There’s a lot to juggle in life: work, bills, family, sleep, stress, the list goes on. It’s no wonder lack of time is the number one reason people cite for not exercising regularly, according to a study published in Sports. When you do finally have time, it’s hard to determine whether your time is best spent on strength training or cardio.
But what if you could do both at the same time? And is that effective at moving you closer toward your health and fitness goals? Strength training and cardio are important for different reasons.
Strength training is vital for keeping your muscles strong and joints healthy. Cardio keeps your heart pumping. The American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both recommend adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity and at least two strength-training sessions per week.
That’s a significant amount of exercise. But, depending on how you structure your strength training, you might be able to accomplish both goals at once. Long answer: Yes, but it largely depends on how your heart responds during a strength session.
Before we get into how to accomplish both at the same time, it helps to understand what makes the two different. Strength training performed at an intensity high enough to produce meaningful strength gains generally can’t be done long enough to double as cardio. Think about it: Could you do 150 minutes of heavy squats per week to meet the recommended exercise guidelines?
Probably not (and if you think you can, let me know how that goes). That being said, there are ways to manipulate your strength training so you’re able to sustain it long enough to reap cardiovascular benefits simultaneously. One common approach is circuit training, which involves working through several resistance- and cardio-based exercises with little rest in between.
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