High-Repetition & Low-Weight Workouts to Burn Calories

Strength training, which uses weights or body weight to define muscle, and cardiovascular exercise, which works large muscle groups and raises your heart rate, are both important in a fitness routine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get 75 minutes of vigorous cardio or 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week, as well as two days per week of strength training. When you combine high repetitions with smaller weights, you're able to get both a cardiovascular and muscle-building workout in one session.

Any exercise that uses smaller weights and a relatively high number of repetitions can help you see the benefits of strength-training and cardiovascular exercise. An ideal exercise routine begins with a relatively small number of reps done at a slow pace, followed by a short break. With each set of reps, you should increase both the number and speed of the reps. For example, you might try doing squats, either with or without weights. In the first set, do 10 reps at a slow pace, followed by a 10-second break. Then double the number of reps, your speed and the length of your breaks with each subsequent set of reps.

High-repetition, low-weight workouts don't just help you meet your weekly exercise needs. They can also build your endurance. If you're training for a sport or just want to be able to work out longer, this exercise routine can be an excellent choice. As your heart rate elevates and your muscles repeatedly contract and relax, your heart has to pump more blood to your muscles, and your muscles have to continue working efficiently despite your elevated heart rate. Over time, this can improve both muscular and cardiovascular endurance. A study published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise," for example, found that high-repetition, low-weight workouts could improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplies.

There is some debate in the fitness community about the effects of high-rep, low-weight protocols. A study published in "PlosOne," for example, found that such protocols could stimulate protein synthesis in men, thus enabling better muscle development. The American Council on Exercise, however, emphasizes in its "Personal Trainer Manual" that heavier weights are generally necessary for extensive muscle growth. Thus this protocol may increase strength without causing a substantial increase in bulk.