Combine Strength Training And Conditioning For Total Fitness
Strength training or conditioning, which should you do to get fit? Arguments about which approach yields better results are many. Anyone with a personal trainer certification will tell you that everyone would benefit most from a combination of the two.
Before going any further, it will be helpful to define fitness. The definition of fitness may seem obvious to some people but actually there is a lot of misunderstanding.
What does it mean to be fit? One aspect of fitness is strength. Day to day functioning requires that an individual's body be able to move them through space. That functioning might involve walking, standing, running, jumping, pushing, or pulling. Being able to perform these functional movements is essential for survival not to mention the enjoyment of life. Obviously, athletes are fit but one does not have to be an athlete to be considered fit.
Another aspect of fitness has to do with endurance. Being able to sustain effort for an extended period of time is an important function. That ability is as important to a stay-at-home mom as it is to professional basketball player. The level of intensity is relative to the situation. Again, someone could be fit with regards to endurance and not be an elite athlete.
Two other aspects of fitness are overall health and body shape. A person with great strength and endurance who has a terminal illness would not be considered fit. They might appear fit but appearances can be deceiving. Fit individuals come in many different shapes and sizes. Being fit does not equal being skinny or overly muscular.Now that we have a basic understanding of the aspects of fitness it will be easier to deal with the question of which approach to exercise will provide the best route to total fitness.
Strength training is pretty much what it sounds like. The purpose of this anaerobic exercise is to increase the power and size of muscles. These are not the only two benefits but they are the main reason people take the approach to begin with. Other benefits include: improved cardiac function, stronger joints, and fat loss.
Anaerobic exercise involves high intensity exertion over a short period of time. Weightlifting is an example of anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is the opposite. It is based on low intensity exercise done for a long period of time. A marathon is an obvious example of this type of exercise.
Everyone can benefit from more power and muscle mass. More muscle mass does not necessarily mean bulk. Bodybuilders clearly use a strength training approach. Their muscles are huge. Will everyone who takes this approach have enormous muscles? Not at all. Ballerinas can take advantage of strength training as well, and they certainly are not interested in having big biceps.
Endurance is what most people mean when they talk about conditioning. This is the primary result of aerobic exercise. Being able to perform for a longer period of time is the usual reason the serious athlete takes this approach.
Most people who are exercising to lose weight also take this approach. Their understanding is that exercising longer will burn more calories. Is that the case? Well, yes and know. It is true that a person will consumer more calories when they exercise for a longer period of time but it is also possible to burn more calories through more intense exercise, even if the total amount of time is less.
Many personal trainers will encourage people to at least do strength training if they are not able to take enough time to do both. However, the greatest health benefits and a higher quality of life will be realized by those who make the time to incorporate both anaerobic and aerobic exercise routines into their weekly fitness program. Strength and conditioning.
Anyone will benefit from more strength and greater endurance. Depending on what the goal is, it may be best to emphasize one form of training over the other. An offensive lineman in the NFL needs power and endurance but mostly power. An Olympic runner also needs both but greater endurance will be desired. For the typical person, all around fitness will be the goal. That is why a combination of strength training and conditioning will work best.