Cardio-vascular vs Resistance

Its just cold hard facts this month and one of the biggest questions in fitness,Cardio-vascular vs Resistance for weight loss? This is probably the question i get asked most as a personal trainer. So I'm going to give a case for both in simple terms then my overall verdict, i will also throw in a free routine and IL leave with you with a final thought.

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CARDIOVASCULAR

What is it?
Any exercise, activity or sport that increases your heart and respiration rate for a specific period is cardio (cardiovascular) exercise. There are different degrees from mild to intense. Intense cardio exercises include running, interval training, and graded exercise protocol. Those are not for beginners. Beginners can begin with a mild cardio exercise and do it relatively frequently for a significant duration. An excellent one is brisk walking (outdoors or treadmill). Walking is easier on your body than jogging or running and it is sustainable.

Why do it?
You all probably know how great aerobic activity is for your heart, body and mind. After all, regular cardio exercise has been shown to reduce body fat, decrease total cholesterol, boost mood, lower resting heart rate, and improve heart and lung function. It's almost like a magic "health" pill when you think about!

So why don't more people do cardio regularly? Well, some think it has to extremely hard or miserable, and others just don't set aside the time to make it a priority. Both camps are misguided, as aerobic exercise doesn't have to be back-breaking (it can actually be fun!) and being active is a cornerstone to living a long, healthy life. When you get right down to it, what do we have if we don't have our health?

Types of cardio?
Running, swimming, dancing, cycling, marathon-running, cross-country or downhill skiing, skipping, using aerobic equipment (i.e., treadmill, stationary bike). Basically, it is a form of exercise that gets your heart beating faster and make your breathing rate increase.u
                                                                

 

BENEFITS
Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Aerobic exercise reduces your risk for developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. It can also help you control your blood pressure and cholesterol and also strengthen your bones. Meeting the aerobic exercise recommendations can help relieve feelings of anxiety and depression and also increase your chances of living healthier for longer. Cardio can increase metabolic output for 5-7hours after you have finished dependant on frequency, intensity, time, type. (F.I.T.T)


RESISTANCE

What is it?
Strength training is a type of physical exercise specialising in the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. Training commonly uses the technique of progressively increasing the force output of the muscle through incremental weight increases and uses a variety of exercises and types of equipment to target specific muscle groups. Strength training is primarily an anaerobic activity, although some proponents have adapted it to provide the benefits of aerobic exercise through circuit training.

Why do it?
When properly performed, strength training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being, including increased bone, muscle, tendon and ligament strength and toughness, improved joint function, reduced potential for injury, increased bone density, increased[1] metabolism, improved cardiac function, and elevated HDL (good) cholesterol.
How is done?
The basic principles of strength training involve a manipulation of the number of repetitions (reps), sets, tempo, exercises and force to cause desired changes in strength, endurance or size by overloading of a group of muscles. The specific combinations of reps, sets, exercises, resistance and force depend on the purpose of the individual performing the exercise: to gain size and strength multiple (4+) sets with fewer reps must be performed using more force. Exercise selection should be limited to the basic foundational barbell movements such as the squat, bench press, dead lift, overhead press and bent-over row.

OVERALL VERDICT

There is a very strong case and huge benefits for both but I'm going to have to edge towards resistance for the weight loss as i have used it for huge effect for the last 12 years, not only personally but also with my clients. I would never say dismiss cardio-vascular as it has its place but i would say keep it short and intense and always after a resistance routine for the full fat burn effect.

FREE ROUTINE

Warm up = 3mins

1min walk

1min jog

1min run

Full body warm up with mobility

Every 3 mins on the 3mins x 6 rounds

3)dead lift @ same as body weight

6)squat jumps@ body weight

9)dumbell thrusters @ 6/10kg (f/m)

12)burprees @ body weight

FINAL THOUGHT

The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been before.

-Albert Einstein

There will be a re-edited version of this blog once im back from my holiday.