Starting strength training? Learn why aerobic activity still belongs in your week, and how to add it without making your routine overwhelming.
You’ve started lifting. You’re learning the exercises, figuring out the weights, and getting used to showing up.
Then another question appears: should you be doing cardio as well?
For general health, yes. Adult activity guidelines recommend both aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening exercise. Starting strength training doesn’t remove the aerobic part of that recommendation. But you can build towards both gradually. You don’t have to redesign your entire week immediately. WHO recommendations
The World Health Organization recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent combination. It also recommends strengthening all major muscle groups on at least two days a week. These are general health recommendations, rather than a personalized beginner workout plan. WHO recommendations
If that sounds like a lot beside your new lifting routine, start with where you are. WHO also emphasizes that some activity is better than none. Being below the recommended amount doesn’t make your efforts pointless. WHO guidance
Cardio also gives you more choices than running. Brisk walking, cycling and swimming are options. For moderate effort, the CDC offers a useful rule of thumb: you can talk while moving, but singing would be difficult. The effort matters more than choosing an activity that looks impressive. CDC intensity guide
A 2026 study adds useful context. Researchers followed 147,374 U.S. health professionals, mostly women, across three cohorts for up to 30 years. Participants reported their aerobic activity and resistance training through repeated questionnaires. People doing both were among the groups with the lowest mortality. Very high aerobic activity was also associated with low mortality regardless of lifting. Original study
This was observational research. It cannot prove that a particular exercise combination caused longer life, and differences between participants may help explain the findings. Self-reported activity can be inaccurate. It also wasn’t a trial testing how beginners should organize their first month of training. Original study
So there’s no reason to turn its results into an exact weekly formula.
Our practical suggestion is to make room for aerobic activity around the strength routine you’re learning. This is an editorial starting point, not a schedule tested by that study.
For example, someone already following a beginner lifting program might look for a short walking route near work or home. Someone who enjoys cycling might choose that instead. The useful question is which option fits their actual week.
Look for the ordinary details: the route, the weather, the time available, and whether the activity needs equipment or travel. A plan that depends on a completely different lifestyle deserves another look.
You can keep the two parts simple. Your strength program provides the exercises, sets, reps, rest and progression. Your aerobic activity can be something familiar that you gradually build towards the broader guidelines.
If adding everything at once feels overwhelming, choose a manageable starting amount. Review it after you’ve tried it. You’re allowed to adjust the plan as you learn what fits.
Axelroad helps make the strength part clearer, with exercise guidance, sets, reps and rest timers. That gives you a defined workout to follow while you find room for other movement in your week. Axelroad
Explore Axelroad’s approach to beginner strength training.
