Both Cardio training and Strength training are essential for best fitness results. While a combination of both type of training is important, understanding the difference between them makes it easier to achieve the perfect and healthy body.
Every weight loss or fitness journey is a combination of different things; this includes workouts, diet, healthy routine, etc.The choices you make vary according to the results you want to achieve, which further determines the efforts you need to put to achieve your goals.
Understanding more about Cardio and Strength Training
- Cardio Training– Cardiovascular exercises AKA cardio training is a combination of workouts that increase your heart rate rapidly. These workouts majorly comprise of physical exercises such as running, HIIT exercises, etc. It focuses more on building fitness and losing weight effectively by burning more calories.
- Strength Training– Strength training also referred as weight training is a combination of exercises performed with added resistance and free weights. These exercises are built to increase physical strength and stimulate muscle building. Strength training workouts include both bodyweight exercises and weightlifting routines, which assists in gaining muscles and getting stronger.
Difference between Cardio Training and Strength Training
While workout routines are mostly built to increase your speed and fitness, burn more calories and gain strength, the fitness results vary according to the type of workouts you perform.
Cardio Training
Cardio training generally consist of running and jumping exercises. It helps to increase your speed and fitness levels, along with enhancing your leg strength, improve your heart rate and blood pressure, enhance metabolism, etc. While cardio exercises help you to burn more calories, it majorly acts as a supporting routine for strength training exercises.
For individuals looking to lose added fats or burn more calories, cardio exercises are the perfect choice. Cardio training helps you to increase stamina and build endurance, which further allows you to burn calories quickly and performheavy weight exercises.
Primary health benefits of cardio exercises-
- Best solution for weight loss.
- Helps to maintain a healthy heart.
- Reduces physical fatigue and increases endurance and stamina.
- Helps develop immunity system.
Strength Training
Strength training routines comprises of exercises that help you get stronger and faster. These exercises focus on building stronger muscles; it impacts all the major muscle groups and improves overall strength.
Strength training exercises become essential to maintain a good posture and get strong core muscles. These exercises are performed either with bodyweight using added resistance or using free weights. While the strength training exercises have slow calorie burning rate, it helps to reduce fats which are further replaced by muscle mass increasing your strength.
Primary health benefits of strength training-
- Increases overall strength by developing muscles.
- Helps reduce Abdominal Fat.
- Boosts your Metabolism.
- Increases strength and reduces the risk of injury.
- Increases muscle mass and get stronger bones.
Workouts
While there are different cardio and strength training routines that you can follow, a good combination routine of both types of exercises is recommended for best results. Here we have listed down a few cardio and strength training exercises for you that you can perform.
Examples for Cardio Exercises
Running
There is a bunch of running exercises that you can add to your daily routine. If you join a gym you have the option of using a treadmill for running, it gives you the option of inclined training and travel longer distance. You can also opt for morning jogging or hiking as a part of cardio routine. Running helps you to have a healthy heart, also beginning your day with a decent run helps to activate your body for the daily activities.
Burpees
Burpees are combination exercises, which includes pushups, lunges, jumping and stretching. It is considered as a part of the HIIT or High Intensity Interval training routines. Burpees help you to get stronger heart and lungs, increase blood flow throughout the body, reduce blood pressure etc. and helps in the overall fitness development. If you want to burn belly fat as quickly as possible, burpees are considerably the best exercises to perform.
Jumping Ropes or Skipping
Rope jumping is another effective cardio exercise that can be performed at home. This is a simple exercise performed using a skipping rope, it is considered as the best way to work out your heart, lungs and muscles simultaneously. There are different variations of exercises that can be performed using a jump rope. Jumping rope is considerably more effective than running, as it increases the calorie burning rate rapidly.
Examples for Strength Training Exercises (Weight Exercises)
Bicep curls
The exercise is performed using a dumbbell or a barbell to build bigger biceps. Stronger biceps make it easier for you to lift heavier, which further helps you to improve your overall strength. Bicep curls also help you to gives your biceps and triceps the right form. Stronger arm strength makes it easier to perform a variety of lifting exercises and body weight exercises as well.
Squats
Squats are the best strength training exercise to get stronger legs. This simple exercise can also be performed using free weights for added resistance. It helps to build strong quads and gluts that enhance the lower body strength. Squats help you to burn calories and reduce fat in the abdominal region. There are different versions of squats that you can perform with varying postures to activate different muscle groups in the lower body.
Machine weight exercises
Machine weight exercises are the routines performed using machines that have weights attached to them. While the machine weight exercises are similar to the ones performed with free weights, it is generally used by the beginners. Exercises performed on machines offer the same resistance as free weights, but they have added support for the users to prevent any kind of injuries. With weighted machines exercising with weights become easier, it is recommended to practice with machines before moving to free weight training. These exercises include bench presses, rowing exercises, squats, etc.
Conclusion
Choosing the right exercise routine ensures a healthy, peaceful and happy life. Combining cardio workouts and strength training workouts offer a lot of benefits; this includes healthy blood pressure, stronger core, stronger mind and body, enhance metabolism, reduces stress, build strength to perform daily routines, etc.
While exercising daily is recommended, you must make sure to not exert unnecessary pressure on your body to avoid any major injuries. Exercises that improve your core balance and activate different joints and muscle groups are recommended.
Whether you want to lose weight or to build muscles, determines the type of exercises you should add to your workout regime. Remember cardio exercises focus more on burning calories, while strength training (weight training) exercises focus on building muscles. The perfect daily routine is the one that has a great mix of both.
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