Health is wealth; this is a common phrase you must have heard once in your life.
So, how do you keep your health up? Hopefully, you must be hitting the gym every day to attain specific fitness goals. However, going to the gym is not enough; there are several other factors you must take care of along with your energetic gym sessions.
If you are a fitness fanatic, you must be aware of Weight training and Cardio-respiratory fitness. Both play a significant role in your overall wellness. But weight training is something which helps you improve muscular strength. And if you want to shred fat, then Cardio-respiratory fitness will do miracles.
Let’s understand each one separately and know why weight training improves muscular strength more than Cardio-respiratory fitness.
What is weight training?
You must have seen your friends going to the gym and using weight machines, free weights, etc. Ever wondered why? It is because they are planning on building muscular strength, and you can see their hard work in their toned muscles and good physique.
Let’s understand weight training.
Weight training uses weights for resistance by generating stress on the muscles. These exercised are performed using free weights such as dumbbells and barbells or using weight machines. Weight training exercises enable muscles to gain strength and get stronger.
It is not essential that you must be in the weight room 90 minutes a day to see results. For most beginners, short weight training sessions, a couple of times a week, are much better than an extended workout. This training is not only for bodybuilders but should be an integral part of everyone’s overall fitness regime.
Lifting weights makes you stronger and fitter. Regular weight training also helps prevent the natural loss of lean muscle mass that comes with aging (the medical term for this loss is sarcopenia).
Exercises classified under weight training
Exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, squats, planks, step-ups, and weight lifts all fall under weight training. These exercises can help you gain high muscle mass and strength. The best part is that these exercises can be performed at the gym or at home, which is important during this time.
Apart from strength, weight training improves your overall cardiovascular health too. Let’s look at Cardio-respiratory fitness.
What is Cardio-respiratory fitness?
If you have heart-related issues, then you might not be paying attention to Cardio-respiratory fitness.
Cardio-respiratory fitness is the body’s ability to take in and utilize oxygen. It is not a single indication of your overall health and fitness, but it determines how healthy your life can be. Better Cardio-respiratory fitness means fewer cardiovascular diseases.
In layman’s terms, Cardio-respiratory fitness is basically how well your heart and lungs can work together to pump blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the muscles you are exercising. It is the most fundamental thing to keep your respiratory system fit.
Cardio-respiratory fitness exercises
Cardio-respiratory fitness comprises several exercises such as jump rope, dancing, swimming, running, walking, boxing, cycling, hiking, rowing, jumping jacks, and many more.
When it comes to gaining muscle strength, Cardio-respiratory exercises will not contribute much. Weightlifting or training is the best way to enhance your muscle strength.
Why is weight training better than cardio-respiratory fitness in terms of muscle strength?
As mentioned above, strength comes when your body feels free to move. Weight training focuses entirely on muscles and creates stress on them to make them stronger. Weight training is an anaerobic activity that does not utilize oxygen from your respiratory system because it works on muscular strength, not Cardio-respiratory endurance.
On the other hand, Cardio-respiratory fitness focuses entirely on the circulatory system of your body, which is not really related to strength. Weight training is the best way to pump your muscles and get toned and fit. Where cardiovascular fitness is best for the proper functioning of your heart.
When you do weight training, you focus on each part of your body separately, like legs, biceps, thighs, arms, shoulders, etc., and you use weight machines to train each part of your body. So, if you are looking to gain strength, then go for weight training, which will do miracles for you.
Conclusion
Both weight training and Cardio-respiratory fitness play a significant role in overall fitness, but at the same time, both differ in terms of results. If your goal is to gain strength, add weightlifting into your daily routine. Start small, and you will soon see the heart-healthy benefits from adding strength training to your exercise regime.
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