There is a question about adding weights to your cardio workout and how or if it is more effective. Well it depends upon the specifics of the exercise.

If you are adding weights to a treadmill workout or a walking workout the benefits will not be that much greater and you are also making yourself more prone to an injury. The goal of a cardio treadmill or walking workout is to elevate your heart rate. If you can get your heart rate in the training zone you are looking for without additional weight the additional weight just becomes cumbersome.

However, if the workout you are doing is a weight workout and you do it at a cardio pace then the benefits can be dramatic. Most gyms have classes that combine weight lifting and aerobics and most are very effective. There are also a few that you can buy from your favorite infomercial on TV for working out at home.

One of the best “at home” workouts that combines weight training with cardio that I have tried is The Firm.
There is a good variety and they do seem to be quite effective. You will need some hand weights but they sell them on their website or you can usually find them at your local Walmart (cheaper than purchasing online because it costs a ton to ship weights!)

Anyway, if you want results forget about adding weights to your cardio workout but do add cardio to your weight workout.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 4th, 2006 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Health, Fitness, Exercise, Weight Loss, Women's Health, Men's Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.