Should I Do Cardio or Resistance Training?

 Both are necessary and equally important for fitness.  Depending on the individual’s goals and beginning personal fitness one would have to decide which is more important to them.  Weights are needed for strength, correcting postural deviations, and keeping body fat low.  Different lifting routines can help maintain muscle, or even build muscle.  “Lifting weights,” does not automatically mean a person will “bulk up.”  There is a program design for everyone’s individual goal when it comes to weights.  Changing the repetitions, the sets, the lifting count, the order in which you lift, and how many times a week will affect your results. 

If someone wanted to lose weight and not worry about body composition or strength, then weights wouldn’t be as important to them.  Cardio is important for fighting things like heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks.  This can be done by manipulating the F.I.T.T. Principle.  This stands for frequency, intensity, time, and type.  Using this principle your cardio will improve immensely.  Having better cardio endurance helps make every day activities become easier and less stressful on the heart.  We need a good combination of both to become fit.

How Do I Reduce Fat From My Mid-Section?

 This is a very common question asked. Unlike what the many television ads want you to believe “spot reduction” is not possible. Fat is accumulated on the body in genetically predisposed positions. i.e. males more around the mid-section or the “fat-tire” and females around the hips and thighs. The more fat we accumulate the more areas that now are needed to store fat, that are body now moves to different areas. When we start losing body fat it comes off in reverse order. Leaving the hip and thighs in women and the “fat-tire” for men to be the last area of our body we will lose. Therefore doing crunches or ab work doesn’t mean that you are burning fat in that location but rather that you are burning fat from some fat store on your body.

Is Resistance Training Appropriate For Runners?

Absolutely!  With attention to the lower body and core.  Here’s why:
 
When running uphill: your transverse abdominal muscles, erectors, and glutes hold you upright while your hamstrings, calves, and ankles help propel you up and forward.

When running downhill:  your core helps stabilize your body so you’re not running with a forward lean body position.  These reduces the risk of back and knee injury.

When making turns or make adjusting in your run to avoid pot holes or cracks in the road, it’s necessary to have strong obliques and inner/outer leg strength to make adjustments to your stride.
 
In summary, if you train functionally you will perform with more efficiency and reduce your risk of injury.