Some people love the weights room, some love the treadmills and cross trainers, but what is the best option for getting fit and healthy?
Neither really, it is a mix of both. In my opinion being able to run 10km in record time but not being able to lift up some heavy bags of fertiliser or move garden beds in your backyard isn’t optimal.
Nor is having a 250Kg deadlift and a 160Kg bench press but not being able to keep your breath while mucking around with your kids at the park.
Sure some people love one or the other and I can hear the cries of “If I do the cardios I will lose all my gainz”, if that is you carry on and keep on doing what you are doing, you can stop reading now, but if you are someone that is genuinely interested in actually looking after themselves long term and being the fittest, healthiest (mentally and physically) version of themselves they can be then read on.
So I like to see people lift heavy things and themselves, and I like to see the same people be able to play a game of backyard cricket without going into cardiac arrest. To accomplish this you will need to lift some heavy things and get your heartrate up a few times a week.
As easy as going for a brisk walk 3 times a week for about 30-45 minutes and throwing in some of the five exercises I spoke about last week another three times.
And yes I know that bodyweight alone isn’t going to give you the strength of Thor, but it is a start and it will give you much more strength than not doing anything. When it all boils down, bodyweight is still actually resistance training. Stepping up to weights is also a great option, but hey, make do with what you have got.
We use weights and cardio just about everyday here. Mixing lighter, moderate and heavier weights into the program, using weights to achieve a cardio response, but blending the traditional cardio with traditional weights gives people the best overall fitness, ie doing one followed by the other. And also that way there is bound to be a movement in a workout that your like, and are looking forward to each round. Blend up some rowing with a few push ups and goblet squats and you have a neat little workout that will hit your strength as well as your cardio. The added bonus of doing a workout like this is that you can get more done in less time. Which is great if you seek to squeeze more out of your day.
So next time you are looking at exercise and trying to weigh up what to go with, be like the Old El Paso girl, and think, “Why not both??”