Cardio and Weightlifting. Why Both?

Good Evening readers!

So, besides my morning 25 curlups, minute of pushups and song's worth of jogging... I do a little bit of random evening exercise. Or at least, that's my resolution. So far I've done it... twice. Once was back stretches, and the other time was weightlifting. Nothing serious because I don't have big weights, but I felt it and that's what matters.

Some people only focus their energy on one thing - bulking up or only cardio. I like to do both because it's important to not only have stamina but also strength. Both are important for different things.

Here are a couple reasons to incorporate Strength Training AND Cardio into your routines:

• You Don't Have to Do the Same Amount of Each OneThat's right, you can do one round of cardio and four of strength training. So long as what you do fits with your goals. Most people who exercise five times a week either do 2 days of one and 3 of the other or they do both in each session and divide it by minutes.

• “Resistance Training will Improve Fatigue Resistance and Efficiency in Energy Use When You Run" - Rich Velasquez
  This means you won't get tired as quickly and it may help you learn how to pace yourself.

• Only Doing Cardio to Lose Weight Causes You to Burn Less Calories
  Muscle mass helps burn calories and gives you a higher metabolism. If you don't build any muscle mass, you won't get the full benefit of the cardio you've been working on.
  
• Some Strength Training Doubles as Cardio
  Kettleball Exercises, for Example, are great for both strength and stamina.
  
• Cardio Improves Overall Health and Fitness in Ways Strength Training Falls ShortSo if you keep at both of them, you'll get all of the benefits that you need!
  
• Strength Training Helps you to Improve Form and Stability
  Both of these things are important for your cardio workouts, as they help reduce the chance of injury.

Remember to keep your workouts in balance! Not all things will work for all people, but general principles can span all body types. It's also recommended to do stretches and incorporate things like yoga but that is a subject for another post at another time.

-Alex