Whether you’re an exercise fanatic or are just getting your routine off the ground, coming up with a workout routine that includes cardio fitness and resistance training is essential to staying trim or beefing up.

Cardio exercise, which includes activities such as the treadmill, bike, elliptical machine, stairmaster, walking and jogging, is essential if you’re looking to cut the fat and improve body composition, said Karen Hand, instructor in the kinesiology department, and Jason Brandenburg, assistant professor in the kinesiology department .

However, performing an adequate amount of resistance training in addition to cardio will help you build muscle and improve your cardiovascular health, they said.

Resistance training involves such activities as using free weights, weight machines, push ups and sit ups.

For fitness junkies short on time, Hand suggests concentrating on cardio training because of its healthy effects.

“Cardio involves anything with large muscle involvement in a rhythmic and continuous nature,” Brandenburg said.

According to Hand, jumping on a machine such as an elliptical and pushing yourself for twenty minutes is an improper way to train your body. Rather, cardio exercisers should begin with a slow warm-up on the machine in order to bring their heart rate up to a target level. From that point, exercisers should continue for at least twenty minutes before an essential cool down segment.

While Hand said she knows of people who perform cardio up to an hour at a time, she acknowledges that is sometimes hard to accomplish and suggests exercisers perform cardio fitness for about a half an hour three to five times per week.

For those looking to build muscle, Hand and Brandenburg suggest performing eight to 10 exercises on days when you are resistance training.

Using free weights can be easier for more advanced exercisers; however, both suggest exercise newbies might find it easier to use resistance machines available at the Campus Recreation Center. The machines allow for better control of an exercise if a person isn’t used to free weights.

Regardless if you’re looking to build muscle or lose weight, Brandenburg and Hand suggest not concentrating on numbers but rather the composition of your body.

Both suggest that serious exercisers end up seeing results anywhere from a few to eight weeks, if the exercises are combined with proper nutrition.

“On the days off, remain active,” Brandenburg said. “Go to the mall and walk around; don’t take the elevator, take the stairs.”

Do you have questions about proper exercise or nutrition? E-mail [email protected] to have your questions answered by our health experts.