Cardio or Strength Training. Which is Better?

Every once and a while we will get asked about whether someone should prioritize cardio exercise or strength training. We definitely have an opinion on this and will get to the answer, in our opinion anyways, but first let’s look at what each of these forms of exercise are.

Cardio is any form of exercise which elevates your heart rate and sustains it at an elevated level for a duration of time. It could be at a steady elevated state or be up and down through interval training, but the main focus of cardiovascular training is to strengthen the heart and lungs which will increase endurance and help burn some extra calories.

Strength training is done using resistance to strengthen the muscles, joints and bones. This type of exercise results in a stronger body, with more stability and better capabilities of performing everyday activities.

Both types of exercise are important and have different benefits. But, back to the question of which one should you prioritize if you have to? The short answer, strength training, and here is why.

Cardio really doesn’t give you any strength benefit because it lacks the resistance to create more strength, but strength training will absolutely raise your heart rate and give you some cardio benefits. So, if you only have time to do one, we would suggest strength training. This isn’t to say that you should skip cardio all together and just do strength training. An ideal workout session would include a cardio warm up of 5-10 minutes, 30-40 minutes of strength training and 20-30 minutes of cardio depending on how much time you are spending in the gym.

You can even do your cardio exercise outside of the gym, going for walks, bike rides, rollerblading or any activity that you like to do that gets you moving. But you won’t get that strength benefit so you will still have to go to the gym to do your strength training.

This is something we hear all the time, especially in the summer months. Members will say they are going to get their exercise outside cutting grass, golfing, walking or bike riding, which are all great, but do not give you any real strength training benefits. So, although you are still exercising, you are losing your strength benefits if you give up the strength training at the gym.

This means that strength training needs to be made a priority all year long!

Another reason we believe in strength training so much is that we all know as we age, we naturally will lose muscle mass, resulting in strength loss and a slower metabolism. This contributes to weight gain as we age and to a decline in quality of life over time due to the loss in strength. Strength training is the only way to combat this to keep a higher metabolism and quality of life, no matter what your age is!

If you need any help or guidance setting up a strength training program, we are here for you!