First off, let me start by saying that the title of this blog is a total hook. Cardiovascular exercise and weightlifting/strength training are both fantastic and one is not better than the other. The truth is that it is important to include both in your routine and have several benefits on their own.
Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular or aerobic training refers to exercise which increases heart rate and respiration. Examples include running, walking, cycling, swimming, or skiing.
Regular aerobic exercise (also known as cardio) has many incredible benefits:
Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic health conditions
Improve heart and lung health
Positive benefits on mental health
Improve endurance
Improve immune system function
Overall, cardiovascular training can help you stay healthy and live longer!
Strength Training
Strength training refers to any training using weights or against resistance. This may include body weight, dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, or a resistance band.
Strength training has many fantastic benefits, many of which overlap with aerobic training. These include:
Maintain and improve bone strength
Increase muscle mass
Reduce risk of heart and lung disease
Improve metabolism by helping your body burn more calories
Decrease risk of certain diseases including heart disease, diabetes and arthritis
Decrease risk of injury
Strength training is very important to keep up with as you age, as it will allow you to keep up the strength to do the things you love and even just your activities of daily living (i.e., cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping) without assistance.
Both cardiovascular exercise and strength training have a plethora of benefits, many of which I didn’t even mention! A successful exercise routine should include a mix of resistance training and cardiovascular training.
And Now, Some Myth-Busting…
Now that we’ve had a little introduction, I need to bust a myth I hear a lot in clinic: That cardio is the best and only method to use for weight loss.
Keep in mind, the literature on this topic is constantly changing, so this is where the research is at the moment. While weight loss shouldn’t be your only reason for exercising, I understand it is a motivator for many people to start. However, the myth that cardio is going to be better than strength training for weight loss is not actually as true as we used to believe.
Cardio can certainly assist with weight loss as it will increase the number of calories you burn; however, strength training is an excellent weight loss tool as it increases muscle mass. When you increase the amount of muscle in your body, these muscles continue to burn more calories, even when you are resting. Think of it like this: muscles help to burn more calories at rest than other types of body mass such as fat- the more muscle you have from strength training, the more calories you are going to burn day to day. While cardiovascular exercise can burn calories and can help you enter the calorie deficit which is necessary for weight loss, it doesn’t have the added benefit of increasing muscle mass. This means you will not continue to burn as many calories you would at rest compared to when you are strength training.
So How Much Of Each Type Of Exercise Should I Do?
Current exercise guidelines suggest that adults should get 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity cardiovascular exercise per week and at least two strength days of strength training in a week.
If you’re not here yet, don’t fret! Start small and slowly increase as you feel comfortable and get into a routine. The most important thing is just that you are moving your body, no matter what that looks like! Ideally you still need at least 2 days of resistance training per week but outside of that stick with what you enjoy! If the gym and running or biking isn’t your thing, try joining a sports team, going on walks with friends, or anything else that gets your heart rate up.
Decreasing Sedentary Time
Another important tool for staying healthy is decreasing sedentary time - this means time sitting or laying down not doing anything. There are lots of things you can do to break up your sedentary time:
Get up for small breaks during long periods of sitting at work
Use a standing desk
Do some stretches while you watch tv
Do squats while you brush your teeth
Anything you can do move your body will contribute!
I hope you learned something about the differences between strength training and cardio in today’s blog! The main takeaway should be that both resistance training and cardio should be incorporated into a strong exercise regimen. If you have questions or need help figuring out to incorporate different types of exercises to meet your goals, be sure to book in with our registered kinesiologist for support.
Give us a call at (778) 630-8800, email us or book online to seek treatment from a physiotherapist or to work with a registered kinesiologist.