:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Health-Strength-Training-vs-Cardio-257882662fe449da9b26666983d48712.png?ssl=1 "Which is better for heart health, muscle growth and longevity?")
In the battle between cardio and strength training, there’s no clear winner. Each has unique benefits, and you need both to support longevity, heart health, and muscle strength.
Cardio exercise is any rhythmic physical activity — such as jogging, climbing stairs, swimming, or dancing — that raises your heart rate. Guidelines suggest that adults should do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio each week, and meeting this benchmark can have many health benefits.
1. Improve heart health
One of the most effective ways to protect your heart from cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death worldwide – is to get regular exercise which includes aerobic (or cardio) exercise.
Cardio exercises strengthen your heart muscle, allowing it to pump blood and oxygen around your body more effectively. This reduces the chances of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other heart disease risk factors.
And you don’t have to do cardio every day to get results. Research shows that even “weekend warriors,” or people who exercise just one or two days a week, experience a similar reduction in disease risk as those who spread their physical activity throughout the week.
2. Better body composition
Body composition is a health measure that divides percentages of fat mass and lean mass (which includes muscle, bone, connective tissue, and water). A higher percentage of fat mass is associated with countless health concerns, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Regular cardio exercises can help change your body composition by burning stored fat for energy. One study found that just eight weeks of treadmill training led to significant changes in participants’ body compositions, among other health benefits.
Although resistance training is the typical way to build muscle, cardio can also help boost muscle mass.
3. High VO2 max
Cardio exercises increase VO2 max, which refers to how much oxygen your body can take in and use to generate energy.
VO2 max measures your overall fitness level, but it is also linked to a number of other health factors, including heart health and longevity.
4. Reducing stress
Many mental health professionals recommend cardio as a natural way to help manage stress and anxiety. This is partly due to endorphins, or feel-good hormones, that are released in the brain when engaging in physical activity.
Reducing stress may also help your brain health in the long term – research has suggested that exercise’s stress-regulating abilities can help protect the parts of your brain associated with learning and memory.
When you strength train, your body works against an external force — weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight, for example — to increase muscular endurance and strength, gain muscle mass, and build strength.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people should do strength training at least twice a week to get meaningful health benefits.
1. Functional strength
Weight training helps you develop your strength, but the benefits don’t stop at the gym. Functional strength — the strength needed to perform everyday activities, such as carrying groceries or picking up heavy objects from the floor — makes everyday tasks easier. Additionally, functional strength is critical for achieving independence as you age.
One meta-analysis of studies involving older adults found that training with resistance machines for at least six weeks improved participants’ functional strength.
2. Fewer risk factors for heart health
Cardio exercises help strengthen your heart, but weight training can be beneficial for cardiovascular health, too.
One 2024 study found that resistance training for 8-12 weeks may improve blood pressure and body composition, which in turn reduces the risk of coronary artery disease (a common type of heart disease). Results were greater when strength training was combined with cardio and diet changes.
3. Less muscle loss
Muscular dystrophy, or age-related muscle loss, greatly affects longevity. As muscle mass diminishes, you become weaker and less physically able to participate in recreational activities and carry out daily tasks. In addition, your risk of death increases.
Losing some muscle over time is inevitable, however, regular strength training can slow this process. Research shows that adults over 70 can maintain and gain muscle strength through training and adequate nutrition.
4. Increase bone density
Strength training is as good for your skeleton as it is for your muscles.
Strength training may improve bone mineral density, which decreases with age. Low bone mineral density is more common in older women and leads to an increased risk of fractures.
A 2022 study found that six months of strength training improved bone density in postmenopausal women with poor bone health. However, the research is mixed, and other studies have found that strength training may not improve long-term bone health in older adults.
5. Improve balance
According to the National Council on Aging, one in four adults over age 65 falls each year, making falls the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in older adults.
If you want to maintain balance and avoid injury, a strength training routine — especially one that targets the core muscles — is crucial. Research shows that core strengthening is positively associated with balance improvements among older adults.
If you’re looking to grow muscle, keep your heart healthy, and increase longevity, strength training and cardio are the way to go.
It can sometimes be difficult to fit these two exercises into your schedule, so keep in mind the following:
- Exercise division: Instead of logging an hour on the treadmill or spending all your time in the weight room, break up your workout. For example, start with 15-20 minutes of cardio and then do 20 minutes of strength training.
- Use “Workout Snacks”: Do several small exercises throughout the day whenever you have time, such as walking for 10 minutes between meetings or doing squats while waiting for dinner to cook. Research shows that exercising for short periods throughout the day adds benefit and may help improve cardiovascular fitness.
- Do the circular exercise: Circuit exercises allow you to move from station to station, performing a different exercise at each. This makes it easy to switch between cardio exercises — like jumping or jogging in place — and strength movements like bicep curls.
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Experience: Once you’ve established a solid foundation of fitness, you may want to add some HIIT to your routine. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) often includes strength-building exercises, such as dumbbell squats and push-ups, but the workouts are fast-paced, so you can also get your heart rate up. HIIT workouts are known to be challenging (hence the term “high intensity”), but they are an effective way to fit in both cardio and strength training.