Recently I got this note in my inbox and I think it's so appropriate to share.
It's from men's health..
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Do you know what the most popular fitness goals have in common? Here are three to crank your thinking wheel: lose a few pounds, shave 2 inches from your belly, add 2 inches to your arms.
Give up? You need to develop muscle to accomplish any of them. One reader asks: What's the balance between cardio and strength training to get the most muscle?
Our answer: Spend more of your time in the weight room.
Low-intensity aerobic exercise (jogging, biking, swimming) burns a heck of a lot of calories. But as scenic as it can be, it builds little—if any—muscle.
Why? When you're working out for 20 or more minutes, your body eats its way through your immediate energy sources, like fat and glycogen, and rummages for the next power supply: fat-scorching, muscle-building protein.
Lifting, on the other hand, won't burn as many calories as a run, but it will burn fat for up to 48 hours after your workout. For long-term weight management and muscles that pop, choose iron over the treadmill.
Give up? You need to develop muscle to accomplish any of them. One reader asks: What's the balance between cardio and strength training to get the most muscle?
Our answer: Spend more of your time in the weight room.
Low-intensity aerobic exercise (jogging, biking, swimming) burns a heck of a lot of calories. But as scenic as it can be, it builds little—if any—muscle.
Why? When you're working out for 20 or more minutes, your body eats its way through your immediate energy sources, like fat and glycogen, and rummages for the next power supply: fat-scorching, muscle-building protein.
Lifting, on the other hand, won't burn as many calories as a run, but it will burn fat for up to 48 hours after your workout. For long-term weight management and muscles that pop, choose iron over the treadmill.
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My comments:
I couldn't agree more on the above article. Some people they tend to do a lot (and I mean a LOT of cardio), to them if they don't do cardio, they don't do exercise - me included. At a point that's how I looked at it. Even if I've done weights/strength for a solid 45mins, I still insist to finish off with some heavy interval type of training either on the threadmill or running-off on the track outside at about 80 to 90% of MHR.
Well, I've learnt and I'm moving on, tested some of that and this, and I 100% agree with the above article. These days, I tend to focus more of my workout on strength training (..even a bodyweight workout is hard enough - trust me - try them yourself!). But the thing is, my exercise routine combines strength and cardio - instead of sitting down and doing bicep curls, I'd be doing dumbell-swings - it moves multiple muscles in your body, and left me breathless, gasping for breath.. tell me if that is not cardio.. and by swinging a 15kg dumbell is not hard enough to your thigh, quads, shoulder, arms, back, & overall core muscles??. See my previous post relating to this topic... and don't miss this other one.
However, if you're not used to exercising/working-out, my advice is - pls do start with something - a typical cardio (like walking/running/cycling) alone is sufficient (aim to use your body more, hide your tv remote).... until you're so used to it and looking for varieties or when you're hitting the dreaded plateau, or you feel like you want to lose more of that stubborn fat around your belly or butt.. then please go ahead start strength training combined with some interval, and i bet you see some results!... oh btw, you still need to watch your eating habits ya..!
all the best.
stay healthy.
Sher Khan.
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