Life often pits two teams against each other: Cardio enthusiasts vs. weightlifters. Both sides claim their workout is the best. But which one really helps you achieve your fitness goals? Both cardio and weightlifting offer unique benefits, and when combined, they provide the ultimate fitness routine.

The Difference: Strength Training vs. Cardio

Cardio and strength training are very different exercises, each with its own benefits for your body.

• Strength Training (also known as weight training or resistance training) is an anaerobic activity, meaning it doesn’t rely on oxygen for energy. This includes lifting free weights like dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells or using machines. Anaerobic exercises break down glucose for energy, using more energy over a shorter period.
• Cardio (short for “cardiovascular conditioning”) is an aerobic activity. It uses oxygen to fuel the body, increasing your heart rate and making you breathe faster. Activities like running, cycling, swimming, or Zumba all count as cardio.

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Why Choose Cardio?

1. Improved Heart Health and Endurance: Cardio helps improve heart function by boosting your aerobic capacity, allowing your heart and lungs to work more efficiently. This enables you to handle longer workouts and reduces fatigue during daily activities like climbing stairs.
2. Burn More Calories During the Workout: Cardio is a calorie-burning powerhouse. For example, a 155-pound person burns about 372 calories in 30 minutes of running at a 10-minute-per-mile pace, compared to 112 calories burned during 30 minutes of weightlifting.
3. Faster Weight Loss: Studies, like one from Duke University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, show that cardio is more effective at burning fat compared to strength training alone. Cardio workouts lead to faster fat loss and body mass reduction.

Why Choose Weights?

1. Build Muscle Mass: Weightlifting is perfect for building lean muscle. A 2012 study showed that strength training significantly increased lean muscle mass, turning participants into more muscular versions of themselves.
2. Burn Calories All Day Long: While cardio burns more calories during a workout, weight training keeps your metabolism elevated long after the session. Building muscle increases your resting metabolism, helping you burn more calories even while at rest.
3. Prevent Injury: Lifting weights increases bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. It also strengthens joints, lowering the chances of knee or shoulder injuries.

Cardio and Weights: Why Not Both?

Why choose between cardio and weights when you can enjoy the benefits of both?

1. Lose Fat and Gain Muscle: By combining both forms of exercise, you burn fat while building muscle. This balanced approach helps reshape your body, reducing fat and increasing lean muscle mass.
2. Improved Heart Health: A study from 2019 found that combining cardio and strength training led to greater improvements in heart health compared to doing just one form of exercise.
3. Boost Mental Health: Exercise has long been shown to improve mental health. Resistance training, in particular, has been proven to reduce anxiety, even in people with mental health conditions.

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Which Should You Do First: Cardio or Weights?

The order in which you perform cardio and weights depends on your specific goals:

• Do Weights Before Cardio: If your goal is to build strength or burn more calories with less effort. ACE recommends doing weightlifting first. A study in 2014 showed that doing cardio after strength training results in a higher heart rate during the cardio session.
• Do Cardio Before Weights: If you’re preparing for an endurance event, such as a marathon, do cardio first to enhance endurance before strength training.

How Much Cardio/Weights Should You Do Each Week?

The frequency of cardio and weightlifting depends on your fitness goals:

• Cardio: The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 to 250 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio per week for maintaining weight. For weight loss, aim for more than 250 minutes per week. This equals about five to eight 30-minute sessions a week.

• Weight Training: To build muscle, aim for 2 to 3 days of full-body weightlifting or 3 to 5 days targeting specific muscle groups. Weightlifting sessions should last 20 to 30 minutes.

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