Cardio or Weight Training – What’s Better?

Ever since I started carrying out my fitness programs with people, I’ve grown used to certain questions coming up time-and-time again. Partly due to a lack of general education on the matter and also thanks to the reams of misinformation out there, many people tend to ask me what’s the ‘best’ kind of training for them.

Should they go for cardio training? Or should they go for strength and weight-based training?

The answer is actually quite simple – you shouldn’t go for one or the other, you should go for both. If you do plenty of cardio without any strength training, you’ll never get the results that you need. Without good cardio training you’ll likely lack the endurance and the lung power to get as powerful as you want!

So, when I’m working out with my clients at Clapham Common, I don’t want any of them thinking about a one or the other situation it has to be both. My clients tend to want to get into top shape and to do that they need to make a mixture of both strength and cardio.

Another reason why you should look to balance it out with a bit of both is because the body starts to grow used to repetition. If you keep up the same regime, the results start to become gradually less effective. Before long, you will hit a plateau that will see your memorized body begin to ‘memorize’ what you have been doing.

You might only have started out with the aim of getting yourself into better physical shape, toning up or build a bit of muscle. However, a combination of everything is very important to help you keep on the right pathway to progress. On another level, too, is the familiarity side of things.

Why You Need Variety In Cardio and Weight Workouts

I’m sure you have heard the statement that familiarity breeds contempt – and it’s very much true. If you just keep carrying out the same exercises and regimes, you’ll quickly grow tired of the monotony. I want to help you make sure that on our sessions you can have a good time; that is very important to me.

By using a good variety of techniques and styles, I’ll make sure that you can retain both promising results from the workout and also maintain an interest in getting into shape. Like many people, you might have tried in the past but gave up as you either stopped seeing results or found the repetition to be hard work.

I’d love to help you get over such an issue and get us back on the right track to improvement. If you have been wondering if you should be going for a run or doing a set of weights, come speak to me. I’ll make sure you can get the help that you need to be better prepared to both enjoy the workout and see the results.

There is no reason for you to have to force yourself into one or the other; a healthy, happy combination of the both can get you feeling positive, improving physically and maintaining motivation!

So the next time you want to pick one or the other, remember that both works best. Need any more help? Give me a call; I can help you to see the benefits of building up your body using the best of both. 

Amy Knipe 

Personal Trainer on Clapham Common