Cardio or strength: which do you prefer?

This week I want to revisit cardio versus strength training.

Here in our area we have a very high concentration of gym members, many who do little to no cardio. We also have a very high concentration of endurance and recreational runners and cyclists who rarely use a gym.

So where do you stand? Which do you really think is better for building your overall fitness, burning calories and increasing metabolism: cardio workouts or strength training?

The short answer is - and you're not necessarily going to like it - you really need to do both to get all the benefits.

Here is what we know; as you age you lose muscle. "If you don't use it, you lose it." It has also been proven that you burn more calories in 30 minutes of weight training than in running for 30 minutes, assuming the intensity of the workout is the same. Plus, we know the more cardio you do, the stronger your heart, lungs and endurance become.

On the other hand, dieting and aerobic exercise without strength training can cause muscle loss. We also know the more cardio you do and the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be. The higher your metabolism, the more fat your body burns.

So here are a few basics to understand. Cardio is "aerobic exercise," such as running, cycling and swimming, which require a great deal of oxygen to generate the energy needed for prolonged exercise. Strength training is "anaerobic exercise" and an example of this type of activity is weight training. Basically oxygen is not needed to generate energy from this type of activity.

Both aerobic and anaerobic activities use two energy sources. Your aerobic activities use oxygen, glycogen and fat stores which becomes your energy source. Anaerobic activities use ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and rely on creatine phosphate and lactic-acid or anaerobic glycolysis that uses glycogen in the absence of oxygen as the energy source. Both activities burn calories in the form of fat and glycogen stored in the body, liver and muscles.

Here is what I believe formulates four great reasons to incorporate both cardio and strength training into a single fitness regimen:

1. Pro-Cardio

The heart muscle develops more muscular walls making the heart stronger, which in turn allows the heart to become more efficient to deliver more blood with less effort. One of the ways to measure positive results is a slower heart rate when resting.

2. Pro-Strength

Muscles and joints become stronger, helping injury prevention. This creates a solid foundation by strengthening our bones, ligaments and tendons. Weight training will help build muscle tissue and slow muscle loss as we age. Muscle forces fat to be used as fuel. The more muscle you have the less visceral fat you will have.

3. Pro-Cardio

The heart and lungs become stronger and more efficient at delivering oxygen. Recovery after all exercise is also enhanced. There is increased elasticity of the arteries and it increases the numbers of capillaries within muscles, improving circulation and muscle development.

4. Pro-Strength

Increased Metabolic Rate - adding muscle increases our metabolism naturally. In turn, this will help improve your body's resting metabolic rate, which we know, will constantly burn fat even at rest. Muscle has a high demand for calories and requires a lot of energy to keep it moving. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories it needs in order to maintain that muscle.

I am sure we will never get everyone to agree to combining cardio training with strength training, but there is overwhelming research that has shown the collaborative benefits of both cardio and strength training. It reduces the risk of heart disease, increases bone density, reduces stress, improves sleep and gives you more energy by building a strong overall healthy body. Setting an expectation that "the harder you work your body, the more calories you'll burn, the more muscle you'll tone and build" is your best approach when establishing a cardio and/or strength fitness program.

Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.