It’s a question asked by many gym goers: should you do cardio before or after weights? According to the American College of Sports Medicine it’s important to combine both cardio and strength workouts so you don’t overwork the small muscle groups and allow time for recovery. But what order should you do them in? And what results will be seen?

Cardiovascular exercise and resistance training are two very different things. On the one hand, cardio activity, such as walking or running on one of the best treadmills is known for increasing your cardiorespiratory fitness, promoting energy expenditure and fat utilization.

Resistance training, on the other hand, such as lifting your body weight or pumping weights in the gym, is known for increasing strength, muscle mass, endurance and power. Both have different attributes, and both can be very beneficial for your overall health.

To help determine the pros and cons of combining these types of fitness and whether you should do cardio before or after weights, we asked Keith Baar, Professor of Molecular Exercise Physiology at the University of California Davis and member of the American Physiological Society for his thoughts on the subject.