Cardio and Weights: a Good Combination

"I don't like running -- it hurts my knees; cycling is too dangerous; treadmills are boring and those steppy things at the gym make me look like a monk on a mountain. I tried aerobics classes but I don't like group things. What can I do?"

Doing 'cardio' or aerobic exercise is very important for weight loss and heart-lung fitness. No two ways about it. Weight lifting does all those terrific things like build and maintain muscle, strength, balance, bone density and make you look good with your shirt off. Yet cardio works wonders for your heart and vascular system -- the arteries and veins that transport blood and oxygen about the body -- which we all know is so important for the heart, brain and the sexual machinery as well.

Find a way to do cardio, some how, in addition to your weight training. Done the right way it won't affect your muscle building. Walking suits some people very well, but you need to spend more time to expend the same amount of energy as more energetic activities. Swimming is good, but technical, and rowing is not for everyone.

More and more people are getting into circuit programs at the gym. Some have names, but the idea is the same: you mix traditional weight lifting exercises with movement so that you are continually on the move. And movement is the key to cardio. You can lift big weights that raise your heart rate through the roof for a few seconds, but that will not build aerobic fitness like continual movement whether it's running, walking or a circuit program.

Try my weights circuit program called Circuit Fit and see how you like it. You need a set of dumbbells and a step platform and you can even do it at home.