Cardio training or strength training? Know when to prioritize each one –

To lose weight, it is better to bet on bodybuilding or run kilometers on spinning? And, if you only had time for one type of activity, which one should you choose?

The biggest fitness debate – whether cardio is better than strength training, and vice versa – has won a verdict. We answer your main questions here:

What is a cardio workout?

First, we thought of aerobic activities (this is the case of race, cycling and dancing, for example), which improve our cardiorespiratory capacity. “However, if you practice these same modalities at a higher intensity – and for a reduced time –, the work will be anaerobic and, even so, it will bring benefits to your breath and circulation”, says Tavicco Moscatello, pedagogical and content director of the Fitness Brasil fair. That is, no one needs to spend hours on top of the belt, as we used to do ten years ago; just bet on a straight HIIT of 20 minutes with periods of high intensity alternating with moments of recovery.

Hate running? All good! “When you recruit large muscle groups, as in squat and in arm flexion, your heart rate accelerates a lot, which boosts your cardio and also your strength”, points out Eduardo Netto, technical director of Bodytech academy, in Rio de Janeiro. So, a circuit with only functional exercises already improves the functioning of the heart and lungs.

Do I need dumbbells and machines to gain strength?

No. Any exercise with some resistance already forces your body to build more muscle fibers. “You can increase the load, but it is also worth using rubber bands and the weight of one’s own body”, says Pedro Gorgulho, technical coordinator of the Biofisic gym chain, in Itajubá (MG).

The important thing is to go to the limit (to the fatigue), and for that, you need to adjust weight and repetitions: four to six times with a lot of weight, to gain strength, eight to 12 times, for hypertrophy, and more than 15 times, if you want to gain resistance. “By combining the two types of sequence, you encompass all types of fibers, red and white, which use more and less oxygen”, recommends Pedro.

Should I start training with cardio or strength training?

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It depends on your objective. If you’re going to gain tone, strength exercises should be your priority and therefore done when your body is at full gas. The reasoning is the same if you want to complete a marathon: first the race, then the bodybuilding. “From time to time, change the order to get good results in the secondary session as well, especially when you manage to reserve exclusive days for the main training”, indicates Tavicco.

To lose weight, is there a better one?

Yes the strength training – You were surprised, right? “It is true that cardio burns more calories during activity. Only, at rest, your metabolism remains faster after sessions with load. This is because the broken fibers need to be rebuilt and the body rebalanced”, explains Eduardo.

Other than keeping the lean mass makes you consume energy even stopped! To get an idea: to gain a pound of muscle, 2,500 calories are burned, which can increase daily consumption from 350 to 700 calories, according to a report by the National Strength and Conditioning association in the United States.

If I have little time, what bet on?

Although strength exercises are more functional – they approximate everyday movements and prevent muscle loss over time – professionals in the field agree that the best option for those with a busy schedule is a circuit that combines the two activity types. “A runner who does not do physical preparation ends up getting hurt because the body cannot withstand so much impact without the joints are protected”, explains sports doctor Páblius Staduto Braga, from Hospital Nove de Julho, in São Paulo.

Those who are focused on gaining tone will burn even more calories by adding short bursts of intense cardio between sets with dumbbellsas a treadmill shooting, one minute of rope or 30 jumping jacks. In the end, the verdict is the one you should follow for everything in life: balance.