why does weight training improve muscular strength more than cardiorespiratory fitness?

Weight training improves muscular strength more than cardiorespiratory fitness because it specifically targets muscle fibers with resistance and mechanical tension, which leads to muscle fiber damage and repair, muscle hypertrophy (growth), and recruitment of type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers responsible for generating high force. This directly increases muscle size and the maximum force that muscles can exert. In addition, weight training improves neuromuscular efficiency by enabling the nervous system to activate more muscle fibers simultaneously, further enhancing strength. In contrast, cardiorespiratory training mainly improves heart and lung efficiency, enhancing endurance and oxygen delivery without imposing the high tension needed to stimulate significant muscle growth or strength gains. Furthermore, weight training follows the principle of progressive overload, continually increasing resistance to challenge the muscles, causing adaptations that increase strength. Cardio exercises, however, focus on repetitive, lower- resistance movements that target muscular endurance and aerobic capacity rather than maximal force development. Because cardio predominantly engages type I (slow-twitch) muscle fibers oriented for endurance, it is less effective for building muscular strength. In summary, weight training's focus on mechanical tension, muscle fiber damage and repair, hypertrophy, type II fiber engagement, and neuromuscular adaptations make it far more effective for improving muscular strength than cardiorespiratory exercise, which primarily targets endurance and cardiovascular health.