Does Getting Aerobically Fit Strengthen Your Muscles?

Participating in a consistent cardiovascular exercise program in order to get aerobically fit provides numerous significant health benefits. While your muscles are involved in cardiovascular activities, they do not undergo the appropriate type of stress to improve their strength levels. In order to build strength, you must participate in a strength-training program.

Aerobic Fitness

To be aerobically fit, which is also referred to as having cardiovascular fitness, means that your heart, lungs and circulatory systems efficiently work together to provide your working tissues with oxygen and nutrients. Those who are aerobically fit have a strong heart that's able to pump a significant amount of blood with each beat and they can complete movement over a period of time. In addition, according to the American Sports Medicine Institute, the increased ability to delivery oxygen and nutrients that comes with being aerobically fit also means that you have an increase in stroke volume, cardiac output and maximal oxygen consumption.

Getting Aerobically Fit

Getting aerobically fit requires that you participate in cardiovascular exercises that tax your heart and lungs, such as running, biking and swimming. Your heart and lungs respond to the increased demand during exercise and, after a consistent period of training sessions, improve their efficiency. According to Dr. Edward R. Laskowski at MayoClinic.com, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends that each person participate in at least 150 minutes or moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week to develop cardiovascular fitness.

Improving Strength

According to John Cissik of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, improving your muscular strength requires that your muscles be overloaded, which means they must undergo stress that they're not typically used to. This type of stress to overload your muscles is offered when you participate in strength training. When you lift weights appropriately and, thus, overload your muscles, they will adapt to that stress and increase their force production abilities.

Considerations

Although getting aerobically fit will not improve the strength of your muscles, participating in cardiovascular activities will improve your muscular endurance. According to PhysicallyTrained.com, muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to perform repetitive submaximal contractions or to hold a contraction over time. When you're running, the muscles in your legs must contract and relax over and over again against a less than maximum resistance, which causes them to increase their endurance.