Should you strength train or focus on cardiovascular exercise? It’s a question many people ask that has a pretty straightforward answer: You should do both.

Both strength training and cardio have unique benefits, and experts recommend including both types of exercise in a well-rounded routine to support longevity, heart health, muscle strength, and more. Here’s what to know about each—and how to build a routine that features both.

The Benefits of Cardio Exercise

Cardio, or aerobic exercise, includes rhythmic activities—such as brisk walking, jogging, stair climbing, or swimming—that increase your heart rate and breathing. Guidelines suggest adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, or an equivalent combination of the two each week.1

1. Improved Heart Health

One of the most effective ways to safeguard your heart against cardiovascular disease—the leading cause of death worldwide—is to engage in a regular exercise routine that includes aerobic exercise (or cardio).2

Cardio helps your cardiovascular system deliver blood and oxygen throughout your body more efficiently. Regular aerobic exercise can also lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors.3

And you don’t have to do cardio every day to get results. Research suggests that people who meet recommended activity levels in just one or two days per week may experience cardiovascular benefits similar to those who spread their exercise throughout the week.4

2. Better Body Composition

Body composition is a term describing the relative amounts of fat mass and fat-free mass in your body (which includes muscle, bones, connective tissues, and water).

Regular cardio can help improve body composition by increasing energy expenditure and reducing body fat. One study found that eight weeks of treadmill workouts reduced body fat and improved fitness and metabolic health among women with overweight or obesity.5

3. Higher VO2 Max

Cardio increases your VO2 max, which refers to how much oxygen your body can take in and utilize to generate energy.6

VO2 max is an important measure of cardiorespiratory fitness and is strongly associated with heart health and longevity.67

4. Stress Reduction

Regular exercise can help manage stress and anxiety. Researchers believe these effects involve several processes, including changes in mood-related brain chemicals, better sleep, and improvements in how the body responds to stress.8

Exercise may also support areas of the brain involved in learning and memory, although researchers are still studying the mechanisms behind these effects.9

The Benefits of Strength Training

When you strength train, your muscles work against resistance—weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight, for example. Depending on how you train, strength training can improve muscular strength, endurance, power, and muscle mass. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends doing muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups at least twice per week.10

1. Functional Strength

Weight training helps you build your strength, but the benefits don’t stop at the gym. Functional strength—which is the strength needed to perform everyday activities, like carrying groceries or picking up heavy items from the floor—makes day-to-day tasks easier. Plus, functional strength can help you maintain your independence as you age.11

One meta-analysis of studies involving older adults found that training with resistance machines for a minimum of six weeks improved participants’ functional capacity.12

2. Fewer Heart Health Risk Factors

Cardio helps make your heart stronger, but weight training can be good for your cardiovascular health, too.

One 2024 review found that 8–12 weeks of resistance training may improve blood pressure and body composition, both of which are associated with cardiovascular health. Results were even greater when strength training was combined with cardio and dietary changes.13

3. Less Muscle Loss

Sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, can affect your health and quality of life. As muscle mass and strength diminish, you may find it harder to remain active and perform everyday tasks. Sarcopenia is also associated with a higher risk of falls, disability, and premature death.14

Some muscle loss is common with age, but regular strength training can slow that process. Research shows that adults over 70 can maintain and gain muscle strength with resistance training and adequate nutrition.15

4. Increased Bone Density

Strength training can benefit your bones as well as your muscles.

Strength training may improve bone mineral density, which tends to decline with age.16 Low bone mineral density is more common in older women, and it raises your risk of fractures.17

A 2022 study found that six months of strength training improved bone density for postmenopausal women who had poor bone health.18However, research is mixed—other studies have found that strength training may not lead to long-term bone health improvements in older people.1920

5. Improved Balance

According to the National Council on Aging, one in four adults over 65 falls every year, making falls the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in older adults.21

Strength training—particularly exercises that target the core and lower body—can help support balance. Research suggests that core training can improve balance among older adults.22

Incorporating Both Workouts Into Your Fitness Routine 

A healthy and effective workout routine includes both strength training and cardio, but it’s often challenging to fit both types of exercise into a busy schedule. To make the most of your training, consider:

• Splitting up your workout: Instead of logging a full hour on the treadmill or spending all your time in the weight room, divvy up your workout. For example, start with 15–20 minutes of cardio and then do 20 minutes of strength training. If building strength is your priority, consider doing your strength workout first, when your muscles are fresh.
• Using “exercise snacks”: Sneak in multiple mini workouts throughout the day whenever you have time, such as walking for 10 minutes between meetings or doing squats while you wait for dinner to cook. These short bouts can help you accumulate more activity and break up sedentary time. Research also suggests that brief bouts performed at a sufficiently challenging intensity may improve cardiovascular fitness.23
• Doing a circuit workout: Circuit workouts allow you to move from station to station, performing a different exercise at each. This makes it easy to alternate between cardio—like jumping jacks or jogging in place—and strength moves like biceps curls. Just make sure the resistance exercises are challenging enough to help build strength.
• Trying high-intensity interval training (HIIT): Once you’ve established a solid foundation of fitness, you may want to add some HIIT to your routine. HIIT alternates brief periods of intense effort with recovery periods, making it an efficient way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness. Some HIIT workouts incorporate resistance exercises, such as dumbbell squats or push-ups, but they may not replace dedicated strength training.