Cardio vs. Strength (a vent)

meshashesha2012

I prefer strength because it's not monotonous.. I'm not just on a treadmill pounding away for a half an hour or w/e. I also prefer strength because it makes me look better than cardio alone would(IMO, others feel that cardio only makes them look just fine).
At the end of the day though, I do a nice balance of both... or at least I try to

Picking things up just to put them back down is not monotonous? Personally I find both monotonous.

I think that the implication is that picking things up and putting them down for a few minutes, then moving on to a different way of picking things up and putting them down for a few mintues, and then moving on to...(well, you get the idea here), is a lot less monotonous than standing still and moving your legs on the same treadmill/elliptical/whatever for 45 minutes straight..

exactly.. you arent doing 45 minutes of 1 motion over and over again. you're doing several movements. sometimes you're picking, sometimes you're pulling, pushing, throwing, etc. plus there's also some rest time in there when you walk around a bit and try to flex nonchalantly in the mirror :laugh:

ninerbuff

While I will always have clients do a combination of both together, some will prefer strength over cardio and vice versa. But if it comes down to an individual, what matters most is that they do an exercise regimen that they know they can stick with for a lifetime.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

dad106

I prefer strength because it's not monotonous.. I'm not just on a treadmill pounding away for a half an hour or w/e. I also prefer strength because it makes me look better than cardio alone would(IMO, others feel that cardio only makes them look just fine).
At the end of the day though, I do a nice balance of both... or at least I try to

Picking things up just to put them back down is not monotonous? Personally I find both monotonous.

I think that the implication is that picking things up and putting them down for a few minutes, then moving on to a different way of picking things up and putting them down for a few mintues, and then moving on to...(well, you get the idea here), is a lot less monotonous than standing still and moving your legs on the same treadmill/elliptical/whatever for 45 minutes straight..

exactly.. you arent doing 45 minutes of 1 motion over and over again. you're doing several movements. sometimes you're picking, sometimes you're pulling, pushing, throwing, etc. plus there's also some rest time in there when you walk around a bit and try to flex nonchalantly in the mirror :laugh:

You guys said it all perfectly!

When I'm running, I'm just on the treadmill doing that.. pounding it out for 6 minute intervals, praying their over.

With lifting though, (my routine yesterday for an example!) I was doing side shuffles, isolated lunges w/20 pound dumbbells in each hand, side jumps, step ups w/20 pounds in each hand, chest press w/15 pounds in each hand, bi cep curls w/15 pounds, shoulder press w/15 pounds, and then finally one armed rows for w/15 pounds. Then when I finished started at the bottom and worked my way to the top.. and then I was done. I was only resting for 30 seconds to a minute.. before moving on to something else. I also did total body which combines all sorts of different moves into one workout.. and that def. does not get boring!

predsfanmatt

Research has done studies on diet alone, cardio alone, and strength training alone. Strength training alone yields the best results for healthy weight and even overall health. However, the combination of both proper diet, strength, and cardio cannot be beat. If you are lifting heavy, I mean with everything you have, you will get your heart rate up, BIG TIME. No matter what your goals are, it is ok to lift as heavy as you can. Just because you lift heavy doesn't mean you will "bulk up" if that is a concern (I know that is not the concern on this post, but I am sure some here are concerned with that). I am a personal trainer, and my clients consist of 70% female over the age of 50. I have never had a problem with a client "bulking up" too much and I have them lift very heavy weights within a 5-7 repetition range (yes they are losing weight). I mostly stay away from small exercises that only burn a minimum amount of energy (curls, lateral raises, triceps pressing, crunches etc...). Instead, I pick big compound exercises that incorporate the whole body with every single exercise (squats, lunges, standing presses, pull-ups, farmer carries etc...). The key is supersetting: 2-3 (compound) exercises back to back before resting (sometimes I will throw in an extra short burst "cardio" exercise for 30-45 seconds). Also, strength training is a must for runners to help prevent injury.
Besides, why NOT get as strong as you can? You will be glad you did when you get older (but :happy: that's a whole other post, I got long winded enough here).

DieVixen

I prefer strength because it's not monotonous.. I'm not just on a treadmill pounding away for a half an hour or w/e. I also prefer strength because it makes me look better than cardio alone would(IMO, others feel that cardio only makes them look just fine).
At the end of the day though, I do a nice balance of both... or at least I try to

Picking things up just to put them back down is not monotonous? Personally I find both monotonous.

I think that the implication is that picking things up and putting them down for a few minutes, then moving on to a different way of picking things up and putting them down for a few mintues, and then moving on to...(well, you get the idea here), is a lot less monotonous than standing still and moving your legs on the same treadmill/elliptical/whatever for 45 minutes straight..

Thats why I move from treadmill to stair mill,to elliptical,back to the stair mill lol