The Importance of Cardio

We've all heard the phrase "cardio is king." Recently, researchers seem to be making an argument that strength training offers greater health and fitness gains than steady-state cardio workouts.

One study showed that a 20-minute interval strength-training workout burned 15 calories per minute, on average. Compared to a long run, that's almost twice the calories. And in a Harvard 2015 obesity study, researchers found that men who strength trained gained less belly fat than those who spent the same time doing cardio workouts over the course of 12 years.

This is because strength training workouts build muscle during your workout but continue to burn calories after leaving the gym and continuing to strengthen your heart. Steady-state cardio work burns calories from both fat and muscle. 

Lifting weight is without a question incredibly important for overall health. If you can do only one thing, then lift.

You Still Need Cardio

Cardio workouts, including swimming, cycling, or running, make your heart and lungs work harder and faster than strength training, which forces them to become stronger and more efficient than if you did only strength training.

Cardiovascular exercise is definitely the most important kind of exercise for cardiometabolic health.

Moreover, performing both cardio and strength workouts offers the most benefits for weight loss. You'll get a major calorie burn from cardio and improve your metabolic rate from strength training.

If you consider the treadmill more of a dreadmill, rest assured cardio workouts will benefit your strength training, too. A stronger heart and lungs will help ensure better gains in muscle and strength. Cardio will increase your capillary and mitochondrial density, or your body's ability to better fuel your muscles. 

Following every strength workout, your lungs, heart, and vasculature (all of which are strengthened through cardio workouts) help your body recover, replenishing energy levels and delivering amino acids, oxygen, and nutrients to your muscles to promote healing and build strength.

Finding the Right Balance between Strength and Cardio

It's ideal to get some cardio daily, even if it's just a 15-minute walk. Just move. It doesn't have to be a marathon or even two miles. Just be sure to move every day. Above that, your fitness goals will help determine how much cardio and weight training you need. If you're a runner, be sure to strength train to avoid injury. If you prefer strength training and just want to run to the squat rack and no more, simply work for that 10 minutes of cardio a day. Consider it your warm-up (or cool down) from your weight training.