Renowned exercise physiologists Martin Gibala and Stuart Phillips of McMaster University teach the surprising new science of cardio fitness and strength-building-and then provide you with hacks to get fit and strong (and healthy!) in less time than you ever thought possible. What's the right mix of exercise between cardio and strength? How do you know if you're working out hard enough? What's better, heavy or light weights? These questions and more are addressed through a course designed to provide even the most inexperienced of exercisers the tools you need.

The Basics of Fitness
The human body is rare in that it actually improves with use. In fact, the changes that various kinds of exercise trigger in the body are downright miraculous. This week, Marty and Stu explain the mechanics behind that process. They start by breaking down the two types of fitness: "Cardiorespiratory" and "musculoskeletal." Next, they'll tell you why each one is important to living a long and healthy life. With a can-do attitude designed to inspire, they'll inform you how much of each activity you're supposed to get, then wrap up the week by posing a question that exercise scientists have been debating for years: Which type of exercise is better for you?

Cardiorespiratory Fitness
This week Marty tells you all about cardiorespiratory fitness, and the latest research in terms of time-efficient ways to get fitter faster. Why do some scientists think that cardiorespiratory fitness should be the fifth vital sign? What is VO2max? What's an easy way to determine your own VO2max? And how does aerobic exercise boost it? The week wraps up with Marty teaching a series of techniques to build cardiorespiratory fitness in less time than you ever thought possible.

Musculoskeletal Fitness
Many people believe strength training isn't for them. They might feel intimidated by lifting weights because they think it's only for big hulking bodybuilders. Besides, what are the health benefits of lifting weights? During week 3, Stu argues that everyone should engage in some form of strength training-and the practice becomes more important, not less, as you age. Once you're convinced, Stu teaches techniques that will help everyone to be stronger, to stave off the decline in muscle strength that otherwise happens as we age. Finally, Stu provides hacks to get you comfortable performing strengthening exercises-and teaches you to design your own resistance-training workouts.

Combining Cardio and Strength Fitness
Remember the question Marty and Stu posed in the first week? What's more important, cardiorespiratory or musculoskeletal health? In the last week they'll finally answer it for you. They'll talk about some of the surprising benefits of exercise-like the fact that it can help you mentally retain information (sweat so you don't forget!). They'll discuss the debate over the exercise pill. They'll teach you hacks that help you boost muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness, together-and finish the course by teaching you techniques to design your own fun, combined workouts designed to keep you exercising for the rest of your life!