Cardio and strength training both offer important health benefits, but each develops different aspects of fitness.
Cardiovascular exercises are primarily aimed at improving the capacity of the heart and lungs, whereas strength training develops the muscles, increases or maintains the muscle mass, and improves the overall body functionality.
Therefore, if someone’s primary goal is to lose weight, get better endurance, develop muscles, or stay healthy, he or she should not exclude either type of training. The best balance depends on your goals, fitness level, health, schedule, and the activities you enjoy.
This guide compares the benefits of cardio and strength training and explains how to combine them in a practical, balanced fitness routine.
Table of Contents
- Cardio vs Strength Training: Key Differences
- What Is Cardio Exercise?
- What Is Strength Training?
- Health Benefits of Cardio and Strength Training
- Cardio vs Strength Training for Weight Loss
- Which Is Better for Heart Health, Muscle, and Endurance?
- Should You Do Cardio or Strength Training First?
- How to Combine Cardio and Strength Training in a Weekly Plan
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Key Takeaways
- References
Cardio vs Strength Training: Key Differences
The exercises of cardio and strength training both require that you strain your muscles, but the main training stimulus is different. Cardiovascular activities challenge your cardiorespiratory system, and strength training challenges your muscles to produce force against resistance.
| Feature | Cardio | Strength Training |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Improve cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance | Improve muscular strength and maintain or build muscle |
| Examples | Walking, cycling, swimming, jogging | Weightlifting, resistance bands, squats, push-ups |
| Main focus | Sustained or repeated physical activity | Muscles working against resistance |
| Role in weight management | Increases energy expenditure during activity | Helps preserve or build muscle and support body composition |
| Heart health | Improves cardiorespiratory fitness | Can also support cardiovascular and metabolic health |
| General adult recommendation | Build towards recommended weekly aerobic activity | Train all major muscle groups on at least two days per week |
Neither type of exercise is universally better. The most suitable choice depends on what you want to improve, and many people benefit from doing both.
What Is Cardio Exercise?
Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio or aerobic exercise, is a type of physical activity that makes you raise your heart rate and get you breathing harder. Depending on the workout and how intensely you do it, you should be able to talk in full sentences while doing it, but singing along with a song might be hard.
Examples of cardiovascular exercises:
- -Brisk walking
- -Jogging or running
- -Cycling
- -Swimming
- -Dancing
- -Hiking
- -Low-impact aerobic exercise
- -Some interval training
You do not need to do high-intensity intervals or run to get a good cardio session in. You can have brisk walking, cycling, and swimming included in your weekly physical activity.
What does cardio improve?
Regular aerobic activity can improve cardiorespiratory fitness, help manage blood pressure, support blood sugar regulation, and increase your capacity for physical activity.
Cardiovascular exercises also consume a lot of energy during workouts. The level of energy consumed depends on the type of activity, the intensity and duration of the exercise, the size of the person, and other factors.
If fat loss is your goal, you can explore our guide to the best cardio for fat loss. However, remember that a cardiorespiratory workout alone may not be sufficient for weight loss.
What Is Strength Training?
Strength training, sometimes called resistance training, is a type of exercise that works your muscles against some form of resistance. Resistance can be achieved by using weights, resistance bands, machines, or even your own body weight.
Examples of strength-training activities are:
- squats and chair sit-and-stands
- push-ups and wall push-ups
- dumbbell or barbell exercises
- resistance-band exercises
- lunges and step-ups
- hip bridges
- machine-based resistance exercises.
You don’t need to join a gym to start strength training. Many bodyweight exercises and resistance bands can help you get started.
What does strength training improve?
Regular strength training can improve muscular strength, help maintain muscle mass, and make everyday tasks such as carrying groceries, climbing stairs, and getting up from a chair easier.
It is also crucial when trying to lose weight because it helps retain lean mass.
However, it does not necessarily build significant muscle mass or increase the amount of calories one can burn at rest.
For more detail, see our guide to building muscle for fat loss.
Health Benefits of Cardio and Strength Training
Both types of exercise are good for you in the long run. They don’t compete for dominance in your fitness plan; they work together.
Benefits of cardio
Regular aerobic activity can:
- Improve heart and lung fitness.
- Help manage blood pressure.
- Support blood sugar regulation.
- Increase stamina for everyday activities.
- Increase energy expenditure.
- Support mental well-being and mood.
The amount of benefit depends on your starting fitness, the activity you choose, and how consistently you do it.
Benefits of strength training
Resistance training may help you:
- Enhance muscular strength and endurance.
- Maintain or increase muscle mass.
- Enhance the musculoskeletal structure and function.
- Make performing everyday tasks easier.
- Help you lose weight while maintaining your lean body mass.
- Improve cardiovascular and metabolic health markers.
Resistance training can be adapted for people of different ages and fitness levels. Those new to strength training should begin with lighter weights and progress as their skills and confidence grow.
Why combining both can be useful
Combining them allows you to work on different aspects of fitness, including endurance, strength, and overall physical function. The benefits depend on your goals and how your program is designed.
A study that was evaluated by Harvard Health revealed that a combination of aerobic and resistance activities is more likely to reduce selected cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults who are overweight or obese with high blood pressure.
However, that does not mean that it will benefit everyone or that it is the best approach in all situations.
The World Health Organization has developed some general recommendations for physical activity. They should be used as a starting point for both forms of exercise.
Cardio vs Strength Training for Weight Loss
If your primary goal is weight loss, both types of exercise can help, but they contribute in different ways.
How cardio helps with weight loss
Cardio workouts burn calories while raising the heart rate. Longer or more intense sessions often use more energy, although the amount depends on the activity, duration, intensity, body size, and individual factors.
Walking, hiking, biking, swimming, and other such activities can provide significant activity levels and calorie expenditure throughout the week, without the need to engage in strenuous exercises
How strength training helps with weight loss
Strength training preserves and builds muscle mass, which is important during a calorie deficit because muscle is frequently lost along with fat during weight loss.
Resistance training can help preserve lean mass during weight loss, especially when paired with appropriate nutrition. However, the effect of additional muscle on resting calorie expenditure is often overstated.
Which type of exercise is best for reducing body fat?
It depends on the design of the programs compared, the length of the interventions, the amount of physical activity performed, and the population studied.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that compared aerobic, resistance, and combined training and reported findings for all three types of exercise found that aerobic and combined training interventions were associated with greater reductions in fat mass than resistance training interventions in some longer-duration studies.
Results varied according to the duration and design of the interventions. See the systematic review and meta-analysis on PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40405489/) for further details.
For many people, the most practical approach is to aim for a combination of regular aerobic physical activity, plus weight training, and the adoption of healthy eating habits that can be maintained long term. You can learn more about the broader principles in our evidence-based weight-loss guide.
The key point: Don’t select an activity or program based only on the number of calories it burns; instead, focus on finding a strategy that will help you achieve your goals and that you can stick with.
Which Is Better for Heart Health, Muscle, and Endurance?
The best exercise depends on the outcome you want to prioritize.
| Your Main Goal | Useful Emphasis | How to Approach It |
|---|---|---|
| Improve cardiovascular endurance | Cardio | Gradually build up walking, cycling, swimming, or another aerobic activity. |
| Build muscular strength | Strength training | Train major muscle groups with appropriate resistance and good technique. |
| Maintain muscle during weight loss | Strength training and suitable nutrition | Include resistance exercise in a sustainable weight-management plan. |
| Improve general health | Both | Combine aerobic activity and strength sessions across the week. |
| Improve everyday stamina and function | Both | Build aerobic fitness while strengthening the muscles used in daily activities. |
| Return to exercise after a long break | Manageable activity | Start gradually and increase duration or difficulty as tolerated. |
These are general guidelines, not rigid rules. If you have a chronic condition, a recent injury, or specific exercise restrictions, adapt the plan with appropriate professional guidance.
Should You Do Cardio or Strength Training First?
There is no single exercise order that is best for everyone. If you do both during the same session, consider which activity matters most to your current goal.
If strength is your priority
Perform strength training first while you are relatively fresh. This can help you concentrate on technique and maintain the quality of your lifting.
You can then complete a manageable cardio session if you have the time and energy.
If endurance is your priority
Do cardio first when improving your aerobic performance is the main objective. This gives you the opportunity to focus on the activity you most want to improve.
If your main goal is general health
Choose an order that helps you complete both activities safely and consistently. You can also schedule cardio and strength training on different days.
For most people, the overall consistency and quality of their exercise routine matter more than following one universal sequence.
How to Combine Cardio and Strength Training in a Weekly Plan
A weekly plan should be tailored to your fitness level, schedule, and recovery needs. You shouldn’t be doing extremely strenuous workouts every day.
Here’s an example for an adult who is ready to start exercising regularly:
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday | Full-body strength training |
| Tuesday | Brisk walking, cycling, or another cardio activity |
| Wednesday | Strength training |
| Thursday | Cardio at a manageable intensity |
| Friday | Strength training |
| Saturday | Walking, swimming, cycling, or another enjoyable activity |
| Sunday | Rest or gentle movement |
Adjust the duration and intensity to suit your ability. If you are new to exercise, you can begin with fewer sessions and shorter periods of activity, then gradually build up.
How much exercise should adults aim for?
The WHO recommendations for adults advise:
- At least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination.
- Muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscles should be done on two or more days a week.
These are general recommendations for adults since there is no need to engage in exercise at extremely high levels right away; even minimal physical activity will be beneficial for the body, and those who do not have highly developed fitness levels can gradually increase it.
If you are starting from a low activity level, our beginner workout routines guide can help you think through manageable goals and a realistic schedule.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even a well-designed exercise plan can become difficult to maintain if it is too demanding or poorly matched to your needs.
Doing only one type of exercise
Cardio is great, but is it everything? Well, not really. Resistance training offers other benefits that cardio can’t provide. The same can be said for strength training, it won’t provide you the amount aerobic activities that your body needs for optimal health.
Where possible, include both types of exercise in your weekly routine.
Increasing intensity too quickly
Suddenly adding long sessions, heavy resistance, or frequent demanding workouts can leave you overly tired and make the routine difficult to maintain.
Slowly increase activity and allow sufficient recovery between challenging sessions.
Believing strength training dramatically boosts metabolism
Muscle is metabolically active tissue, but the resting energy expenditure increase from muscle building is often overestimated, not as substantial as many fitness sites claim, although strength training is a good way to increase strength, muscle function, and body composition.
Assuming cardio guarantees fat loss
Cardio increases energy expenditure, but weight change also depends on food intake, daily activity, sleep, medications, health conditions, and other factors.
Do not rely only on exercise to lose a specific amount of weight.
Ignoring recovery and technique
Good technique and appropriate recovery help you exercise consistently. Stop if an activity causes sharp or unusual pain, and seek professional guidance when necessary.
Comparing your routine with someone else’s
People have different fitness levels, schedules, likes, and wants. A successful fitness plan for you may not be the same for your friend.
Focus on gradual progress rather than a demanding routine that is difficult to maintain.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is cardio or strength training better for weight loss?
Both cardio and strength training can support weight loss. Cardio increases energy expenditure during activity, while strength training helps preserve or build muscle. Combining both with sustainable eating habits can be a practical approach to managing weight.
Does cardio burn more calories than strength training?
Cardio often uses more energy per minute than a typical resistance-training session, but the difference depends on the activity, intensity, duration, rest periods, and individual factors. Compare realistic workouts rather than assuming that every cardio session burns more calories than every strength session.
Can strength training help reduce belly fat?
Strength training can improve body composition and help preserve muscle during weight loss, but it cannot selectively burn fat from your stomach.
Can I do cardio and strength training in the same day?
Yes. You can combine cardio and strength training in one session or schedule them separately on the same day. Prioritize the activity most important to your goal, manage your total workload, and allow enough time for recovery.
How many days a week should I strength train?
For general adult health, aim to train all major muscle groups on at least two days per week. Your ideal frequency may vary according to your experience, goals, health, and recovery needs.
Do I need a gym to combine both types of training?
Gym equipment is not obligatory for either cardio or strength training. Many exercises, such as walking, running, dancing, and bicycling, can be considered cardio and are available to everyone. Resistance training involves working out with dumbbells, large elastic bands, doing squats, and many others.
What if I only have a little time to work out?
Start with manageable sessions and build consistency. Short periods of activity can contribute to your weekly total, so focus on what you can realistically fit into your schedule rather than waiting until you have time for a longer workout.
Should beginners start with cardio or strength training first?
Beginners can start with comfortable cardio, basic strength exercises, or a combination of both. Learn the movements, choose manageable levels of effort, and increase the workload gradually. If you have a medical condition or exercise restrictions, consult a qualified healthcare professional for guidance.
Key Takeaways
Cardio and strength training are fundamentally different, but they can both be beneficial for a person’s health. Cardio exercises improve a person’s cardiorespiratory fitness and increase the energy expenditure during physical activity.
Meanwhile, weight or strength training helps with muscular strength and prevents muscle loss. As a recommendation, for a healthier lifestyle, it could be suggested to do both types of training.
However, it should not be excessively hard – a person should pick the intensity and the area of training that suits them. If they intend to lose weight, training will complement their efforts along with the proper diet and help to create a calorie deficit.
A sustainable nutrition and physical activity plan is better than an excessively demanding one. A person who cannot maintain a strict diet and a high-intensity workout schedule will most likely give up and not succeed. Therefore, it is better to choose an appropriate and convenient plan that will be possible to maintain in the long run.
References
- World Health Organization. Physical activity recommendations and health guidance.
- Harvard Health Publishing. Combining cardio and strength exercises may lower heart risks.
- Systematic review and meta-analysis. Comparison of concurrent, resistance, or aerobic training on body fat loss.
- Harvard Health Publishing. Importance of exercise: Benefits and recommended types.
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Medical Disclaimer:
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace individualized medical advice. Exercise needs vary according to health, fitness, and physical limitations.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional if you have a medical condition, persistent pain, or concerns about beginning a new exercise program. Read our detailed Medical and Fitness Disclaimer here.
