Should I Weightlift or Do Cardio?
Weightlifting and cardio are two great forms of exercise, but they differ in their effects on the body. There are many forms of exercise to choose from, and these are two of the more popular. While working out has an overwhelming amount of positive results on cardiovascular health and the body, the types of working out can have different pros and cons. When it comes to the choice between weight lifting and cardio, the decision completely depends on the individual's personal goals. These personal goals can include anything from trying to build muscle to wanting to lose fat. These two types of exercise differ in their eating habits and their effects on the cardiovascular system.
Diet
The diet of someone who is weightlifting compared to cardio differs greatly. First, it depends on the goals of the exerciser. For example, if the exerciser wants to build more muscle then weightlifting if the best option, but if a person mostly wants to lose fat then cardio would be the better choice. Both diets should include a high amount of protein each day, this is because protein can help build muscle and because eating high protein increases metabolism it can burn fat at the same time. What is considered a good or high amount of protein for their weight? A person trying to build muscle or exercise, in general, should eat 0.7 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. For example, a person who weighs 150 pounds would eat about 105 to 150 grams of protein a day. While it can be hard to eat that much protein in one day, A great way to get in extra protein each day is protein powder. While the choices of protein powders can be overwhelming there are some of my favorites. While protein powders can be expensive my favorite taste at the cheapest price is GoldStandard Whey(Amazon), while not the best tasting it still has quite good taste and is low calorie for a protein powder(My favorite flavor is chocolate peanut butter). Next, my favorite tasting protein powder is GHOST Whey Protein Powder, Chips Ahoy(Amazon). My favorite is the chips ahoy which I think is perfect for someone who struggles to drink protein shakes, mix it with some milk and you can barely tell it’s a protein shake. If someone was looking to lose fat by running or swimming they would eat a low-calorie high-protein diet, this is because to lose fat you must be in a calorie deficit, the cardio itself does not burn fat it burns calories, Then at the end of the day being in a calorie deficit is what burns fat. A Weightlifter will want a higher calorie and a higher protein diet, with a higher calorie diet helps with other nutrients the body needs besides protein to build muscle faster. for example, with more calories, the person will have more energy
Cardio Vascular Affects
Both weightlifting and cardio affect the cardiovascular system differently. While both do affect the cardiovascular system positively, doing cardio is exercising the cardiovascular system directly. The cardiovascular system is the body's system that delivers oxygen and nutrients to all cells and organs through the blood in the body. The more you work out the cardiovascular system the more efficient the body becomes with delivering oxygen and nutrients to organs. Weightlifting indirectly affects the cardiovascular system, when weightlifting you are working out the muscles in the body more directly than in cardio, when working out a muscle the heart has to work harder to pump blood to that muscle increasing the cardiovascular system. Weight lifting is normally one set of ten reps then you rest, this rest gives you time for the cardiovascular to recover and for the heart rate to go down. Cardio is normally one long or a couple of long sets of multiple minutes of cardio that does not give the cardiovascular a chance to recover and for the heart rate to go down, which at the end of the workout requires the body to make the cardiovascular system stronger so it can perform like that again. While doing weightlifting or cardio you can increase your cardiovascular health and efficiency If you're looking to increase your cardiovascular system further some supplements to do so include, Omega-3s/fish oil(Amazon) and Magnesium Orotate(Amazon). Omega-3s are good for the cardiovascular system because they reduce the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, lower blood pressure, and can improve physical endurance. Magnesium orotate may be beneficial for heart health, particularly in patients with heart failure, showing the potential to improve clinical symptoms, survival rate, and quality of life, it can also lower blood pressure.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the two main working methods have many pros and cons. They differ greatly from each other in individual personal goals, their effects on the cardiovascular system, and their use of steroids needed to go professional in the sports that represent them. They're both forms of exercise are very good for the body but differ in their pros and cons.
