Benefits of Strength and Cardio Training Combined

For complete health and fitness benefits, it is vital to have a well-rounded training program that includes both Cardio and Strength. The benefits of Cardio Training have long been established, but it is only part of the picture. Regular strength training prevents age-related lean muscle tissue loss, helping the basal metabolic rate to remain high. While Cardio training has a high caloric expenditure, the larger the muscle mass, the higher the resting metabolic rate. Therefore both modes play an important role in weight management\weight loss.

Use of Cardio and Strength Training Combined

• Anyone seeking the benefits of exercise needs to combine both Cardio and strength training as both play an essential role in all health\fitness related parameters
• All ages and most populations benefit from the combination of both forms of training, including elderly, adults and children
• By combining strength with Cardio exercise, the likelihood of injuries is decreased

Benefits of Cardio and Strength Training Combined

• CV exercise has a high caloric expenditure, lowers resting heart rate and improves Cardio function. It is an excellent form of exercise for weight loss and weight management.
• Strength training done correctly will balance the body's musculature, giving the muscles a toned and defined appearance. Basically, Cardio exercise removes the subcutaneous fat (on top of the muscle) and strength work improves the appearance of the muscle underneath!
• A combination of both improves functional capacity for the demands of daily life and sports performance

OK, now the big heresy for those folks accustomed to thinking of cardio and strength training as two different things: they don’t have to be. “Cardio” can refer to any activity that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there for a while as you suck in the oxygen. Sure, there are the standard types of “cardio:” running, cycling, elliptical machines, and so forth. But consider “weighted cardio:” longer sets of weighted exercises such as squats, pushups, ballistic exercises like dumbbell swings, sandbag carries, sled dragging, and so forth.

Which part was cardio? Which part was strength training? It starts to be a bit of a mishmash when you combine it like this, and you can derive both strength and cardiovascular benefits from this type of workout. What makes this work is that:

• Both activities are sufficiently intense (i.e. I was training with vigor rather than slowly shuffling around);
• The exercises selected were more or less full body or compound exercises (i.e. using more than one moving body part);
• Rest intervals were fairly short (perhaps 10-20 seconds); and
• The weight sets were relatively lengthy (25 reps per set is a good baseline, but any amount over that is fair game, if you’re brave).