Strength Training vs Cardio: Which Is Better for Your Health After 40?

For years, cardiovascular exercise has been regarded as the cornerstone of staying healthy. Running, cycling, swimming and brisk walking have all been promoted as ways to keep our hearts healthy and improve our fitness.

But what about strength training? Increasingly, scientific research is highlighting the importance of building and maintaining muscle, particularly as we get older.

So, if you're over 40 and want to improve your health, should you be lifting weights, doing cardio, or combining the two? The answer is more interesting than simply choosing one over the other.

Why Strength Training Matters as We Get Older

When most people think of weight training, they picture building bigger muscles or improving their appearance. But strength training is about considerably more than that.

Muscle strength plays an important role in everyday activities, from climbing stairs and carrying shopping to maintaining balance and remaining physically independent later in life.

Building strength isn't simply about how much weight you can lift today. It's also about maintaining your physical capabilities for the years ahead. And the research suggests that resistance training is associated with important long-term health benefits.

What Does the Science Say?

A 2022 systematic review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examined 16 studies investigating muscle-strengthening activities and long-term health.

Researchers found that people undertaking muscle-strengthening exercise had a 10–17% lower relative risk of several major health outcomes, including all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, compared with those who did not undertake these activities.

Interestingly, the researchers observed particularly favourable associations at approximately 30–60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activity per week.

This doesn't mean that 60 minutes is the ideal training duration for everyone, or that further training provides no additional benefits. It also doesn't establish that strength training alone caused the reduction in risk. These findings came from observational studies, meaning other lifestyle factors may have influenced the results.

Nevertheless, they reinforce an important point: resistance training deserves a place in any health-focused exercise programme.

But Isn't Cardio Better for Your Heart?

Cardiovascular exercise remains extremely important. Walking briskly, running, swimming and cycling challenge the cardiovascular system and improve aerobic fitness.

In fact, a randomised controlled trial published in the European Heart Journal in 2024 compared aerobic exercise, resistance training and a combination of both. The study involved 406 adults aged 35–70 who were overweight or obese and had elevated blood pressure.

After a year, aerobic training and combined training improved the study's overall cardiovascular risk-factor score compared with a control group. Resistance training alone did not significantly improve that combined score.

Importantly, this doesn't mean lifting weights is bad for your heart. It means resistance training cannot automatically be treated as a replacement for aerobic exercise.

The study also found that combining resistance and aerobic training delivered cardiovascular improvements comparable to aerobic exercise alone, while providing additional benefits for strength. That makes a strong argument for combining both approaches.

The Real Question: What Do You Want Your Body to Be Capable of at 60, 70 or 80?

This is where the discussion becomes particularly relevant for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond. It's easy to focus entirely on weight, appearance or how many calories a workout burns.

But consider a different set of goals. Can you lift and carry everyday objects comfortably? Can you walk up several flights of stairs without becoming excessively breathless? Can you get up from the floor easily? Can you remain active, mobile and independent as you age?

These are practical measures of physical capability. Strength training helps develop the muscular side of that equation. Cardiovascular exercise develops the endurance side. Neither should be ignored.

How Much Exercise Do You Actually Need?

The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that adults aim for at least two days of muscle-strengthening activity each week, working the major muscle groups; 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity weekly, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent combination; and regular movement throughout the day, while reducing prolonged inactivity.

You don't necessarily need an expensive gym membership or a complicated training programme to begin working towards these recommendations.

Brisk walking can contribute to your aerobic activity. Structured resistance training can build strength. Some appropriately designed circuit sessions can incorporate both muscular and cardiovascular challenges.

The important thing is understanding what your exercise programme actually delivers rather than assuming that sweating or feeling exhausted automatically means you've covered every aspect of fitness.

Why We Combine Strength and Conditioning at Battersea Park Fitness

At Battersea Park Fitness, our approach is built around developing practical strength, improving fitness and helping people feel more physically capable.

Our outdoor Strength & Boxing sessions use resistance exercises alongside conditioning work to create challenging, varied workouts.

We focus on developing strength, improving movement and making training accessible, particularly for adults who want to maintain their fitness as they get older.

Training in small groups also means exercises can be adapted to individual abilities and experience. And because our classes take place outdoors in Battersea Park, there's no need to spend your exercise time inside a traditional gym.

The Bottom Line: Strength or Cardio?

If your goal is long-term health, the evidence supports doing both. Cardiovascular exercise helps develop aerobic fitness and supports cardiovascular health. Strength training builds and maintains the muscular strength needed for physical function and everyday life.

Together, they provide a more rounded approach than focusing exclusively on either. The aim shouldn't simply be to live longer. It should be to maintain the strength, fitness and physical independence to enjoy those extra years. And you don't need to wait until you're older to start.

Ready to Get Stronger?

At Battersea Park Fitness, we offer outdoor Strength & Boxing classes and personal training designed around your ability, experience and goals.

Whether you're returning to exercise, building strength for the first time or looking to maintain your fitness as you get older, we can help you get started.

Book a free personal training assessment with Battersea Park Fitness and find out where to begin.

Research and References

Momma H et al. (2022). Muscle-strengthening activities and mortality and major non-communicable diseases. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35228201/

Lee DC et al. (2024). Aerobic, resistance, or combined exercise training and cardiovascular risk profile: the CardioRACE trial. European Heart Journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38233024/

UK Chief Medical Officers. Physical Activity Guidelines. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-guidelines-uk-chief-medical-officers-report

NHS. Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults Aged 19 to 64. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/