Balanced Training
There is a world of balanced training where both physical activity exercises and weight lifting coincide. Building muscular strength, endurance, and composition can be paired with cardio training. Balancing cardio exercise and weight lifting will both reduce stress on the heart to pump blood while building muscular composition. The human body benefits greatly from both renowned trainings!
Cardiovascular Exercise
Short for cardio, this type of exercise involves aerobic movements that has a number of physiological benefits. Aerobic is “with oxygen,” which means that breathing controls the amount of oxygen that travels to the muscles for movement or contractions. Aerobic exercises can be performed anywhere from 2-8 hours total throughout the week.
Benefits
- lower blood pressure
- reduce inflammation throughout the body
- maintain healthy body weight (Stewart, n.d.).
Types
There are numerous variations of aerobic exercises! As we think outside of the box, aerobic exercises are much more than treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals. Remember, when performing an aerobic exercise you will want to have a heart rate monitor, 32 oz. to a gallon of water, towels, and gear such as runner’s shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather.
- dancing
- carrying large items
- moving furniture
- walking
- jogging
- swimming
- crawling
- jump squats
- hiking
Weight Lifting
A balanced training is performing both cardio and weight lifting while giving your body enough time to rest before training again. It is important to schedule cardio and weight lifting separately so that your body can recover from each training.
Types of Weight Lifting
Push is using your body to exert maximum strength onto an object with your whole body or upper/lower body.
Pull is using your whole body or upper/lower body to exert maximum strength towards yourself.
Lift is using your upper body to pull an object to yourself directly above, straight above, or below you.
Squat is positioning your hips behind your feet while holding a weighted object (on your shoulders or in front of your body) as you lower your body to a sitting position above the ground.
An example of a training schedule:
EX. 1
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Upper Body Workouts 45-60 minutes
– Lift
– Push
– Pull
Cardio
– 10 minutes post workout
Tuesday, Thursday
Lower Body Workouts 45-60 minutes
– Squat
– Lift (deadlifts)
– Push
Cardio
REST DAY
Saturday, Sunday
Upper/Lower Workouts
– REST DAY
Cardio
– 10-15 minutes
EX. 2
Monday, Wednesday
Upper Body Workouts 45-60 minutes
– Lift
– Push
– Pull
Cardio
– 10 minutes post workout EX. 2
Tuesday, Friday
Lower Body Workouts 45-60 minutes
– Squat
– Lift (deadlifts)
– Push
Cardio
REST DAY
Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
Upper/Lower Workouts
REST DAY
Cardio
– 10-30 minutes
Read more: /2020/12/02/compound-exercises-home/
Summary
Balanced training is the best way to build muscle mass and to build cardio endurance. The long-term results for weight lifting are a cultivated body composition, muscular strength, overall stronger body as we age. Not to mention, our body is healthier once we add aerobic movements into our weekly routines.
Read more: /2020/11/24/resistancetraining/
Author: Jamie Moore (senior at Sam Houston State University Pre-Nursing)
References
Stewart, K. J. S. (n.d.). Exercise and the Heart. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved December 8, 2020, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercise-and-the-heart#:%7E:text=Additional%20benefits%20of%20exercise%3A,rate%20and%20lower%20blood%20pressure
