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Can You Do Cardio And Abs On The Same Day? (Solved!)

With so much information out there about “the best way to train”, “the most effective workouts”, “the only way to exercise right”, and many other so-called game-changing training methods, it’s no surprise that many of us a find it hard to plan our training days effectively.

In this article, we try to help you answer the question of whether or not you can do abs and cardio on the same day.

With everyone seeming to say different things, we’ve put together all the information you need for you to decide for yourself.

We discuss the pros and cons of doing abs and cardio on the same day, the order in which you might want to train them, and even if you should do them in one session or two separate sessions for an even more effective workout.

Can You Do Cardio And Abs On The Same Day?

You can do abs and cardio on the same day.

It’s pretty much as simple as that.

No long-winded explanation as to why this is the only way you should train, or why this will burn more fat than you’ve ever burnt before…

It’s simply a yes, you can train both muscle groups on the same day very effectively.

Your abs are involved in a lot of exercises that target many different parts of your body.

They’ll even be involved in cardio in some ways too, as they act as stabilizing muscles and help keep your body upright and stable in pretty much all unsupported movements.

That being said, they tend to be secondary muscles. So you can still work them hard during your ab workout and they’ll still be strong enough to keep you stable during a cardio session too.

(Watch below this epic abs and cardio workout for unreal fat loss!)

Benefits Of Doing Abs And Cardio On The Same Day

It Saves Time

As much as many of us would like to train each muscle group on separate days, and have cardio on its own training day too, this would take up a lot of time.

Training in this way would likely mean you being in the gym up to 7 times each week.

While this might be sustainable for some people, for most of us, this simply isn’t an option.

By combining your abs and your cardio into a single day, you can reduce the number of times you need to go to the gym each week as you effectively get 2 training days done in one.

They Compliment Each Other Very Well

Most people who target abs during a workout are looking for a more defined and toned physique.

No matter how great your ab workouts are, you’ll still need to make sure you’re burning as much fat as possible if you want some highly noticeable abs.

That’s why cardio and abs pair so well together.

You can not only help build your ab muscles but you can also increase the amount of fat you’re burning during your training day by doing cardio too.

This can help your reach your fitness goals sooner than if you were just doing your abs on their own.

Drawbacks Of Doing Abs And Cardio On The Same Day

It Can Increase Your Training Time

Although doing abs and cardio on the same day can reduce the number of times you need to go to the gym each week, it can actually increase the amount of time you have to spend in the gym when you do go.

For example, if it takes you 45 minutes to train your abs and 45 minutes to do your cardio, that’s a combined time of 90 minutes of training (without thinking about warm-ups, cool-downs, etc).

While that might not sound like much to some people, if you already struggle to find a spare hour to train on training days, increasing this further could be too much of a time commitment.

You Need Good Motivation Levels

Training abs is usually uncomfortable.

Doing cardio is usually uncomfortable.

Doing two uncomfortable workouts on the same day requires a lot of motivation.

Some gym-goers won’t find this too difficult but others will struggle to keep their motivation up.

This is a common occurrence and is something to keep in mind when thinking about whether to do abs and cardio on the same day.

Should You Do Abs And Cardio On The Same Day?

There’s no right or wrong answer to this.

You certainly can do abs and cardio on the same day but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should.

Ultimately, it will come down to your fitness goals, your preferences, and your motivation levels as to whether it is the right thing for you.

As long you are healthy and the working muscles are fully recovered from any previous exercise, doing abs and cardio on the same day is perfectly fine to do if you choose to do so.

Should You Do Abs Before Cardio?

Normally, it’s a good idea to do abs before cardio.

This tends to work very well and can lead to some impressive results.

However, there isn’t really a definitive answer as to which one you should do first.

Most people will do abs first but that doesn’t mean that’s the best thing for you to do.

Should You Do Them In The Same Session Or 2 Sessions?

Either way is fine.

Some people like to do abs and cardio in the same session. This can be an effective way of getting as much as possible from your workout.

However, there’s nothing wrong with doing abs and cardio in two separate sessions on the same day either.

If you don’t have time to do them both at the same time, then this can be a good way of getting things done.

Try both ways and see which of them works best for you and your fitness goals.

Conclusion

In summary:

  • You can do cardio and abs together with minimal problems.
  • It doesn’t particularly matter if you do cardio or abs first.

That’s all for this article, but can you do legs and triceps on the same day? Or can you do abs and arms on the same day?

Hope this helped!