5 Exercises That Combine Cardio and Strength Training

Cardio and strength workouts are often separate for various reasons. Some people want to focus on improving their cardiovascular endurance while others seek to build muscle and increase strength.

What we might not always realize is there are exercises that boost both strength and cardio condition. And as an aspiring or current pro cheerleader, it's great to know them so that you can reach certain fitness goals in a short amount of time.

Are you interested in learning exercises that combine cardio and strength workouts? Discover the reasons to do them and five examples.

Why Combine Cardio and Strength Training?

Strength training builds your muscle and increases your overall power while cardio exercises improve your stamina and endurance. However, combining these workouts have benefits like:

Faster and increased fat burn rate to lose weight within a short deadline.
Build and maintain lean muscle mass.
Save time in your workouts.
Muscle recovery from delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

5 Workouts That Combine Cardio and Strength Training

1. Goblet squat

The goblet squat is an exercise that combines the standard squat with you holding a barbell or a kettlebell close to your chest. The purpose of the weight is to make your upper body heavier while providing balance so you don’t fall backward when you stand up. Goblet squats are great for shaping your glutes, core, and strengthening your leg power for jumps.

2. Squats with overhead press

As a second set of your cardio(x)strength training session, do squats with overhead dumbbell presses. Unlike the goblet squat in which you only work your core down to legs muscles, this squat version with overhead presses involves your arm muscles. Just be careful not to hit your head with the dumbbells by keeping your folded and extended arms in a straight line.

3. Lateral raise

This is the most challenging part of your cardio(x)strength workout session. Lateral raises require a lot of effort and control. We suggest that you pick a dumbbell weight that’s not too heavy for all of the workouts in this list so you won’t feel your deltoids and biceps burning after 5 reps of doing lateral raises.

4. Bent over row

For the fourth exercise in this list, we’ll tone down a little with bent-over rows so you can catch your breath without having your heart rate lowered. This is also a workout with reps you can perform quickly. Bent over rows have two variations that target back muscles. It’s best to do this exercise with four sets. Two sets for each variation with 20 reps.

5. Renegade row

Let’s end this list with a light yet still challenging strength and cardio workout. The renegade row targets your core, back, and deltoids for a good upper body fat burn.

The key to combining strength training with a cardio aspect is to perform weightlifting exercises with high intensity and with little to no rest in between sets. You’ll know if you’re in doing cardio(x)strength training right if you manage to get your heart rate up and maintain it for the entire exercise routine which can last 20 to 30 minutes.

Get more fitness tips here!

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