Is It Possible to Improve Strength and Endurance Simultaneously?...

Often we are hearing recommendations that fitness clients work on both strength training 2-times per week and cardiovascular exercise 3-5 days per week. That is what American College of Sports Medicine recommends, so the goal is to improve both cardio and strength. Knowing that we test these areas in our fitness evaluations and look for improvements in both areas. But can we really expect improvements in all areas? Maybe not.

The ability for the body to improve in both of these areas simultaneously has been studied extensively and often shows that no, they cannot improve in totality. What has been found is that more improvements are made when cardio and strength training are done on alternate days allowing a longer recovery period between sessions. In other words, individuals in these studies tended to improve either cardiovascular fitness OR muscular strength, but not both even though the program was standardized and supervised.

So, what does this mean for our clients? We must individualize the program to the goals of the client. For example, if you have an older adult who is losing muscle mass possibly to the point where it may begin to affect daily activities, the focus of the workout should be building muscular strength. On the other hand, if you have a client who has risk factors for heart disease, the focus should be on cardiovascular fitness. Do not ignore the opposite area, but focus the client's time and workout on the area of most concern. Get in touch with us for more information and www.DLElements.com & thank you!

Karavirta, Laura Ph.D., "Active Voice: Is it Possible to Simultaneously Improve Endurance and Strength?" ACSM Sports Medicine Bulletin, June 13, 2011.