Which is Better for Improving Quality of Life?
by Rodney Corn
All movement is medicine, so the short answer is both! Ultimately, the best choice is the one you will stick with on a consistent basis. Please make sure to check with your medical professional for any possible restrictions you may have.
That said, there are a few things to think about when addressing this question. Start by identifying
- your current health status
- your current level of training
- the type of training you’ve been doing and/or prefer to do
- the type of equipment or environment to which you have access
- the amount of time you wish to spend
Now, depending on how you responded to these statements, it’s important to be familiar with a bit of science regarding cardio and strength training. Most importantly, both have been scientifically validated for increasing quality of life measures and especially when combined. However, if your time is limited and you want the biggest return on your time invested, strength training may be the best option.
You should be asking “why?” Simply stated, strength training provides the same basic benefits as cardio training on almost all measures of quality of life from decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancers to increasing your metabolism, lowering your body fat and increasing your mental health. Strength training has even been shown in research with more than 12,000 people over a 10-year period to be beneficial for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in as little as 1 session or less than an hour per week!
Strength training has further been shown to be better at increasing muscle mass, muscle strength, and bone mineral density. These are vital for increasing mobility, balance, resiliency, functional capacity, social and personal independence, as well as decreasing risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and high fat content on your blood. This equates to not only a longer life span, but a longer “play span” (how long you can reasonably enjoy activities you love doing). Grab some weights, enjoy life, and let’s make a stronger world.
References:
Armamento‐Villareal, R., Aguirre, L., Waters, D. L., Napoli, N., Qualls, C., & Villareal, D. T. (2020). Effect of Aerobic or Resistance Exercise, or Both, on Bone Mineral Density and Bone Metabolism in Obese Older Adults While Dieting: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3905
Hart, P. D., & Buck, D. J. (2019). The effect of resistance training on health-related quality of life in older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Health promotion perspectives, 9(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.15171/hpp.2019.01
Liu, Y., Lee, D.-C., Li, Y., Zhu, W., Zhang, R., Sui, X., Lavie, C. J., & Blair, S. N. (2019). Associations of Resistance Exercise with Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 51(3), 499–508. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000001822
Schroeder, E. C., Franke, W. D., Sharp, R. L., & Lee, D. (2019). Comparative effectiveness of aerobic, resistance, and combined training on cardiovascular disease risk factors: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE, 14(1), e0210292. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210292
Westcott, W. L. (2012). Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 11(4), 209–216. https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0b013e31825dabb8
