Benefits from strength and cardio seperation?

You can focus better. If you do them on the same day, whichever you do second is likely to suffer. For example, if you do an hour spinning class, then have leg day afterwards, do you really think your squat is going to be ready to be good? Conversely, let's say you have a heavy squatting day, then try to run 3 miles, that's not likely to go awesomely. Now, if you want to jog a mile to warm-up your body or use it as a bit of cardio after an arm/upper body workout, then the problem isn't as big of an issue. I also sometimes do a brisk walk on the treadmill or a 10 minute cardio video (usually some sort of interval, not always) after I lift, depending on time and how I feel.

I also have time constraints, so it's easier for me to split them based on that as well, so I can do as much as I need/want without feeling rushed.

That's basically true.

It really all comes down to intensity. You can do as much as you want as long as you can maintain your intensity. I can generally do a hard leg day then go swim (mostly upper body), but I sure as hell couldn't run. I can't do much of anything after a hard cardio session.

I think it depends largely on your schedule and what kind of lifting and cardio you're doing.

First and foremost, find something that you can stick with. If it's easier on your schedule to do one or the other, do it.

Secondly, if you're doing heavy lifting and high-intensity cardio, I think it's better to do the lifting first and follow it (in the same session) with a short HIIT workout. It has been my personal experience that jolting your central nervous system with a heavy weight training workout one day and a high-intensity cardio workout the next day is going to burn you out a lot faster than combining them and having actual rest days.

If you're doing lighter, steady-state cardio, you can do that after lifting or on non-lifting days. It's not going to be as taxing to your CNS.

^^ What she said!

- Doing them on the same day may cause one to suffer slightly. For example, cardio before weights? Worse form, and/or weaker lifts. Weights before cardio? Too tired.

- Doing both in one day can mean quite long gym sessions, which isn't always the best.

Trial and error will give you the answer! :happy:

It really depends on your goals, intensity level, etc. For example, my lifting program has me working at various, high percentages of my max...generally in the 60% to 95% range...these % vary throughout the lifts that day and progressively get heavier week to week. If I were to go do a whole bunch of cardio before my lift session, I simply wouldn't have the energy to put up, for example, 95% of my max on squats...that weight would crush me.

It works the other way around as well...I like to train for running events...but I really can't run after a lifting session...I can barely walk to the parking lots after a good session, let alone contemplate putting a bunch of miles in or doing sprints or whatever. I save that stuff for non-lifting days and even then, it can really be a challenge to have the adequate energy to go beyond just "going through the motions" and actually training myself.