The best answer to this question depends on you. Sometimes cardio training is better. Sometimes weights are better. Most of the time both are best.
When is cardio the best option for me?
If you are totally out of shape and it’s been awhile since you’ve worked out at all then your best option is to start with cardio. Start with easy activities like walking and gradually progress to faster movements like sprinting for short periods. If your goal is to lose weight the key to your cardio training is to be progressive. Go a little bit farther, burn a few more calories, or go a little bit faster each day. It doesn’t matter which of these 3 you choose to increase. All that matters is that you keep making your body do more. One of the best things about starting with cardio is that it will rarely make you sore, which is one less hurdle that you will have to overcome. So if you are just starting out and have a lot of weight to loose cardio is your best option.
When is strength training the best option for me?
Generally, cardio queens/kings are not as healthy as they could be because they don’t have enough muscle mass on their bodies, their connective tissues are weak, and their joints are unhealthy because running/jogging is so repetitive. We urge everyone to strength train in some form or fashion, whether it’s with weights, machines, bands, or body weight training. Ever heard the saying “strong is the new skinny?” Well we believe that “strong is the new healthy.”
Uncertainty is the major hurdle that we run into when trying to get people to strength train. It’s very simple to step on a treadmill and push the start button. However, there is a little bit more of a learning curve to strength training. We try to minimize this learning curve as much as possible by providing our members with a series of beginner workout checklists. To truly be healthy and look the way you want to you have to strength train. There is no way around it. Although, most people find lifting weights kind of like a drug. Once you experience it and feel it. You want more of it.
As we age our strength decreases before our endurance decreases. Seniors that have strong muscles, bones, and connective tissues because they strength train experience a better quality of life.
Why is a combination of lifting weights and doing cardio best for me?
Yes, for optimal health you need to be strong, but you also need to be able to move. Doing a combination of strength and cardio training will create the strong, healthy, mobile, good looking body that you want, and that’s what we want for you. We want you to be strong enough to pick up your children, be mobile enough to chase them down, and have enough energy to keep up with them.
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