Many people who have made the decision to lose weight are faced with the perplexing decision of what exercise to indulge in. There are a number of factors to consider when selecting an activity, whether you’re a newbie just getting started or an experienced fitness enthusiast looking to alter up your regimen. If you want to get healthy and see results, one of the age-old debates is whether cardio or weightlifting is better for you. Here’s a guide to understanding the two types of exercise and their advantages.
Understanding the differences between cardio and weightlifting
Running, walking, swimming, or cycling are just a few types of cardiovascular exercise. Its goal is to raise your cardiovascular health—that is, the condition of your heart. Cardiovascular exercise can eventually make your heart more capable of handling pressure.
Resistance training, on the other hand, is the alternate major form of exercise. This refers to any activity that demands you to exert effort against opposition in order to increase strength, such as lifting weights. Before starting your fitness journey, it’s crucial to be aware of both of their potential benefits.
Benefits of cardio
Improves heart health
Cardio can, first and foremost, help your heart health. Regular cardiac activity can improve the blood flow to your heart, which may lower your risk of heart disease or a heart attack.
Oxygenates blood
This kind of exercise is excellent for enhancing the efficiency with which your heart distributes oxygen throughout the body.
Burns fat
Losing weight is effectively assisted by cardio. This is due to the fact that cardiovascular exercise, due to the continual nature of its intensity, burns more calories per minute than weight training.
Benefits of weightlifting
Aids muscle building
By applying additional resistance to your muscles, lifting weights can aid in muscle growth. Weightlifting essentially causes your muscles’ tissue to deteriorate, which in turn causes them to repair and grow. This is known as Hypertrophy.
Burns calories
Weightlifting can aid in fat loss in the same way that cardio can. Your lean muscle mass will gradually develop with weight training, which may result in an increase in metabolic rate. This implies that you can burn more calories.
Increases bone density
Weightlifting can help protect your bones. Weight-bearing activities of any kind can impose stress on your bones and boost bone density.
Which one is better?
No matter what your fitness or weight loss objectives are, it’s crucial to mix things up in your exercise programme. You can build muscle while losing weight by combining cardio and weightlifting. Consistency is the most crucial concept to keep in mind as you progress in your fitness.
