When you talk to people about the benefits of the type of exercise and especially when looking for exercise information on the internet, you can easily come across the battle of which one is better, weight exercise at the gym or cardio such as a jog. Both sides seem to have their own unshakable supporters who believe that their form of exercise is completely superior to anything else. This kind of debate is understandable because both forms of exercise have their own good sides. This article looks at some of the good aspects from both forms of sport.
What’s on this page?
Team cardio
The benefit of cardio training, such as running, hiking, swimming or cycling, is that it consumes more energy during exercise. Quite an easy jog efficiently raises the heart rate and burns more calories than an effective session at the gym, as there are many breaks between lifting the weights. This is why gym training can seem heavy without actually burning as many calories as running or swimming. Endurance training is often also less time-consuming because you can start running from your front door, while gym workouts often require a longer travel to the gym. This can prove beneficial especially for beginners who are trying to find their motivation.
Cardio training has many health benefits. It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and improves circulation and bone density. It is especially beneficial for the health of the heart and lungs. In addition, it strengthens tendons and ligaments, which can often be problematic to those who don’t exercise often and possess extra weight. By starting out slowly, joint problems can greatly improve. Exercise has also been found to improve physical as well as mental well-being as it has been found to reduce depression and mental fatigue.
Also, there is no need to worry about the legend of a theory that cardio would reduce muscle mass because it is a mere myth. In one study, researchers followed 44 of the 2009 Trans Europe Foot Race runners during the race. The participants ran 4,488 kilometers in 64 days, and due to the huge energy consumption, runners lost an average of 7 percent of the muscle mass on their legs. The runners did not lose any upper body muscle. Therefore, it is quite safe to say that an average person will not ruin their muscles by jogging or running few times a week as long as the diet is healthy and not a fad starvation diet.
Team gym
The advantage of gym training is that it consumes more energy after the session. The reason being that fitness training is tough for muscles, which means that the body will consume more energy than it normally does for a while after finishing exercising. If you are practising seriously with weights, the muscles will also grow over time. This, in turn, improves the metabolism and increases the amount of energy consumed by the body while resting. This is because muscle consumes considerably more energy than for example the same amount of fat, and as a result, as the muscle mass increases, the person’s energy consumption also increases.
However, there is no need to worry about growing muscle mass if you do not wish to do so. Many people, especially women, seem to be avoiding gym training because they are worried about becoming a bodybuilder-like. This, however, does not happen accidentally, as the substantial increase in muscle mass requires a detailed training program, in addition to a strict diet. This applies especially to women whose testosterone values naturally are considerably lower than those of men, which makes the muscle growth more difficult. Thus, the average person does not have to be worried that heavy weight training would give them bigger muscles than wanted.
Fitness training also has some health benefits, even though not quite as much as cardio training. Strength training has been shown to at least boost glucose metabolism and strengthen bones. However, the biggest long-term health benefits are gained from cardio.
What’s the verdict?
Which exercise method should a person then be doing, cardio or strength training? After all, most experts seem to think that it is ultimately of no great importance. The most important thing to overcome overweight is to exercise regularly and therefore, the best thing to do is to pick one you like. This leads to a person being more likely to move frequently enough, for example, not getting bored and quitting after a few weeks or months. There are various ways of how to exercise but most importantly, you should find a sport that suits for yourself. A healthy, nourishing diet and sufficient amount of exercise will lead to weight loss and to normal BMI indications no matter what kind of sport is being exercised. If you are experiencing a lot of extra weight, you can intensify your weight loss experience by using weight loss pills such as Xenical. However, before you do so, find out if they are suitable for you by talking with your GP.
