What’s preventing you from losing weight.

Like salt and pepper or gin and tonic, cardio and strength training are a complimentary combination.

Any well-rounded fitness program will include both as just like in life, it's all about achieving a healthy balance. Whilst both forms of exercise burn calories and can assist with weight loss, there are some important differences between the two.

What is cardio exercise?

Cardiovascular exercise is imperative to your fitness and health. These exercises are usually endurance based, with the focus being on increasing your heart rate and breathing which in turn helps to burn calories, prevents your body from storing too much fat.

Cardio exercises can also be huge amounts of fun and can be done anywhere, not just in the gym. Swim, run, cycle or dance to get your heart racing and burn off that excess weight!

What is strength training?

Strength, or weight training uses resistance to contract your muscles. In order to build muscle mass, and increase your overall strength, working with weights or doing exercises that engage your muscles is great for your overall health.

Strength training also burns calories as it causes a metabolic spike after working out which means you’re still burning calories even after you’re done!

So let's dive a little bit deeper into the science behind these exercises.

Cardio is ‘aerobic’ which means that your heart rate and breathing is elevated during the time you exercise.

The benefits to aerobic exercise are endless.

Cardio can reduce your risk of heart attacks, strokes or diabetes as well as helping you lose and (and keeping it off), it lowers and controls your blood pressure, activates your immune system, works as a mood booster and increases your stamina.

Strength training is ‘anaerobic’ which means your body uses quick bursts of energy, using maximum effort for short periods of time. Your body has to rely on your energy sources rather than oxygen to fuel itself. Anaerobic exercise also burns fat whilst building muscle. It assists with strengthening your bones and increasing your stamina.

We’re sure you’re starting to see why these two routines should go hand in hand right?

Though the question remains, which is best for YOU?

At Body20 Studio, our Champs use the InBody Assessment to target your challenging areas.

They take your goals into account and develop a personalized program to suit your needs. As you do an Inbody Assessment weekly from the time you start your EMS training, your personalized program can be tweaked or adjusted at any point to suit your needs.

With EMS technology being incorporated into your cardio and strength training, the benefits are further elevated.

A 20 minute cardio session weekly paired with a 20 minute strength training session later in the week is likely to set you on the right track, yielding great, sustainable results.

Even better, this form of training is suitable for anyone, of any fitness level. Whether you are an active athlete or the average Joe, the intensity, regularity and difficulty of all EMS sessions are about YOU and can be tailored accordingly.

In short, by balancing your cardio and strength training, you will be able to burn calories, lose excess fat and gain muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day.

So it’s not really a case of which is BETTER, but more a case of what BALANCE you need to achieve in order to reach your goals.

You cannot compare apples with oranges, but you can mix them together to create a delicious fruit salad. The same goes for your cardio versus strength training regime.

Book your free demo and chat to one of our Champs, who will assist you to find YOUR balance.