Is Cardio Necessary?

Christine Jack, Fitness services Director Fitness Forum sports & Wellness

I know, I know, doing cardio isn’t trendy. While it may not be the current fitness trend it is still an important part of a well-rounded fitness routine. Strength training should be a part of any fitness regimen, by itself it may not be exercising the most important muscle in your body enough. It is important for your heart health to get your heart rate up to 50-70% of your Max Heart Rate for at least 30 minutes. Heavy lifting generally happens in short intervals and is not sufficient to get your heart rate up for the necessary amount of time to adequately affect your Cardiovascular System. Strength training can get your heart rate up for the necessary length of time, but it requires more repetitions at a lower weight.

Cardio helps to keep your arteries clear, lower blood pressure and strengthens your heart. It will also help to increase your stamina and aids in warding off things like heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Cardio and strength training complement each other and will help you achieve greater gains when done properly and in concert with each other.

If you choose to eliminate cardio from your workout routine to focus solely on weights you may build your biceps, pecs, quads & calves and appear ‘fit’ on the outside, but by neglecting the most important muscle in your body, your heart, you may not be as fit as you think. The opposite is also true, eliminating weights as part of your workout and focusing solely on cardio will not get you to a well-rounded level of fitness either. As with anything else in life, your workout needs to be balanced. Any workout regimen should be well rounded with a balance between cardio, strength training and stretching. Just like it takes a variety of foods for a balanced, healthy diet, likewise it takes a variety of workout modes to have a balanced, healthy and fit life.

I’ve heard it said many times that the exercises you dislike the most are likely the ones you need the most! Maybe your heart is trying to tell you something...next time you’re gearing up for a workout, make room for cardio alongside those weights and don’t forget to stretch!