Your Nutritional and Vitamin Supplement Information Resource

posted by Ronald on Mar 15

I had a question the other day from a long time associate that is religious about taking their nutritional supplement every day (yea!).   They now wanted to add an exercise routine, nothing too strenuous because they are in their mid-sixties, and wanted to know the difference between strength training and aerobics.  I thought to myself and for a moment and realized that it was an excellent question!

Why do we typically split our exercise routines between strength and aerobics?  Can’t 20-minutes on the treadmill or elliptical machine in the gym suffice for your workout?  The short answer in no.  Strength training differs from aerobic training in three important ways.

First - strength training involves activities that are more intense and shorter in duration than aerobic activity.  For example, doing push-ups or sit-ups.

Second - while aerobic training primarily improves the health of your cardiovascular system, strength training improves the health of your muscles, bones, and joints.  This differences is also the reason why someone would take a nutritional supplement AND complement it with a bone and joint supplement.  You’re working/taking care of two different components of your body.  I generally divide them between the soft stuff like blood, tissue, organs and the hard stuff like bones, joints, and muscle.  Each needs a different series of exercises and each needs a different type of nutrient to rebuild, replenish, and regenerate.

Third - while aerobic activity should be performed almost every day for maximum benefit, you only need to engage in strength training two or three times per week in order to maximize the effects of the training.  The benefits of strength training include:

• increased muscle and bone strength - great in fighting the effects of osteoporosis and other bone diseases
• improved muscle tone and body shape
• improved hormone function - keeps the mood swings from occurring and reduces stress
• increased weight loss - more calories burned means less body fat
• decreased serum cholesterol - this is the proactive and non-medicinal way to manage your cholesterol level
• more restful sleep - a good workout requires plenty of rest to replenish and rebuild muscle
• increased metabolism - you get that feeling of well being, a sense of energy

The best part of strength training is that you do NOT need to spend long grueling hours in the gym every day.  I often talk about lifestyle diet changes - ones that you can live with for a lifetime.  The same is true about strength training in that you can experience significant improvement in your strength and muscle tone by weightlifting for one hour just two or three times a week. 

We’ll cover a few of the keys to successful strength training in another entry.