If you love lifting weights, it can be easy to spend most of your training time in the weight room.
If you love running, you might naturally gravitate toward running more often.
There is nothing wrong with having something you enjoy and want to be good at. In fact, having a type of exercise that you genuinely enjoy can make it much easier to stay consistent.
But as adults, there is a lot of value in being a little more well-rounded.
Recently, I found myself putting this into practice while preparing for a HYROX competition.
I’ll be honest. HYROX wasn’t exactly something I volunteered for. But as I started training for it, I realized it was filling an important gap in my normal routine.
I love lifting.
Strength training is a huge part of my training, and maintaining muscle mass and strength becomes increasingly important as we get older. Strength training can also support bone health, physical function, and our ability to stay active.
But that doesn’t mean cardiovascular fitness should take a back seat.
Your Cardiovascular Fitness Can Support Your Strength Training
It might seem like strength training and cardiovascular training are completely separate.
They’re not.
Think about what happens during a typical workout.
You finish a set, rest, and then get ready for the next one. Your body needs to recover between those efforts.
Having a well-developed cardiovascular system can help you recover between sets, exercises, and workouts.
Your cardiovascular system also plays an important role in how your body delivers oxygen and nutrients and produces energy during exercise.
That means improving your cardiovascular fitness can complement your strength training, even if getting stronger or building muscle is your primary goal.
You don’t have to become a distance runner to get those benefits.
Adding some cardiovascular work to your routine can be enough to fill a gap that may otherwise be overlooked.
The Same Principle Works for Runners
The relationship works both ways.
If you’re someone who loves running, adding strength training can help you build the strength and muscle needed to support your activity.
Running places repeated demands on your body. Having adequate strength and capacity can help you better tolerate those demands and continue doing the activities you enjoy.
Again, the goal isn’t to turn every runner into a powerlifter.
It’s about developing the physical qualities that support your primary activity.
You Don’t Have to Specialize in Everything
When we’re younger, many athletes specialize in a particular sport.
A football player trains for the specific demands of football.
A swimmer trains for swimming.
A basketball player spends a significant amount of time developing the qualities needed for basketball.
That level of specialization makes sense when performance in a specific sport is the primary goal.
As adults, our goals often change.
Maybe you still play a sport recreationally. Maybe you lift because you enjoy it. Maybe you run because it helps you stay active.
You may not need to specialize to the same degree.
Instead, building a broader base of fitness can help you stay healthy, capable, and active for the long term.
That might include:
- Strength training
- Cardiovascular training
- Mobility work
- Power and speed
- Balance and coordination
The exact combination will depend on you and what you want to be able to do.
Your Weakest Link Can Limit Your Strongest One
One of the biggest takeaways from this is that the qualities you neglect can eventually become the things that limit your performance.
If you love lifting but have poor cardiovascular fitness, you may find yourself struggling to recover between sets or workouts.
If you love running but don’t spend much time developing strength, you may be missing an opportunity to improve your overall physical capacity.
Adding something outside your normal routine doesn’t necessarily take away from the activity you love.
It may actually help you do it better.
Training Should Support Your Goals
The best training program isn’t necessarily the one that focuses exclusively on your favorite type of exercise.
Sometimes, it’s the program that fills in the gaps.
For example, if your primary goal is building strength, you may benefit from strategically adding cardiovascular training.
If running is your priority, incorporating strength training may help you build the capacity needed to continue running.
The key is finding the right balance.
You don’t need to completely change your routine. A few well-planned additions can make a meaningful difference.
Sports Physical Therapy in McLean and Bethesda
At Cohen Health & Performance, we work with athletes and active adults who want to do more than simply recover from an injury. We want to help people build the physical capacity they need to continue doing the activities they enjoy.
That may mean returning to a sport after an injury, improving strength and conditioning, or figuring out how different types of training can work together.
If you’re looking for sports physical therapy in McLean or sports physical therapy in Bethesda, our team can help you understand where your training may have gaps and create a plan around your goals.
Your training should support the activities that matter most to you, not limit them.
Sometimes, becoming better at what you love means getting a little better at something else, too.
