This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Everyone agrees that physical exercise is good for your health. Among its many benefits, we can note the improvement of heart and brain functions, weight regulation, slowing down the effects of aging and reducing the risk of suffering from several chronic diseases.
However, for too long we have considered that one way of staying in shape, through aerobic exercise, was superior to the other, through bodybuilding, in promoting health. In reality, they are both equally valid and can both help us achieve the same goal: overall good fitness.
Aerobic exercises, such as running, swimming and cycling, are popular because they are very beneficial. Numerous scientific data confirm this.
What’s less known is that resistance training – whether with dumbbells, weight machines, or simple push-ups, lunges and pull-ups – works about as well as aerobic exercise for everyone important aspects of health, including cardiovascular health.
Another benefit of resistance exercise is the development of strength and power, which becomes increasingly important as we age.
As my colleagues and I explain in an article recently published by the American College of Sports Medicine, developing and maintaining muscular strength makes it easy to get up from a chair, maintain balance and maintain posture. and activate its metabolism.
So if aerobic exercise and resistance training offer nearly as many benefits, how come we see so many more runners and cyclists than weightlifters?
It’s the result of a combination of factors such as timing, marketing and stereotypes.
The rise of aerobics
The preference for aerobic exercise dates back to the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study, which was instrumental in demonstrating the effectiveness of this type of training. Dr. Ken Cooper coined – or at least popularized – the term with his book “Aerobics,” inspiring desk-bound baby boomers to exercise to get in shape.
Meanwhile, there is a lack of interest in bodybuilding, especially among women, due to the misconception that this type of training is only for men who aspire to be super muscular. Charles Atlas, does that mean anything to you?
Resistance exercises do not necessarily build muscles or require heavy lifting.
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Cultural influences have cemented the dominance of aerobic exercise in the realm of physical fitness. In 1977, Jim Fixx popularized running and jogging by publishing “Jogging: Running at Your Own Pace to Live Better.” In the 1980s, Jane Fonda’s “Complete Workout” video and exercise shows such as “Aerobicize” and “20 Minute Workout” helped reinforce the idea that to work out you need to increase your frequency. cardiac.
The word “aerobics,” previously confined to the lexicon of science and medicine, entered popular culture around the same time as leggings, tracksuits, and sweatbands. Many people found logic in the idea that breathing hard and sweating during a long session of vigorous exercise was the best way to get in shape.
Meanwhile, bodybuilding was waiting for the spotlight to be shined on it.
Recognize the merit of resistance exercises
If aerobics is the hare, bodybuilding is the tortoise. Weight training is now closing in on its rival and preparing to overtake it, as athletes and everyday people alike now recognize its value.
Bodybuilding has only become commonplace over the last 20 years, even for high-level athletes. Today, it strengthens the body and prolongs the careers of soccer or tennis players, golfers and many other athletes.
The growing interest in resistance training owes a lot to CrossFit, which, despite some controversy, has helped break stereotypes and introduce many people, especially women, to bodybuilding.
It is important to know that resistance exercises do not necessarily bulk up the muscles or require the use of heavy weights. As our team’s research has shown, lifting light weights to the point of failure in multiple sets provides real benefits.
Strength and aging
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Strength training can help maintain independence and overall functionality of the body.
The benefits of strength training aren’t limited to improving strength. It offers an aspect often overlooked in traditional aerobic training: the ability to exert force quickly, or what we call power. As we age, activities of daily living such as getting up, sitting down, and climbing stairs require more strength and power than cardiovascular endurance.
Thus, strength training may be essential to maintaining autonomy and overall functionality of the body.
Revisit the discourse on fitness
The point is not to pit strength training against aerobic exercise, but to recognize that they complement each other. It is better to do both types of exercise rather than just one. The American Heart Association recently stated that
“…resistance training is a safe and effective approach to improving cardiovascular health in adults with or without cardiovascular disease…”
Taking a nuanced stance is critical, especially when guiding older adults who may associate physical exercise primarily with walking and be unaware that neglecting strength and power will result in increasing limitations.
Resistance training can be very varied, offering a range of activities to suit individual abilities.
It’s time to review the discourse on fitness to make more room for bodybuilding. This is not to be seen as a replacement for aerobic exercise, but rather as an essential part of a holistic approach to health and longevity.
By eliminating stereotypes, demystifying the practice and advocating inclusion, bodybuilding can become accessible and appealing to a wide audience, leading to a new way of perceiving and prioritizing the benefits of this form of training for fitness. health and fitness.
