EDUCATION: What’s the difference between strength training, HIIT, cardio, endurance, and conditioning? And which one is better (for fat loss)?!
Okay hunnayyy BUCKLE IN, this is a bit of a longer post but we’re going to break down the difference so you never feel confused again!
Quick answer:
Both are awesome for overall health & fitness.
Long answer:
Your body has three ways of making energy when you are working out.
Your phosphagen system gets you through the first 30 seconds of movement (I won’t talk about this lol it’s science-y).
Then, your anaerobic system kicks in. It gives you up to 2 minutes of energy. This is what PURELY weight training would use.
After a few minutes of exercise, your aerobic system takes over. This is considered cardio!
SOOOO the 45 minute resistance workouts in We Are Capable are using BOTH your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems, considering we mix strength moves (slow, focusing on form) & also supersets/circuits (quick, jumpy, out-of-breath): so effectively you are doing both resistance training and cardio at once!
Both cardio and resistance training are extremely beneficial in optimizing overall mental/physical health, fitness level, and aesthetic physique.
LET’S CHAT ABOUT CARDIO FIRST.
What is cardio?
Cardio is a broad term that essentially covers any low intensity aerobic exercise. 'Aerobic' simply means 'in the presence of oxygen' (try to remember AIR-robic). It basically means that that cardio is exercise that mainly relies on oxygen to produce energy, unlike anaerobic exercise (heavy weight lifting), which does not.
What are the benefits?
Increases stamina (fitness): you feel physically fit
An incredible amount of HEALTH benefits
Stronger auto-immune system (better resistance to colds and flus)
Decreases blood pressure (better for your heart)
Controls blood sugar levels
Decreases potential for osteoporosis
Strengthens your heart
Mental benefits
Boosts your mood
Great immediate calorie-burning tool
What kinds of cardio are there?
LISS: Low intensity steady state – walking, swimming, jogging, biking for prolonged periods of time
HIIT: High intensity interval training – usually short duration sprints of any cardio above
What’s the main features of each?
Low intensity:
A lot of FAT is burned DURING the exercise: without getting too scientific, fat requires oxygen in order to be used for energy. The lower the intensity of exercise, the more available oxygen your body has to be used to metabolize energy, and therefore burn fat.
Helps with muscle recovery: blood circulation is improved and the flow of nutrients to the muscle group is increased. LISS is a great way to combat muscle soreness.
GALS you should never underestimate the power of a walk (even if just to campus, to work, to get to a friend’s house), and I seriously recommend walking as a mode of transport!
High-intensity sprints:
High EPOC (Excessive Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption) happens after any high intensity exercise and is the process of returning oxygen to the “starved” muscles. During this time, fat is the main source of energy while your body repairs muscle tissue and replenishes cell nutrients. Because of this, performing sprints is also an awesome way to help your body burn fat throughout the day, even after your workout is done.
Very short workouts, and you get a lot out of them.
Your body learns to produce power in a short burst of time; this helps to shape your muscles nicely
Medium intensity:
Includes jogging, timed swimming, long bike ride
Low intensity exercises burns the least amount of calories per unit of time (ie. 10 min) because it’s the least intense. On the other hand, of course, high intensity burns the most amount of calories per unit of time (ie. 10 min), however there is no way that you can maintain a sprint for 10 minutes. Therefore, medium intensity is an awesome happy medium.
OKAY, NOW LET’S CHAT ABOUT OUR STAR PLAYER: RESISTANCE TRAINING!
What is resistance training?
Resistance training is based around the use of resistance to cause muscular contraction. This in turn can help to cause an increase in strength, power, hypertrophy (muscle mass) and anaerobic endurance. Typically resistance consists of sets or rounds of exercises with specified numbers of repetitions of each.
What are the benefits?
VERY high EPOC: you continue to burn calories a LONG time after the workout
Muscles burn calories just being alive – the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and daily energy expenditure becomes, so it is easier to remain lean and “in shape” in the LONG term
Aesthetics: muscle creation shapes curves, makes you appear toned.
You have probably seen many “cardio” vs “weights” transformations online!
Because cardio tends to only burn energy in the short term (DURING exercise) and weights makes your body burn energy in the LONG term (remember, sprinting is anaerobic), weights are essential if you have aesthetic goals you want to reach
Females have a lot more difficulty in growing muscle because we generally lack the hormones to be able to (so don’t worry about becoming ‘bulky’!)
Incredible health benefits
Increases HDL - High Density Lipoprotein (good cholesterol) and decrease LDL - Low Density Lipoprotein (bad cholesterol).
Reduces risk of diabetes and insulin needs.
Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease.
Lower high blood pressure.
HOW DO MUSCLES GROW?
Muscles grow through:
Muscle tension: you have to apply a load of stress greater than what your body or muscles had previously adapted to. The heavier the weight is kept under the longest tension, the more the muscle will grow.
Muscle damage: more on this in the “stretching” section
Muscle tension (and therefore muscle growth) can be manipulated through:
Weight used to perform exercise
Repetitions of exercise
Rest between exercises during a workout
Rest between workouts
WHAT KINDS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING ARE THERE? WHAT ARE THEIR BENEFITS?
Resistance training is a broad topic that can include many varying training styles, all of which grow muscle, but to different extents. I’ll talk about a few kinds of resistance training, and separate them by how muscle tension (and therefore growth) can be manipulated (generally).
Remember cutay: Muscle growth takes a LONG TIME and CONSISTENCY, so remember that as I talk about these kinds of training and its results! Results also vary considerably with body types and genetics.
Light resistance: low weight or bodyweight
Weight used to perform exercise: Relatively low weight
Reps: 10-15+ of an exercise
Rest between exercises: little to no rest
Plyometric:
Plyometric training refers to jump training! A lot of HIIT trainings use plyometric exercises.
With this increase in intensity comes high EPOC (remember, during which a lot of fat is burned!)
It increases the intensity & heart rate of your workout! This doesn’t necessarily make it a ‘better’ workout — just one where your heart rate is higher.
Weight: usually bodyweight
Reps: 10-15+ of an exercise
Rest between exercises: little to no rest
Therefore, because these two training styles use relatively low weight, very high repetitions, and no rest between exercises: your muscles are constantly under some tension, but rarely under VERY intense tension (the tension that requires your muscles to grow significantly).
Hypertrophy/STRENGTH
In the fitness world, you will hear this word a lot. It simply means: the enlargement of an organ!
This is the typical weight based training you may see in gyms, where individuals do one set of the same exercise for a set number of reps, put down the weights, and rest. Then they do the same exercise again.
Hypertrophy is focused solely on growing muscle and is very “aesthetic” based training
Weight: relatively high, and over time the weight should go up
Reps: 6-12 of an exercise
Rest between exercises: 30-90 seconds
Energy system: anaerobic
Because this training style uses relatively high weight, lower repetitions, and timed rest between exercises: every time you perform an exercise your muscles are able to be under VERY intense tension. Over a long period of time (and with a lot of food), you are able to grow muscles as much as you want and work towards. This is the kind of training you would need to grow a classic big “insta booty” ;)
At We Are Capable, we combine these forms of training!
Bodyweight
Plyometric/HIIT to increase intensity
Strength/hypertrophy to grow defined muscle
To achieve strength (the ‘toned’ look over time), fitness (get up a flight of stairs without panting like crazy rofl), & recovery!
AND the question I get the most: what is best for fat loss?
If your aim is fat loss, I recommend starting with checking your nutritional habits first. I’m sure you’ve heard this a ton of times: fat loss happens when you’re in a calorie deficit (the calories in are less than the calories out). Here’s what I recommend:
For a couple days, track your nutrition (MyFitnessPal or MyPlate are cool) to get an overall feel for how you nourish yourself. (Note: If you have a history of disordered eating habits, we can skip this altogether). This will help you understand the “calories in” part. How many should you eat for fat loss? Check out this other educational post.
Find exercise you can stick to and ENJOY. Walking is so underestimated, do more of it. Strength training grows muscles which burn calories just staying alive — strength training also makes us feel BADASS. HIIT is an energetic, quick way of strength training. They all “work” though, do not overcomplicate it! (This will help with the “calories out” part)
Sleep. 7 hours at least! There is so much science linking the success of fat loss with adequate sleep.
Do 1 thing at a time, slowly but surely! Start with nutrition, add in some exercise, buckle down on sleep.
Consistency is always better than perfect rigidity. Remember that when you’ve told yourself you “messed up.” Which you can’t, by the way. It’s awesome to have fat loss as a goal, but you weren’t put on this earth to only think about fat loss. You were put on this earth to live your life. YOU’RE DOING FAB!
Did that help? Let me know!
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