Resistance vs. Aerobic Training

     There are two main kinds of training that are studied resistance (weight or strength) training and aerobic training.  Aerobic training is usually called cardio and when people hear that work they usually think about steady state training on some form of machine.  Steady state simply refers to a form of exercise that one can do for an elongated period of time, jogging or brisk walking for instance.    So when most people say "cardio" they are usually thinking about getting on a treadmill/elliptical/stepmill or hitting a jogging trail for about 30 minutes using the same pace for the entire time.  There are variations you can do with every type of aerobic training, but for the sake of argument and this particular post when I say aerobic training I mean steady state aerobic exercise lasting approximately 30 minutes or more.  Now that that bit has been sorted lets get into the meat and potatoes.

     If you know me you know I love strength training, I dislike aerobic training and I can tell you exaclty why in a wordy diatribe.  Lately I have been reading some studies and looking at the pros and cons of both aerobic and resistance training.  I do believe that almost every kind of training has its place and its usefulness to you is determined by your particular goals.  Let's start with resistance, or strength, training.

Pros of Resistance Training:

• It preserves lean muscle mass while dieting down.  
• This can be seen in a study by Gelibter et al. where they looked at the effects of resistance training and aerobic training in obese subjects who were also on a very low calorie diet. It is an older study, but still fairly informative.
• It improves body composition.
• More muscle mass, less fat mass. 
• Improved cardiovascular and metabolic factors.
• In a study done by Roberts et al. that investigated how strength fitness and body weight status effected markers of cardiometabolic health they found that even in people  who were considered overweight or obese (by BMI) who strength trained regularly had improved risk profiles over those who were overweight or obese and did not regularly strength train.
• NOTE: BMI is not an accurate measurement of obesity when it comes to strength trained individuals.  One can be considered overweight on the BMI scale and still have relatively low body fat.
• There are also subjective pros
• It's fun (really it is!)
• It's awesome (again...truth)
• It's useful (running slowly away from a couch does not help you move it from your apartment any more efficiently)

Cons of Strength Training:

• There is more of a learning curve with strength training than for aerobic training.  Lifting weights properly takes some learning and you might eve *gasp!* have to ask for some help.  A well studied personal trainer is always a good investment if you are just beginning.
• You will need certain equipment.  
• Past bodyweight strength training and strongman training (where the equipment is different and occasionally non-traditional) you do need certain equipment.  A good gym can provide what you need or you can purchase your own if you have the space and the funds to do so.

NOT Cons of Strength Training:

• You will NOT get big and bulky and manly if you are a woman
• We simply do not have the right stuff (enough testosterone) and it takes YEARS of hard work and dedication to develop a physique like women who bodybuild. Plus one or two other things that have very little to do with exercise programming.
• You won't get too muscular.
• See above statement and add THERE IS NO TOO MUSCULAR. Go for the physique that makes YOU happy.  Those who don't support you you don't need anyway.  
•  I can't, I'm just too weak.
• Everyone starts somewhere.  You'll stay weak if you don't try.

 Let's move on to aerobic training.  It is studied much more than resistance training so there is much more information on it.  If you don't believe me go to Google Scholar and type in "aerobic training"

Pros of Aerobic Training:

• Improved cardiovascular function
• Every aerobic training study ever.
• Improved VO2
• Also every aerobic training study ever.
• Improved ability to lightly jog away from things.

I did say everything has it's place.  If it is your goal to run a marathon, compete in a bike race, or do a triathlon this kind of training can be useful.  Training type depends on your goals.  If your goals are to be the greatest strongman who ever lived, 10 mile jogs aren't going to help you get there. 

 Cons of Aerobic Training:

• As time goes by you need more training to get the same effect.  Your body adapts to aerobic training fairly quickly.  (What once was achieved physiologically in a 5 mile jog now takes 10 mile jog to achieve...etc)
• In more extreme cases it causes loss of lean muscle mass. 
• Sure you're slender, but at what cost?! The cost of gainz my friend.
• Jokes aside, those who do long distance running tend to care less muscle mass and more fat mass than those who do sprinting or strength and conditioning activities.  Compare a marathon runner and a sprinter.  These however are extremes, please keep that in mind.
• It can be VERY boring.
• Some people love it and that's great. Whatever floats your cookie.  If you don't however, don't beat yourself up about it.  There are other ways to improve your cardiovascular function while maintaining lean muscle mass and are more fun than slogging along a trail for what seems like an eternity (five minutes). 

What could do those things you might ask? What could be not so boring and not fun as steady state cardio, but still give me the benefits of traditional aerobic training? That's next week kids. 


 Citations:
Geliebter A, Maher MM, Gerace L, Gutin B, Heymsfield SB, Hashim SA. "Effects of strength or aerobic training on body comoposition, resting metabolic rate, and peak oxygen consumption in obese dieting subjects" Am J Clin Nutr 1997;66:557-563. 

Roberts et al. "Strength fitness and body weight status on markers of cardiometabolic health" 2015; 47(6):1211-1218.