We Got People Into Strength Training. Now We Need To Talk About Cardio.

After years of rightly educating people about the importance of strength training, we may have accidentally created a new false dichotomy: strength good, cardio unnecessary. 

For mid-life adults, the research suggests something much more useful: strength training and cardiovascular exercise develop overlapping but distinct aspects of health. Doing one doesn't fully replace the other. 

When I started my PT career nearly twenty years ago, I spent a lot of time trying to convince new clients that strength training should be part of their programme. 

These days, pretty much everyone who joins us wants to strength train. 

And that’s great. 

But somewhere along the way, I think we’ve started convincing ourselves that cardio is somehow less important. 

It isn’t. 

Strength training and cardiovascular exercise do different things — and for long-term health, there’s a pretty compelling argument for doing both. 

What does cardio give us that weights alone don't? 

• Better cardiorespiratory fitness.  Essentially making your heart, lungs and cardiovascular system more efficient. 

• Cardiovascular health. Cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. Resistance training is beneficial too, but it doesn't replace the specific cardiovascular stimulus provided by aerobic exercise. 

• Metabolic health. Research comparing aerobic, resistance and combined training suggests that combining the two can produce broader improvements in metabolic risk factors than relying on one type of exercise alone.  

• You don't have to choose. That's probably the biggest point. The evidence doesn't really support an "either/or" approach. A combination of aerobic and resistance training is recommended by major health organisations because the two forms of exercise provide complementary benefits.  

So, yes, lift weights. Get stronger. Build muscle. Challenge yourself. 

But don't throw your trainers away. 

For the mid-life mums and dads I work with, I think the goal should be pretty simple: 

Build strength AND build fitness. 

Because being strong is important. 

But being strong and having a well-conditioned cardiovascular system is a pretty good combination for the next 30, 40 or 50 years. 

If you’re looking for something very simple – start with two bouts of 30-mins steady state cardio (bike, X-trainer, rower, swim, uphill walk on treadmill) - whack something on your phone and start at relatively low intensity – then look to expand that out to 45mins per bout over time. It doesn’t need to more sexy than that for longevity.