There has been much speculation over what is the best way to get started when wanting to begin exercising. The first thing that you must do is figure out what your goals are. Do you want to gain muscle mass, increase lean muscle mass(tone up), lose weight etc. This is the first question that must be answered we beginning any sort of new work-out plan. Your individual work-out should be catered to what you long-term goal is. Now lets start the debate, which is better, cardio or strength training.

Cardiovascular exercise focuses mainly on developing and strengthening the cardiovascular system through aerobic training. This means strengthening each component of the cardiovascular system( heart, lungs, circulation, blood vessels etc.). When you train your body, by exposing it to a stimulus that is unaccustomed to, the first thing the body wants to do is to adapt. Adapting to the level of stimulus applied makes the desired task easier. A health adaptation that the body undergoes while adjusting to a new cardiovascular stimulus will increase the efficiency of all its components. This means that the heart becomes a more finely tuned machine able to pump more blood with less effort. It doesn't have to work as hard. This extends the life of you heart. This type of adaptation occurs with all the individual components of the cardiovascular system. A few other benefits are:

Reverse Effects of Aging

Improved Immune Function

Increased Muscle Mass

Decreased Body Fat

Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol

Improvement in Respiratory Function

So I guess with all these great benefits, cardio is the smartest thing you should do to achieve all you health and fitness goals right?

Weight training aims to strengthen the muscles by resistance training (lifting weights). The body will generally respond to any stimulus you apply. By lifting weights, you force the muscle to develop more, and handle more resistance and pressure. This training helps the body to function with more stability during day-to-day life. Strength training provides a stronger frame for lifting, squatting down and bending over with more ease, the ability to quickly changing directions and recovering without falling. Body sculpting, shaping, increasing the metabolism, reversing the effects of aging, and increasing bone density are just a few of the benefits of Strength training. So with all these weight training is the best overall choice to help you reach your health and fitness goal right?

THE ANSWER IS THAT NEITHER IS BETTER FOR YOU. Neither cardio nor resistance is the best way for and individual to go when approaching a targeted fitness goal. A successful exercise plan will incorporate elements of cardio, as well as weight training in a comprehensive workout. These two elements when placed together properly will help to ensure a happier and healthier quality of life. In the end, isn't that what we always want? We want to live a better life with the health and personal benefits of having a healthy body? By encompassing both of the ideas of weight lifting and cardiovascular training together, you can achieve just that.