People exercise in all different ways in order to achieve a healthy, good-looking body. One of the more popular forms of exercise is weight lifting. It is believed that weightlifting is done for the sole purpose of building bigger muscles and many believe that cardio is the best form of exercise and that it is the most beneficial. Those who only use cardio to workout should lift weights as well because it builds stronger bones, prevents back pain, does not make you “bulky” and it’s a more effective calorie burner than cardio.
First off, those who only use cardio build up endurance in their muscle, but do not strengthen their bones, a very vital part of the body which can be built through weight lifting. By building stronger bones you are less prone to broken bones and other injuries. Sarah Klein, a well known personal trainer says, “Weight-bearing exercise and particularly strength training is thought to increase bone density” (Klein). This quote explains that when you lift weights your bones are condensed, the denser something gets the harder it is to break and the more weight it can withstand. Bones are a crucial part of your body and it is key that you strengthen them through weight lifting

Second, people who work out doing only cardio may be healthy, but over time you may not be able to perform a cardio workout due to back pain. Lifting weights is the solution, it can actually prevent back pain. Though it is commonly believed that over time, lifting weights will cause back pain, if you know your limits and you lift with good form then it will work against back pain. Fitness expert John Carrico says, “Weight Lifting may help strengthen the muscles of your core -- those that support your spine -- to lessen the discomfort and undo some of the damage caused by sitting all day.” (Braverman). This quote explains that weight lifting causes your body to strengthen certain balancing muscle in your core that help tighten your back and keep pain away.  If you're afraid of getting back pain or already have back pain try out some basic weight lifting and see the change.

Also, many of you out there who only do cardio believe that weightlifting is for building big muscles, but this isn’t necessarily true there are more reasons that you should start lifting weights other than size. If that's what you want then go for it, however, many do not wish to build mass amounts of muscle, if this is the case, it is easy to workout purely to strengthen your muscles without putting on size. “Stop fearing the weights -- lifting them is not going to turn you into a muscle-bound freak. Building huge muscles is intentional and takes a great amount of work,”says certified strength and conditioning coach Mike LoBue. “Including lifting heavy weight at a high volume many times a week, following a weight-gain diet with copious amounts of lean protein each day and taking supplements” (Braverman). This quote states that unless you’re trying really hard to do so, lifting weights will not build much size in your muscle. Lifting is for everyone and there isn’t any reason for you not to do it.

Lastly, if you're trying to lose weight you do cardio right? Wrong! Cardio certainly burns more calories while you're doing it than weight lifting but still does not compete with the total effect of lifting. “While it is evident that cardiovascular exercise burns more calories than lifting weights, the amount of calories burned after weight training is higher” (Smith). Though cardio burns more calories than lifting during the actual exercise, weight lifting continues to burn calories for many hours after you finish your workout resulting in a higher number of total calories burned. If you do cardio because you want to lose weight, you should be lifting weight instead because it is more effective than cardio.

In the end, those who only do cardio are missing out and should add weight lifting to their routine. It condenses your bones, making them stronger, preventing future injuries. Lifting helps your back recover and stops back pain now and in years to come. You can build for only strength without size if you want to. Weight lifting burns more calories than cardio due to the fact that it continues to burn calories for hours after you workout. If you’ve been doing an all cardio workout and you’ve been led to believe that cardio is all it takes to get healthy exercise, stop it and add the benefits weightlifting to your routine and lose more weight while feeling stronger.