Everyone knows that exercise is important for living a healthy life.
Everyone knows that exercise is important for becoming your best self.
Everyone knows that exercise is important for looking and feeling your best.
With all that being said, there are many different types of exercise you can do. Of these different types though, they'll still fall into one of two categories: cardiovascular exercise or resistance exercise. Yes, some could even be considered both.
We've all heard people say things like "cardio is the best way to lose fat." Or, "Strength training is only for people who want to be big and bulky." Or, "You need to do cardio and strength training to see good results."
But, is there any truth to these claims? Is there a "best" option when it comes to cardio vs strength training? What are the differences?
Today we'll discuss the classic cardio vs strength training debate and which one is best for your goals.
Cardio Vs Strength Training
Before we dive into which is best for your goals ... I'm sure you'd like to know the difference between each.
Cardio and strength training both have their own unique benefits. They will also both play a role in your overall health and fitness goals. So, what are the differences?
What Is Cardio Training?
Cardio training is most commonly a form of aerobic activity. This just describes a type of exercise that improves the efficiency of the cardiovascular system. Cardio does this by training your body to transport and utilize oxygen better.
Heck, where do you think the term "cardio" comes from? It's short for "cardiovascular exercise."
Now, there are quite a few different forms of cardio out there. Really, your options are nearly endless. Some of the most popular forms of cardio would include...
• Jogging
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Hiking
• Walking
• Roller Blading
• Stair Climbing
• Jump Rope
• Rowing
Benefits of Cardio
With how many different forms of cardio are out there, you may never get bored! But, other than there being a lot of variety, what are the benefits of cardio?
Improved Cardiovascular Health
When you do cardio workouts, your heart rate increases. This requires your body to work harder to help keep up with the increased oxygen consumption. As time goes on, you increase what’s called your aerobic capacity. This is how well your body uses oxygen to keep yourself pressing forward in a workout (1).
Burning More Calories During The Workout
One study from Harvard found that we burn more calories through low-impact aerobic exercise than weight training (2). So, during a cardio workout, you can burn quite a few calories.
However, the keyword here is "during". While cardio can be great for burning calories during the workout ... This doesn't account for the total number of calories burned due to the exercise. We'll discuss this more when we get into strength training. Just keep this in mind!
Increasing Longevity
When it comes to overall health and longevity, cardio training is where it's at. There are studies that show cardio can support longevity and slow the aging process (3).
This could have to do with its benefits for overall cardiovascular health. Either way, I can't imagine there are many people who wouldn't want to potentially live longer.
What Is Strength Training?
As opposed to cardio, strength training is often a form of anaerobic exercise. Instead of utilizing oxygen, your body's main fuel source during strength training is glycogen. This is just carbs that your body stores in the muscle and liver and breaks down when needed.
Now, if you want to get really technical ... "Strength training" is actually a form of resistance training geared toward building strength. What I'm referring to when I say "strength training" in this article is resistance training.
Resistance training is just a type of exercise that uses resistance to activate muscle tissue. This resistance can also be a lot of different things too. It could be your body weight, dumbbells, machines, bands, and more.
Most people who hear "strength training" will likely think about weight lifting. That makes sense too because it's the most popular form. I have personally been weightlifting for years and years!
However, just like cardio, there are quite a few different forms and types of strength training. Here are some of the most common types you'll find...
• Weight Lifting
• Olympic Lifting
• CrossFit
• High Intensity Training
• Rucking
• Plyometrics
• Calisthenics
Benefits of Strength Training
At this point, I'm sure you'd like to know the benefits that strength training has to offer. I would say a lot more than meets the eye! Let's talk about it.
Opportunity to Build More Muscle
If you want to build muscle, you have to give your muscles a new challenge to overcome. Resistance training just happens to be the best way to do this.
When you resistance train, you are actually breaking down your muscle tissue. This isn't a bad thing, it's actually an opportunity ... An opportunity to help you build muscle!
Now, there are a number of different ways to resistance train and build muscle. Nonetheless, resistance training can help you build muscle (4).
Can Improve Your Resting Metabolism
Even though you can burn more calories in a cardio workout, that doesn't mean strength training is inferior. As I just mentioned, strength training can help you build muscle.
Since muscle is a highly metabolically active tissue ... The more muscle you have, the more calories your body can burn at rest. Over the long term, this could potentially be more helpful than just doing cardio to burn calories.
Sure, when you compare cardio vs strength training, cardio burns more calories. However, strength training could burn more as a result of building muscle.
Improved Balance and Stability
Something else that can improve with consistent strength training is your balance and stability (5). This could be partially due to your muscles getting stronger. This could also be partially due to your bones getting stronger too.
Either way, this could help you move more easily through daily life. On top of that, it can be important for staying healthy and preventing injury long-term.
Cardio Vs Strength Training: Which Should I Do?
So, what's better? Is it cardio or strength training? Well, I would argue that neither is "better" than the other.
Plus, when it comes to seeing results, I typically recommend a mix of both. Yes, this is regardless of whether you're looking to build muscle or burn fat. In my experience, this is what I've come to believe is the best approach.
That way, you'll be able to build and maintain muscle through strength training. Obviously, if you're trying to build muscle, this is important.
At the same time, more muscle can help you burn more calories at rest. So, even if you're trying to burn fat, strength training can be very useful.
On the other hand, cardio can be important for maintaining and improving your cardiovascular health. You'll also burn more calories through cardio exercise, which can make it a good tool for fat loss.
At the end of the day though, your workout program as a whole is what's going to matter. Not only that, but also your nutrition.
Technically, you could do cardio and strength training and still not see results. I see this happen all the time! If you don't account for all the variables ... You could be missing an important component for seeing results.
I get it, it can be really hard to know exactly what to do with your workouts and nutrition.
The good news for you is, this is exactly where we can help out! In fact, we even developed the 1st Phorm App for this exact reason.
The 1st Phorm App gives you everything you need to reach your goals. Inside the 1st Phorm App, you'll get access to:
• A certified personal trainer and nutrition coach (sometimes a dietitian) to coach you every day in the app
• A custom nutrition plan and an easy way to log your food to stay on track
• 5x per week live streams about nutrition, training, and supplementation
• A full library of workout programs catered to your goals
• Activity and step-counting software
...and so much more! Ready to get started earning the best results possible? Download the 1st Phorm App today.
If you have any questions in the meantime, don't hesitate to reach out. We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central. We'll be more than happy to help in any way we can!
References:
(1) Mersy, D J. “Health benefits of aerobic exercise.” Postgraduate medicine vol. 90,1 (1991): 103-7, 110-2. doi:10.1080/00325481.1991.11700983.
(2) “Calories Burned in 30 Minutes of Leisure and Routine Activities.” Harvard Health, 8 Mar. 2021, www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-for-people-of-three-different-weights.
(3) Pedersen, Bente Klarlund. “Which type of exercise keeps you young?.” Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care vol. 22,2 (2019): 167-173. doi:10.1097/MCO.0000000000000546.
(4) Krzysztofik, Michal et al. “Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 16,24 4897. 4 Dec. 2019, doi:10.3390/ijerph16244897.
(5) Zouita, Sghaier et al. “Effects of Combined Balance and Strength Training on Measures of Balance and Muscle Strength in Older Women With a History of Falls.” Frontiers in physiology vol. 11 619016. 23 Dec. 2020, doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.619016.
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