There is a vast difference between cardio exercises and strength training. Cardio training decreases the inflammation on fatty tissues, while strength training contracts the muscles to build more curvy ones. When done correctly and efficiently, cardio exercises will prevent the body from storing excess fat. In addition, these exercises strengthen the circulatory system to increase its endurance.
On the other hand, the strength training exercises result in a metabolic spike during and after the workout. This is because the body continues to burn calories even after the activity, unlike in cardio exercises where calories are burnt during the training. With these vast differences between the duo, you might be asking yourself, is it ok to do cardio every day during strength training?
Balancing both cardio and strength training will assist the body in burning much more calories. Since burning more calories results in more muscle development, incorporating both pieces of training will certainly help the body lose excess fats and gain more muscle faster. So, just like bread and butter or salt and pepper, cardio and strength training give an ultimate better result when used together. This article will discuss much more information you need to understand concerning cardio exercises and strength training.
Cardio and Strength Workouts
Most people are ever wondering, is it ok to do cardio every day during strength training? The best way to do effective cardio and strength workouts is to do them in separate sessions or on alternate days. For example, you can set aside Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for the cardio workouts and do your strength training on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Sunday can be left aside for relaxing, meditating, stretching, yoga, and recovering.
Similarly, you can do cardio workouts in the morning and strength training workouts later. However, if your daytime is limited, you can combine the cardio and strength workouts in a single session. There is an ongoing controversy over which type of exercise should come first. Cardio or strength? Well, there is barely any supportive evidence on which sequence is beneficial over the other. However, you can combine these exercises in a series ideal for you, whether you aim to lose fat, aerobic fitness, develop muscles, or gain strength in the lower body.
When it comes to executing the workouts, it does not follow a specific pattern too. The best exercises to do are the ones that you can do continuously while improving. However, you need to bear the following information in mind when doing the workouts. Working out your aerobic energy system can still increase your muscles but under specific intensities. However, if you start doing low-intensity exercises constantly, your body will lose some muscles to adapt to the workout.
For example, running at a constant pace for extended periods will force the body to optimize the running. For this reason, the body sheds off some muscles and tends to become relatively more minor. Thus, if you want to build muscles through running, try sprinting instead. Sprinting works on the lactic and a-lactic energy systems, thus assisting the body in preserving its muscle weight. In addition, it improves the body's overall energy production, recovery, and ability to utilize energy properly.
Besides sprints, other workouts like swimming and elliptical machine are much effective in recovering too. The exercises provide the body with aerobic fitness while simultaneously healing the muscles.
You can try some of these cardio exercises to see which one works better for you. However, if you want to grow your muscle much faster, you must avoid lengthy and low-intensity activities. In addition, limit your cardio workouts to at most 4 in weekly sessions of at least 40 minutes per workout. This way, you will build much muscle while getting more heart-healthy cardio.
A daily one-hour workout is safe for most people, though it might be problematic for people with chronic health conditions. However, it is equally important to keep trying them despite the situation. Consider resting for a day or two per week if your workouts are more intense and more extended. Resting will help the body to recover, thus lowering injury risk. If you aim to lose weight, consider doing more lengthy and intense cardio workouts than strength training while gradually increasing their duration and intensity. If you have a health problem, ensure to consult your physician before starting any of the exercises.