Cardio vs Strength Training: Which Is Better and How Can You Combine Them?

Strength or cardio? Each type of exercise has its advantages. But the debate over which is better has no universal right answer.

Research has shown clear benefits for cardio and strength training, making each important to your workout arsenal. How much you do of each depends on your needs and health goals.

Here, we break down the benefits of cardio versus strength training with the help of Nike Global Trainer Betina Gozo.

Cardio and strength training are both important for a healthy life, but each offer different benefits. For improved aerobic stamina, choose cardio. To build muscle, opt for strength training.

Cardio training, also known as cardiovascular exercise, includes popular activities like walking, biking, running, swimming and even dancing. Any physical activity that boosts your heart rate and breathing is a form of aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic, cardio exercise can boost your aerobic capacity, increase stamina and reduce health risks.

Whether you prefer weights or using your body, strength training is when your muscles work against a form of resistance to build strength. This form of training can boost muscular endurance or lead to muscular hypertrophy (the increase in size of muscles). Beyond dumbbells, strength training can also include working with resistance bands, barbells and kettlebells, and doing body-weight exercises like push-ups and sit-ups.

While both types of exercise burn calories, in general, cardio—especially endurance cardio—can burn a lot of calories. If you're looking to change your body composition (the percentage of fat versus muscle in the body), cardio may burn more calories per minute, but weight lifting can be effective as well.

As you gain muscle mass from weight lifting, it raises your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Muscle requires more energy for the body to maintain, making it more metabolically active than fat. A study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that after 24 weeks of weight training, male participants raised their BMR by 9 percent.

Studies have shown the benefits of doing both cardio and strength training. One of cardio's biggest draws is that it's good for your heart and lungs, with research showing that people who regularly do cardio have a lower resting heart rate and good lung capacity. A workout routine that includes cardio also lowers your risk of developing type-2diabetes and high blood pressure. Regular strength training may also contribute to heart health by lowering the risk of high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.

Primary benefits: cardiovascular health, aerobic capacity and stamina

Ideal frequency: 150 minutes per week of medium-intensity exercise or 75 minutes per week of high-intensity exercise

Good options include: brisk walking, biking, swimming and dance

Primary benefits: building muscle, increased bone density

Ideal frequency: 2 or more times per week for 20 to 30 minutes each

Good options include: body-weight exercise like push-ups or squats, free weights and weight machines

If you're pressed for time, it's understandable to want to get the most out of your workout. The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of muscle-strengthening activity. But Gozo says you don't need to choose between cardio and strength training.

Tip: you'll know when you're at a moderate intensity when your heart rate is elevated and you break a sweat, the CDC says. You should also be able to talk but not sing the words to your favourite song.

As a sample weekly workout, moderate-intensity activities can range from brisk walking to gardening to tennis to biking.

Ultimately, the right workout routine offers a mix of cardio and strength training, giving you the best of both worlds. "I don't ever believe in a one-size-fits-all [approach], but I do advocate for everyone to get at least some form of strength or resistance training at least three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes", Gozo says. "Specifically, any sort of weight-bearing exercises that feel a level of seven or more out of 10—10 being the hardest".

For cardio, Gozo says that "everyone should be moving more", especially if you sit at a desk at work. "If you have a sedentary job, I recommend doing some form of cardio for an additional two or three days out of the week, in addition to your strength training", Gozo says. "That could be as simple as a 30-minute walk outside".

Gozo says it's "absolutely" OK to do cardio every day while you're strength training, unless you're training for a weightlifting competition or are completely fatigued from your lifting session. "The average person isn't training hard enough to not be able to do cardio—if they want to—but it is certainly not required", she says.

Gozo recommends getting in your strength training before your cardio workout. After that, gauge how you feel before incorporating cardio.

The right workout routine is one you'll follow consistently. But Gozo recommends focusing on three different strength workouts—lower, upper and total body—with cardio in between.

That can include combinations like upper-body pulls and lower-body hinges or upper-body hinges and lower-body squats and lunges—staggering cardio in between.

Here's a sample HIIT workout from Gozo to get you started:

Three rounds of the following exercise for 30 seconds each:

• High-knee runs
• Drop squats
• Lateral shuffles

For a lower-body workout, try three rounds of:

-10 to 12 reps of Romanian deadlifts

-10 to 12 reps of goblet squats

-10 to 12 reps of lateral lunges

For the upper body, do three rounds of:

-10 to 12 reps of bent-over rows

-10 to 12 reps of chest presses

-10 to 12 reps of curls to overhead presses

Finally, for total-body days, do three rounds of:

-10 to 12 reps of dumbbell raises

-10 to 12 reps of squats to overhead presses

-10 to 12 reps of plank rows

-Start small: for cardio, start by going for a 30-minute walk, then build to higher intensity activities like running. For strength: start with body-weight exercises like squats or planks.

-Focus on form: for safety, build up to more weight and higher reps when starting strength training. Good form helps to prevent injury.

-Listen to your body: a warm-up, cool-down and rest breaks are crucial. If something feels uncomfortable or painful, stop.