Cardio vs strength training is one of the biggest debates among gym lovers. Most times, the argument ends with personal preferences instead of facts. But let’s first understand this, cardio activities include walking, running, cycling, swimming, and rowing.
Strength training on the other hand, refers to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), CrossFit, using resistance bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, or barbells in your workouts, or any other exercise that – you guessed it – requires heavy lifting.
Many scientists have researched how many calories people burn during various activities.Based on this research, you can use your body weight to estimate how many calories you will burn during different types of exercise, including cardio and weight training.
For most activities, the more you weigh, the more calories you will burn.
The benefits of cardio vs strength training?
Let’s start with cardio. Striide, a lifestyle and fitness brand that gives customers the chance to exercise at home and offers gym equipment rentals says, as the name suggests, these types of exercises target the cardiovascular system, meaning your heart and blood vessels.
“When you walk, jog, run or sprint, your heart goes to work to pump blood quicker through your body, forcing it to use more oxygen. In turn, cardio activity helps improve heart health and endurance, boosts blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and burns calories,” the team explains.
It’s also important to note that the number of calories you burn during exercise depends on your body size and how intensely you exercise. Typically, a cardio workout burns more calories than a weight training workout of the same duration.
When referring to strength training, Striide says the form of training targets a particular muscle group to increase strength and enhance muscle mass. You can either choose to go for high-intensity training with low reps and longer rests or high-volume training with short breaks between sets. “One of the many great benefits of weight training is that it increases your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. Cardio only burns calories during the session because it doesn’t target your resting metabolism like weight training does.” Also, weight training can help you prevent muscle loss which is commonly associated with ageing, dieting, or cardio workouts.
If you don’t want to choose between the two, there is no need to. Plus, your heart, muscles, and waistline will thank you for it.
A 2019 study showed that participants who did both cardio and strength training for eight consecutive weeks saw a greater improvement in heart disease risk factors than those who just did one or the other.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) training is one the sessions you can try, as it combines high-intensity training with short bursts of cardio like running or rowing, offering the best of both worlds.
HIIT is a broad term for workouts that involve short periods of intense exercise alternated with recovery periods.
One of the biggest advantages of HIIT is that you can get maximal health benefits in minimal time.
Despite how short the workout is, it can produce health benefits similar to twice as much moderate-intensity exercise.
The actual activity being performed varies but can include sprinting, biking, jumping rope, or other bodyweight exercises.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) gives exercise recommendations and evidence-based recommendations for weight loss.
The ACSM states that less than 150 minutes per week of moderate or vigorous physical activity like cardio is probably not enough for weight loss.
However, it states that more than 150 minutes per week of this type of physical activity is sufficient to help produce weight loss in most people.
In addition, research shows that people tend to lose more body weight when they have higher levels of physical activity.
Interestingly, ACSM’s review of the research found that weight training is not very helpful for weight loss. However, it is important to remember that even if your weight doesn’t change, your body composition may be improving.