Strength training versus cardiovascular training. What should I be doing in the gym?

We all have lots to do in our lives, and seemingly never enough time to get it all done. Furthermore, the great majority of people simply don’t love being in the gym. With that said, it seems that the time we do spend in the gym should be engaging, effective, and efficient. So, what’s the best way to maximize your limited time and energy in the gym? Should you be emphasizing cardiovascular conditioning, or should you emphasize weight and resistance training? 

Let’s be clear, both sustained cardiovascular training and strength training have benefits. Here are some of them:

Cardiovascular training benefits:

  • Gets your blood pumping and helps improve whole-body circulation

  • Lowers your blood pressure

  • Strengthens your immune system

  • Improves your sleep

  • Supports your mental health

  • Regulates your blood sugar

  • Contributes to a healthy weight by burning calories during the training session; weight loss comes down to calories in versus calories burned

  • Gives your brain a boost; numerous studies have proven the causal relationship between cardio and brain function

Strength training benefits (as discussed previously in other blog posts):

  • Get stronger

  • Helps burn calories and maintain or lose weight by: A. Increasing metabolic rate (muscles are more metabolically efficient than fat mass), and B. Increasing metabolic rate for up to 72 hours post strength-training

  • Decreases abdominal fat (when combined with a sound nutrition plan). Decreasing visceral fat Is proven to decrease risk for chronic diseases

  • More muscle mass makes your appear lean and firm, and makes your clothes fit in a more flattering way

  • Decrease fall risk — important as we age and our bones naturally weaken

  • Lower risk of injury in everyday activities. More strength, better balance, more mobile in tendons and ligaments

  • Muscle imbalances are common, and can be corrected with strength training; unilateral strength training is especially effective in combating muscle imbalances (emphasized at Body By Ford, and will be addressed in subsequent blog posts)

  • Improves heart health. Can decrease blood pressure, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and improve circulation

  • Helps manage blood sugar; reduces risk of diabetes and helps increase insulin sensitivity

  • Greater mobility and flexibility. When using a full range of motion, joint range of motion can be improved, and strength training can be equally effective as stretching when looking to increase flexibility/mobility

  • Boosts self-esteem — strength training serves as stress relief, allowing us to overcome challenges, achieve goals, and improve body image over time

  • Makes bones stronger — important as we age and osteoporosis becomes prevalent

  • Boosts mood; think only runners get a “high”, think again! Weight training is a sure fire way to stimulate endorphin production and boost your mood

  • Improve brain health — strength training proven to fight cognitive decline and improve cognitive function over time

  • Promotes overall better quality of life — strength training improves physical and mental wellness, making us more able to enjoy all that life has to offer

So, what should I be doing? Both types of workouts seem beneficial…

At Body By Ford Personal Training, you get the benefits of strength training and cardiovascular-based training at the same time. By performing strength-based exercises in a circuit-style fashion, you get the muscle and strength gains you would expect from resistance training, but by keeping rest periods to the shortest adequate time period, we can keep the heart rate elevated; thus, the benefits of cardiovascular training can be achieved. All BXF workouts are scripted with progressive overload in mind, meaning that you get stronger and build muscle mass by incrementally increasing poundage lifted and volume executed over time.

Body By Ford circuit-based workouts are always catered to a client’s goals and abilities, programmed based on a client’s past workouts, and are meticulously tracked using progress monitoring to ensure that progress is made in a safe manner. Due to the fact that each and every workout is analyzed using real-time data, guesswork is eliminated from programming, and variables that can hinder results are reduced. Data-driven adjustments are made over time to ensure a client’s success. This is the Body By Ford difference. Sign up for a free fitness consultation today and experience it for yourself!

Ford Stevens