Divorce Recovery | Should I Do Cardio or Strength Training?

• Posted: January 19, 2009
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• Author: Heather Binns
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• Filed under: Ask the Fitness Pro
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• Tags: divorce

Below you will find a well thought out article from Heather Binns. Heather is helping Adam's Wedding Dress by posting on fitness topics that can kick start your well-being after divorce or during any relationship issue. Please don't limit your fitness goal to divorce or relationship recovery...Heather gives solid advice for anyone that is willing commit to good heath through proper exercise and diet. The cornerstone to my post divorce recovery was fitness, I hope you too will find benefit.

I have heard this question time and time again.  Many people are confused about when, and how, they should do cardio and/or strength training.  To clarify this issue let’s first start by understanding what these, and related, terms mean.

Cardiovascular – Of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels.
Cardiorespiratory – Of, or pertaining to, or affecting both the heart and lungs and their functions.
Aerobic – Pertaining to, or caused by, the presence of oxygen.
Exercise – The activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit.
Training – Activity leading to skilled behavior; intended for use during an introductory, learning, or transitional period.
Strength – The quality or state of being strong; capacity for exertion or endurance.

Cardio (both vascular and respiratory) is exercise that is aerobic in nature.  In laymen’s terms, when doing cardio you are involving your heart, blood vessels and lungs, and using oxygen to get in shape and improve your health.  Strength training is using your body’s muscles via exertion and endurance to resculpt your body’s physique.
Cardiovascular training provides superb groundwork when it comes to exercise offering the following benefits:

• Weight management and/or loss
• Improved endurance
• Stress relief
• Increased metabolism (burn more calories throughout the day)
• Improved cardiovascular health
• Reduced anxiety and depression
• Improved immune system
• Increased self-esteem

However, as we age, we need more than just cardio exercise to help us maintain valuable muscle mass.   That’s where strength training plays a key role by offering the following benefits:

• Increased strength and power
• Increased muscle
• Improved posture
• Increased metabolism (burn more calories throughout the day)
• Injury prevention
• Increased bone density
• Improved range of motion, flexibility and stability
• Increased self-esteem

Now to answer the question of whether you should do cardio or strength training, the answer is both!  Whether you want to lose weight, lean and tone your body, or build muscle and strength, you need a combination of both cardio and strength training.  The difference is the amount of each you do.

For weight loss and leaning/toning your body, you ideally want a combination of aerobic exercise (cardio) and strength training to see results.  For example, a workout can consist of running outdoors for 30 minutes at a moderate pace and then doing medium-intensity strength exercises for various muscle groups.  The key is doing more repetitions in each exercise set (ex: 3 sets of 15-25 repetitions) and working out 5-6 days/week (ex: 3 days of strength training and 5 days of cardio).  Now with all that being said, however, you can’t forget about nutrition.  You can exercise as much as you like, but if you eat back the calories you burned, you won’t lose weight.

For building muscle mass and strength, you still want a combination of both strength training and aerobic exercise (cardio), but with a majority of your focus on strength training.  For example, you can combine strength and cardio exercises in a complete gym workout such as a set of pull-ups followed by 3 minutes on an elliptical trainer.  The key is doing fewer repetitions in each strength exercise set (ex: 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions) and also giving your muscles adequate rest for them to recover (ex: 45-60 minutes of training only 4 days/week).  In addition to this type of workout regimen, you also need to consume a greater amount of calories, and make sure you have an increase of protein to sustain your increased muscle mass.   You need to eat more calories than you’re burning each day, but not too much so you prevent adding fat.

Ultimately, you need to make sure you know what your fitness goal is before you decide on the combination of cardio and strength training you choose for your workouts.  Stay focused and make sure you also dink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated.

*Definitions from www.Dictionary.com.

© 2009 Heather Binns, CPT.  All Rights Reserved.

Please see Heather’s complete bio and fitness after divorce articles here

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