything that raises your heart rate for an extended period) trains your cardiovascular system. Your heart gets stronger, your lungs get more efficient, and your body gets better at delivering oxygen where it's needed.
The benefits go well beyond the gym. Regular cardio lowers your resting heart rate, helps manage blood pressure, improves sleep, and is one of the most consistent predictors of long-term health we've got. It's also a powerful mood regulator — there's a reason so many of our members describe class as "my therapy."
Weights change how your body looks and handles load. Cardio changes how your body feels and recovers. You want both.
So… which one first?
Here's the framework we use with new members:
If your main goal is fat loss, getting stronger, or looking more toned — start with weights. It's the higher-leverage choice. Building even a small amount of muscle shifts your metabolism, improves your body composition, and gives cardio something to work on top of. Two or three strength sessions a week is plenty to start.
If your main goal is general health, stress relief, or you've been cleared by a doctor to get moving — start with cardio, specifically the kind you'll actually enjoy. A spin class, a 30-minute walk, our Berry circuit — it doesn't matter, as long as you'll keep showing up. Cardio is easier to stick with early on because the results (better mood, better sleep, more energy) show up fast.
If you genuinely don't know — this is most people — start with two strength sessions and one cardio session per week. Three times in the gym. That's the combination that gives you the widest benefit for the least time, and it's the schedule we recommend more often than anything else.
The order inside a single session
If you're doing weights and cardio in the same workout, do weights first. Heavy lifting demands full energy and focus, and pre-fatiguing your legs with a 20-minute run before squats is a recipe for poor form and injury. Finish with your cardio instead — 10 to 20 minutes on the bike or rower is a perfect cooldown.
The one exception is a proper warm-up: 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio at the start of any session is a great idea regardless of what you're doing next. It lifts your heart rate, warms up the joints, and gets your body ready to work. Think of it as the on-ramp, not the main event.
The one thing that matters more than either
Consistency. It sounds obvious, but we see it every week — the member who trains three times a week for six months will always, always outperform the one who smashes six sessions a week for a fortnight and then disappears.
The best workout is the one you'll actually do, on the days you said you would, for years rather than weeks. So pick the one that excites you more, start there, and add the other in once the first is a habit. That's it. That's the whole game.
If you're not sure where to begin, chat to one of our trainers on the gym floor or book a free intro session. We'll sit down, work out your goals, and build you a simple plan you can stick to. There's no prize for overcomplicating it, and there's no one "right" answer that works for everyone — there's just the version that fits your life and keeps you coming back.