Weights or Cardio – A Compromise to the Old Debate
The debate between those who say that cardio exercise is better for weight loss and those who say that weight training is best for weight loss is a unique argument. It’s unique in that there’s no need for it to exist in the first place. Proponents of cardio argue that it gets the heart pumping and lungs working, which burn fat, and continue to do so even after your workout is over. Proponents of weight training counter that muscle burns fat quickly, and so the best way to lose weight is to use your muscles. But there’s no reason that you can’t practice cardio and weight training, and reap the benefits of both.
Aerobics has been a popular form of exercise since the late sixties. This form of exercise focuses on the improvement of the body’s cardiovascular system and, collaterally, the body’s muscular and even skeletal systems. It usually involves exercises that get the heart pumping, such as running, swimming, or bicycling. But since the muscles are usually used to propel the body in such activities, they are affected as well. Studies have found that people who have strong muscles also have stronger bones. So proponents of cardiovascular exercise argue that this is a more holistic approach to fitness.
Weight training is a form of anaerobic exercise. The purpose of anaerobic exercise is to build muscle, which will help to burn more fat. Exercises such as weight training and sprinting are examples of anaerobic exercise. One of the appeals of this form of exercise is that weight workouts can often have the same efficiency in weight loss as a much longer cardio workout. Because anaerobic exercise is fueled directly by fat feeding muscle, one will experience weight loss more quickly if employing a weight training regimen than with a solely cardiovascular workout regimen.
But it stands to reason, then, that a combination of the two will be the best workout regimen both for weight loss and for overall health. If you depend solely on cardio workouts for weight loss, it’ll be slow going because cardio exhausts the body of carbohydrates for fuel before moving on to fats. But if you only do weight training, your cardiovascular system will be neglected, and your overall health will be poorer. By combining weights and cardio, you will be addressing all of the fitness concerns you could possibly have. You can either alternate days or do short workouts implementing both types every day. In any case, your body will be all the better for it.
