Cardio VS Weight Lifting - The Truth

I prefer strength to cardio, but do both. I am however, about to embark on a heavy lifting journey, so cardio will probably most likely be reduced to cycling to and from work and the odd zumba class.

I also do a lot of stretching, I enjoy quite good leg flexibility, and am currently working on oversplits, but I also want to get box splits and improve the flex of my back, so I usually stretch quite well after training.

Great post! It made me smile, because I feel the pretty much the exact opposite of everything you said. :laugh:

I fully admit to being a lifelong "cardio bunny" or whatever term you choose. I love aerobic exercise, and the things I love most about it are the things you dislike. Whether hiking, running, Zumba, step aerobics, biking, or even walking, I love doing it so hard and so long that my body is completely spent. It makes me feel powerful when I've worked my body to quivering pile of jelly. And I love when I don't feel much soreness the next day and I know I'm ready to do it again.

Weight lifting for me is boring. Lift this X times. up/down/up/down/up/down....zzzzzzz. I admit to not doing enough to get really sore or push myself to the limits. But I have tried that in the past. A friend who is a bodybuilder tried to get me into it years ago. All I got out of it was just sore and bored. That didn't last long.

I think cardio and weight lifting go hand in hand and you get the best results when you balance them out. I used to run 5 miles a day 7 days a week. I didn't know anything about anything!! then when i finally tried to lift weights, I got so intimidated because lifting the minimum was soo difficult! i still love my cardio. it's a great stress reliever. i like to challenge myself every now and then to beat my 1 mile time. but i find that my legs get stronger and i'm a better runner when I don't run and when I do more strength training. you have to have various cardio options. i like the elliptical and spin class. I do weight training now more than ever and i'm not intimidated if i'm the only girl up there lifting with all the guys. It's MY workout and i don't let anyone influence me. When I have a badass run, the feeling and excitement goes away pretty quickly. It's when I have a big strength training session or i challenged myself to extra sets or put more weight on there that I walk out of the gym feeling like a champ. You can't choose one over the over. They both have their benefits and they're both necessary no matter what your goals are. and they're important for overall health not just getting in shape. it's just like with eating properly. it's all one big formula.