Don't be fooled by sweating, and you might. The majority of gym trainees spend more time performing cardiovascular exercise than strength training. And the "why" is clear: 1) Strength training is "more complicated" (perhaps more boring); 2) calorie burn can be read directly from the panel of a cardiovascular machine; 3) the heart is perceived as the most important muscle for "life;" 4) weight training is too hard for most; and yes, 5) trainees "sweat" more during heart exercise.
Sweating is the body's way to rid itself of heat. Many trainees judge the value of a workout by how much they sweat - and most perspire more during cardiovascular activity, hence the bias. Yet, few realize why.
All other factors being equal, sweating is directly related to the length of time you devote to activity. Cardiovascular exercise is NOT superior because you sweat more. It simply lasts longer than strength training, and is not as difficult. When exercise is really HARD, it doesn't last long. Sprint on a treadmill for 30 minutes . . good luck. Proper strength training is brutally hard, involves an intensity that scares people away, an intensity that dictates brevity.
It's difficult to compare 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity and the same of strength training. Cardiovascular exercise is usually continuous - 30 total minutes of activity. A similar 30 minutes of strength training is generally interupted by water breaks, movement between stations, conversation, recovery and set-up time. Total work performed might add up to 20-25 minutes. Properly performed, strength training is superior in that it delivers more overall benefits. It just doesn't last as long.
Exercise duration dictates the amount you sweat, and sweating is a poor barometer of value.
No comments:
Post a Comment