Why you shouldn't do cardio alone

Cardio is very good for building fitness, burning calories and keeping your blood pressure up. Still, we don't recommend doing only cardio training. Instead, it is much more effective to combine cardio with another type of workout, such as strength training. In this blog, we tell you why this is so. 

You burn fewer calories

Many do cardio training to burn a lot of calories, but strength training can also help you with that. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn (at rest). This means that during the day, when you are not working out, you use more energy. If you only do cardio, you won't build muscle and you won't be able to enjoy this benefit.

You lose muscle mass

Not only do you burn calories with cardio, you also burn muscle mass. Since we just mentioned that muscle mass actually helps you burn more calories, that's not so nice. By doing some exercises with weights alongside your cardio workouts, you can counteract muscle loss.

You are less likely to lose weight

So because you can lose muscle mass with cardio, you burn fewer calories and lose weight less quickly. In addition, after a while your body gets used to your routine. As a result, the same cardio workout has less effect than before. Therefore, it is important to vary and also do other types of workouts, such as strength training.

You get more muscle pain

If you do too much cardio, no other types of training and take little rest, you can get a lot of muscle pain. Your body gets tired and strained from long sessions of cardio. You can also get injuries or joint pain in the long run. By training in different ways and taking enough rest, you are at less risk. The right supplements can also help you prevent or reduce injuries and muscle pain. Check out our products.