Does lifting benefit cardio? (and the other way around?)
There’s been waves in the fitness world where we’ve been told to be careful of lifting weights AND then years later to be careful of doing cardio.
Back in the mid-to-late-2000s it wasn’t uncommon to be told to stay away from weights as a woman. Hearing things like, “Women aren’t made to lift heavy” or “But you’ll injure yourself”.
And now, years later, the exact opposite “advise” can be found spewed about: “Cardio will kill your gains!” “Stay away from the treadmill if you want to be strong.”
the truth is that it really just is not as easy as “do this and don’t do this.”
Rather the “best” approach to bettering your health is actually somewhere in the middle, the gray area, that says “doing some of this is good and some of that is, too!”
The current physical activity guidelines for American adults are:
150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity cardio activity / week
At least 2 days / week participating in muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups at a moderate or greater intensity
So clearly there’s benefit to be had by doing both types of activity. But how do these two seemingly different activities benefit or interact with one another?
We know lifting weights brings TONS of benefits in general (increased bone mineral density, improved mobility, improved body composition, etc.). But there are specific ways that liftings benefits our cardiovascular health and performance as well.
How lifting benefits cardio:
Improved performance and fast twitch muscle fibers resulting in faster paces
Improved running economy (neuromuscular improvements with how the brain interacts with your working muscles)
Reduces risk of injury (especially overuse injuries like those shin splints we all hate)
Improved core strength & stability, improved lower body unilateral coordination, endurance and power
And just like lifting, we know specific ways engaging in cardiovascular activities improves our health, too (strengthening your heart, lowering blood pressure, improved sleep, etc.). Looking at how cardio impacts lifting we see clear benefit as well.
How cardio benefits lifting:
Improved recovery between working sets (better recovery = better performance)
Improved work capacity & muscular endurance
Increases in mitochondria (“tHe PoWErhOuSe Of THe CeLL”)
Those are just a few examples of how lifting and cardio activities actually support one another. For me personally, that’s enough to get me up and moving in all different kinds of ways to reap the rewards across the board!
Have questions or want to share your favorite way to move your body? Drop it in the comments!