Let us examine both sides.
Cardio work usually involves lifting your heart rate between 55-85% of
your maximum and sustaining this for around 20 minutes for optimal effect. This type of training can be categorised as
endurance work – although much of the effort put in will challenge what is
called your “anaerobic threshold “ (where you get seriously out of breath) in
peaks throughout your run/jog/bike/swim session. The benefit of this type of
exercise is hugely important to fitness, with significant gains seen in the
strength of the heart muscle, increased transportation of blood and oxygen
through increased building of blood vessels, increased energy production
through greater and more numerous cells called “mitochondria” that mean more
work feels “easier”. It has great protective capabilities for the heart – not only
by greater strength and resilience but also in the way that endurance work mops
up “bad” cholesterol, keeps arteries “clean”, regulates insulin and helps with
breathing problems. These are all
important considerations and it is easy to see why we should include some kind
of cardio work into our daily routine. The key to successful cardio response is
to be able to sustain a consistent pattern of training for about 20 mins.
Current guidelines for health are30 mins per day in blocks of 5 mins, with one
block being 15 mins – but to get gains in fitness (and health) then you need to
get up to that 20min as a minimum, get breathless and repeat the process for
3-5 sessions per week.
Weights on the other hand, despite making you breathless,
work in an entirely different manner.
Weight training is hugely important for bone strength, joint stability
and posture, as well as its more pleasing aesthetic aspects of tone and shape.
Weights can be split into both strength and endurance, with both elements significant
for health and fitness. By increasing
the force and pressure on the muscles and bones, the body adapts and grows
stronger. You can work an endurance based programme by including repeated
lifting of one type of action for at least 15 times (reps) – this should feel
within your comfort zone up until the last few repetitions where you should
struggle to push with the same amount of ease and comfort. Please don’t be
fooled into thinking that 15 reps is some kind of magic number – ideally, keep
going until you can’t move the weight.
Strength and endurance gains occur most frequently within a range
repetition of 8-15. At this point you will get significant changes to muscle
mass and will see the most amount of muscle growth – more pronounced in males
due to the effect of testosterone.
Lifting in the lower ranges of 2-7 reps is for those who have been
training for some time and have good joint stability. This range of lifting
gives excellent responses in what is known as the “neural drive” where the
nervous system is primed to contract faster and with greater force – you will
get fantastic strength gains here but without the bulking of the middle range –
so a must for both sexes. The benefits
of weight training are tremendous. Not only do you protect your body, but it
makes all tasks from housework to sports feel much easier. It will make you run
faster, jumps higher, turn quicker and feel GOOD!!! Recovery from weights is always fat burning,
and this can be sustained for up to 2 hours after training leading to substantial
weight loss.
The cons for both exercises are thus – in cardio you do not
get the gains in improved posture, bone density, core stability and power that
weight training gives you. In weights, you do not get the protective measures
for your heart that is vital to sustained happy and healthy life. So basically,
you need to do BOTH. You can bias your workout towards the elements that you
like, but as a minimum, one weights or one long cardio session per week. x
No comments:
Post a Comment