Weights vs. Cardio: which is the most balanced workout?

pHion Balance  |  0 Comment

A cardiovascular workout is any activity that raises your heart.  Regular cardiovascular workouts can change our physiology. For example, we pump oxygen with less effort, requiring fewer heartbeats. The muscles receive an increase in blood supply, which gives us more endurance, stamina and helps our body work more efficiently. As we engage in cardiovascular exercise, endorphins are released - those neurotransmitters that make us feel happy and social after our workout. Endorphins are the body’s painkillers that help regulate mood; this outflow of endorphins helps decrease stress, anxiety and depression.

Numerous studies have proven cardiovascular exercises ability to reduce the chances for several diseases when paired with weight gain, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and forms of cancer. In 1986, the New England Journal of Medicine published research that definitively linked exercise with an increased life span. One example in how exercise improves our physiology is by stimulating the growth of tiny blood vessels called capillaries in muscles. In turn, the body increases oxygen delivery to the muscle, making it more efficient not only as a muscle but to remove waste products such as lactic acid. Lactic acid buildup is responsible for your muscle cramps, “charley horses” and even chronic back pain.

On the negative, many cardiovascular exercises are high impact and the cost can include stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, dehydration, heel spurs and strained Achilles heel and calves. You may also be vulnerable to knee, ankle and joint injuries. One of the most important things you can do is go to a specialty shoe store (the best seem to be for serious runners) to make sure your feet are in the right shoes.

Weight, or strength training, offers a lot as a workout. It is goal oriented and, with consistency, your hard work will not only pay off, you’ll be able to show it off very soon. Strength training also boosts your muscles’ stamina and is an excellent way to prevent osteoporosis at any age. Despite common beliefs, strength training can help you lose weight faster and more effectively than cardiovascular exercise. With a healthy diet, in a year you may at first only see a loss of 8-10 pounds when strength training compared to the 10-12 lost pounds of your cardiovascular counterpart. However, over that year, you will burn an extra 120 calories a day regardless of what you eat or do, resulting in an extra 10-pound loss.

Beginners should start out on machines to build up their strength before they move to free-weights. It’s very important is you are a beginner to get some guidance. Trainers at gyms are helpful and can give advice which machines or exercises to avoid based on past injuries. Once you move to free weights, the natural range of body movements guides the movement of the weights. Stamina and strength grow at an incredible speed. There are an unlimited variety of exercises and reaching goals is an excellent confidence builder. Weights are also excellent for injury rehab.

In conclusion … Cardio vs. Weights: Some cardio for heart health with a few days in the gym to build strength and improve my bone mass.

Here's to your wellness,

Comments Would you like to comments? Join pHionbalance for a free account, or log in if you are already a memeber. Forum Search