Strength and Cardio Training Go Together

Question: I do cardio workouts three times a week (running and cycling). Do I need to strength-train my lower and upper body?

JANET CORDA Las Vegas

Answer: Cardiovascular workouts such as walking, jogging and cycling are great for building up your leg muscles to a certain extent, but they don’t take the place of strength training. Even if you’re a cardio fanatic, you still need to do specific strengthening exercises. Consider elite athletes such as Lance Armstrong, Mia Hamm and Michael Johnson. They all strength-train, both to get stronger and to prevent injury to the joints and muscles caused by the cardio workouts’ wear and tear.

So in addition to your cardio activities, try strength-training exercises a minimum of two times a week for all your major muscles, including hips/buttocks, thighs, calves, abdominals, lower back, upper back, chest, shoulders and arms.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to lift heavy weights, and give your muscles at least one day of rest between strength-training sessions.

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