Cardio-vascular exercises are one of the best ways, along with lifting weights, in order to stay fit. Many people try activities like swimming, running, walking and cycling in order to meet their targeted amount of CV exercise. This article looks at the difference between weight-lifting and performing cardio exercises as a means to stay in shape.
Weight loss
Let's first get this out of the way. You will not lose weight by running or doing any CV exercise, that is, unless you are a marathon runner, a triathlon athlete or an ironman. CV exercises burn few calories.
Maybe it is time to expand a bit on the meaning of cardio-vascular (CV) exercises in order to understand why they won't lead to weight loss. CV exercises target your intake of oxygen into the muscles and make the latter more efficient at processing them. All CV exercises are aerobic in nature, meaning they take place in the presence of oxygen in the muscles. So the harder your exercise makes you breathe, the more you are pushing yourself and the better it is. Walking, for example, does not make you breath as hard as running and is therefore not as taxing. Weight-lifting is a form of anaerobic exercise. The activity is short yet so intense that the muscle is obliged to dig into its reserves of energy in order to contract. Oxygen as a fuel is not sufficient. All anaerobic exercises are short and powerful and burn a lot of calories, event a long time after the effort, which is why they are excellent for people trying to lose weight.
Cardio benefits
Maybe it is time to expand a bit on the meaning of cardio-vascular (CV) exercises in order to understand why they won't lead to weight loss. CV exercises target your intake of oxygen into the muscles and make the latter more efficient at processing them. All CV exercises are aerobic in nature, meaning they take place in the presence of oxygen in the muscles. So the harder your exercise makes you breathe, the more you are pushing yourself and the better it is. Walking, for example, does not make you breath as hard as running and is therefore not as taxing. Weight-lifting is a form of anaerobic exercise. The activity is short yet so intense that the muscle is obliged to dig into its reserves of energy in order to contract. Oxygen as a fuel is not sufficient. All anaerobic exercises are short and powerful and burn a lot of calories, event a long time after the effort, which is why they are excellent for people trying to lose weight.
Cardio benefits
With CV activities like running, the effort stops as soon as you stop the activity. Why would you run then?
CV exercises brings some benefits that weight-lifting cannot give you and vice versa. They are like comparing apples and pears. In fact, they work together. CV activities help make your body more efficient at converting oxygen into fuel. Your body will also build more arteries into the muscles in order to flood them with fresh oxygen.
CV exercises also develop the slow-switch muscle fibres. These are the type of fibres that are used for light, long-lasting endurance movements. So running and walking targets them appropriately. Fast-switch fibres are typically used for short powerful bursts of motion like jumping or throwing a rock far. Weight-lifting is more suited to develop these types of muscle fibres.
If you excel at cardio but neglect your weight-lifting fitness training, you will lack power and won't be very strong. If you neglect your cardio at the expense of weight-lifting, in the extreme, you will be bulky and powerful but will not be able to run after your bus. Work both sides equally and achieve an all-round level of fitness.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nata_Bogan/688843
CV exercises brings some benefits that weight-lifting cannot give you and vice versa. They are like comparing apples and pears. In fact, they work together. CV activities help make your body more efficient at converting oxygen into fuel. Your body will also build more arteries into the muscles in order to flood them with fresh oxygen.
CV exercises also develop the slow-switch muscle fibres. These are the type of fibres that are used for light, long-lasting endurance movements. So running and walking targets them appropriately. Fast-switch fibres are typically used for short powerful bursts of motion like jumping or throwing a rock far. Weight-lifting is more suited to develop these types of muscle fibres.
If you excel at cardio but neglect your weight-lifting fitness training, you will lack power and won't be very strong. If you neglect your cardio at the expense of weight-lifting, in the extreme, you will be bulky and powerful but will not be able to run after your bus. Work both sides equally and achieve an all-round level of fitness.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nata_Bogan/688843
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