What type of exercise is best strength training or cardio if you had to pick onl

1. 43

   ChristinSposted 11 years ago

   What type of exercise is best strength training or cardio if you had to pick only one?
   
   Yes, both are ideal, BUT, if you had to pick only one - which would you use and why?  I used to think cardio for heart health, but lately I am changing over to strength training.  I've been doing more of that and feel better, and I think it will help protect me from breaks as I get older etc.  What would you use if you could only do one and why?

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2. 82

   dailytop10posted 11 years ago

   I'll go for cardio. Such type of exercise not only helps keep your heart healthy but also energizes you as it improves oxygen distribution. It's perfect to jump-start your morning and to shed off some pounds as well.

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3. 0

   Dave36posted 11 years ago

   Hey ChristinS Calesthenics is the best of both worlds, as it involves cardio & bodyweight at the same time....For example press ups, sit ups, dips, pull ups, jumping jacks, lunges etc....It's not for the faint hearted, but is the best form of fitness there is....You can do it in your front room, but always better to go somewhere to work out....The main thing to work on during training is the mind, if the minds willing the body is willing, but not the other way around....So have fun while you train, & train when your supposed to, don't let your mind come up with any excuses!lol

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4. 82

   tehgybposted 11 years ago

   All depends on your goal. If you want to lose fat, believe it or not, in the long term strength training is the best. Cardio is great for the first while, as the progress will be more noticeable and immediate. After a bit, though, your body gets used to the level of effort and stops responding. Your progress halts and you get stuck on "the plateau."
   Strength training keeps the intensity increasing. If it gets easy, throw another 10 pounds on the bar and immediately its hard again. Sure you can add a mile or a few Km to your run. But now you just extended your work out to 45 minutes instead of say, a half hour. Before you know it, you're at 2 hours of running to get the same effect that a half hour did.
   
   Believe it or not, properly done strength training has enormous benefits for the health, sometimes on par with cardio.
   
   As for bone health, strength training is definitely the way to go. Lifting heavy loads will stress your bones and build them thicker and stronger, just as it does your muscles and connecting tissues.
   
   So long post short - I choose strength training. Just be sure to work on the 3 main compound movements (Squat, Deadlift, Benchpress) and once you master those with proper form, you can spread out and add other exercises. Yes even women should practice the 3 compound movements. Enjoy

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5. 80

   Danette Wattposted 11 years ago

   If you could do only one then I'd pick strength training. Muscle helps burn fat and if you're using heavier weights or lighter weights more quickly, you'll get some cardio too

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6. 59

   Porkdeeposted 11 years ago

   I enjoy both, but for maximum effect I would say strength. Cardio-vascular training takes almost no concentration and your mind can tend to wonder. So this would be working on a muscular-skeletal scale. Strength training will work the pathways that fire muscles into work patterns (nerves) as well as the very muscles themselves, so in this way it really is 'mind, body and soul'. If you cannot maintain concentration during the lift you will fail. Concentration levels at such acuteness will lead to some cardio benefits but it is the cultivation of power and the distribution of it down the nerve pathways that makes strength training king. Cardio work can aid strength parameters but strength training will boost cardio-vascular capacity and, more importantly, make you stronger(not just physically) in everyday life.

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