In fact, doing too much cardiovascular exercise may actually be preventing you from getting the fitness results you’re looking for. Here are four indicators that suggest you may be doing just that, as well as one simple solution that can get you back on the right track: This becomes problematic because increased cardio training can lead to decreased muscle mass. If your body loses even the slightest bit of muscle, your resting metabolic rate (i.e., how many calories you burn when you’re not exercising) dips even further. Your body can begin to shed fat even more slowly, unless you do even more cardio. It can become quite a vicious cycle! Your body composition (i.e., the ratio of fat to lean tissue) determines the shape your body takes. Reducing your body fat while simultaneously reducing your lean muscle tissue (as cardio training can do), may actually prevent your body composition from changing at all! Listen to your body. How do your joints feel on a day-to-day basis? If you are dealing with chronically achy or creaky joints, then your body might need a change of pace. An important point is that chronic joint soreness develops gradually, so it can be easy to overlook. You might not suddenly notice a drastic change in how your body feels, but cardio overload may be taking a toll on your joints without you even realizing it. First, strength training helps your body maintain muscle mass. Increased muscle can boost your resting metabolic rate1. Second, adding strength training to your exercise routine can provide the variety needed to avoid overuse injuries commonly associated with cardio-only training routines. Building strength can also support your joints, making them even less likely to suffer from chronic soreness or future injury. Finally, the slower pace of strength training can be much less of a stressor to your body than constant cardio training. Replacing even two days of cardio training per week with a resistance workout can reduce the physical stress your body has to deal with and can therefore restore your energy levels. There’s no denying that cardio training is excellent for your overall health, but balancing it with strength training can help you achieve faster results in a way that’s sustainable for the long-term.
