Many people, especially those trying to lose weight, ask if cardio exercise is better than strength exercise. It may sound like a dodge, but the truth is the right answer to this question is it depends on what you want and what your goals are. Let’s look at this.
If your body has more fatty tissue on it than you want, then working cardio may be more helpful in getting that tissue off and keeping it off. Here is why: cardio exercise burns up calories a lot faster than any type of strength training or weight lifting exercise. Cardio gets your body moving and all that movement requires fuel. Each and every minute that you spend working cardio burns calories, without exception. This also means that you lose the weight faster than if you do only strength exercises.
Keep in mind that you need to burn off about 3500 calories to lose one pound of body weight. Yes, you can burn calories pumping iron, it will take a lot of iron to get to that 3500 calories. You can burn those calories much faster with cardio.
To be fair, strength exercises are great for toning up muscles and for building up body mass. If those are your goals, then adding a strength training regime to your exercise program is a good idea. Let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with strength training, but if your goal is to lose weight, then go with a good cardio program, combined with some strength training.
Many experts, and more than a few studies, suggest that the very best way to lose weight and get into shape is to do both cardio and strength training, but to prioritize them as to your goals. This means that if your first priority is to lose fatty tissue and weight, start heavy with the cardio, burn off those calories, and as you lose the weight, transition to more weight training to build up muscle mass. As you reach your goal weight, begin a training regime that is roughly 50-50 cardio and strength training.
It should be noted also that cardio training is one of the best ways to reduce stress. This has been proven time and time again, and for those who have high-stress levels, running or aerobic exercising can do wonders in getting that stress out of your body fast. We also know that stress, in and of itself, often leads to overeating and weight gain. More cardio may lead to less eating…or at least less eating of the wrong types of foods.
At this point it has to be said that no matter what kind of training you decide to do, if you do not adjust your eating habits, you will fail. It truly is that simple. Exercise can only do so much. If you reduce your caloric intake by only 500 calories a day, you may lose up to one pound a week with that one life-style change alone!