Should You Combine Cardio and Strength Training?

As clichéd as it might sound, you have to build a summer body in winter so you can have a stress-free summer. Winter is also the time when you tend to eat more comfort food to cheer you up when it’s cold and dreary and you’re stuck inside. Yes, we’ve heard and said this so many times, but exercising is probably one of the things that few people want to do at this time of year. However, if you’re one of those people who LOVES to exercise even on the coldest and dreariest of days, you’ve probably been wondering whether you should combine cardio and strength training. Let’s unpack this. 

What is cardio?

Also referred to as aerobic exercise, cardio is a type of exercise that involves purposefully raising your heart rate into your target heart rate zone, which burns fat faster and helps you to lose the most calories, making it a great way to get rid of stubborn belly fat. Cardio workouts include such activities as running and cycling. 

What is strength training? 

This is more aligned with training your body to improve your strength and endurance. It’s also a great way to build muscle if this is what you’re after. Strength training is also great for helping you to lower your risk of heart disease. Strength training is often associated with weightlifting. 

What are your goals?

Before deciding if you should combine cardio and strength training, you need to look at the goals you have for your body: if you want to build muscle and endurance, adding cardio into the mix is counterproductive. You should also ask yourself when to opt for either form of exercise, which will also dictate whether you can combine the two. Let’s look at both exercise types and see how they can be incorporated and combined. 

When to opt for cardio

Fitness instructors recommend listening to your body when you decide to take up cardio exercise. Try also using a fitness watch, preferably one that accurately tracks your exercise activity and tells you when to adjust your workouts. For example, one day you might need to tone down your cardio workouts because your body is experiencing some muscle pain, whereas the next day your watch will tell you to increase the intensity by 10 or 20%.  

When to opt for strength training

If you want to build muscle and you’re doing cardio, you should separate the two workouts by at least six hours. If you don’t, you will confuse your body and end up not building any muscle at all, which will in turn diminish your chances of gaining muscle.  

How to combine both exercises to work for your body

Always keep in mind that each person is different, so you need to be realistic when setting out on your exercise journey, and also bear in mind your own personal fitness goals when making your exercise choices.

• There is a big emphasis on endurance athletes when it comes to combining cardio and strength training. But how can athletes benefit? Well, concurrent training offsets the catabolic nature of long-distance workouts. Through years of research, it was found that high-volume endurance workouts reduce testosterone–great for  building up energy, increasing muscle, and losing body fat. With high-volume endurance workouts, you also have a rise in cortisol (the stress hormone), so strength training helps you to reduce the stress hormone effects. 
• When it comes to power athletes, pretty much everything stated above also applies. However, recovery is the key to keep going here. You must have proper rest and recovery after intense cardio and strength training sessions. 
• What about the average Joe who exercises regularly but not intensely? Yes, you can also combine cardio and strength training. This is great for someone who can’t commit to intense training every day. But also remember to have breaks in between your exercise days. 

Should you combine the two training sessions?

We now know what each type of exercise is, and we know how to combine the two, but when should we do so? Remember, this answer will always depend on what your exercise goals are. But here are some pointers: 

• There will always be people who want to build muscle while others want to lose weight, as well as those who simply want to get fit. There’s a category for everyone. People who are after building muscle need to do strength training. Research recommends keeping cardio and strength training sessions separate. 
• For those looking to improve their endurance, you should be doing cardio as well as resistance training all in the same day.