Can cardio be strength training?

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rachseby
rachseby Posts: 285 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This might be a dumb question, but humor me...I do the elliptical for an hour a day. I put it at a level where I feel a lot of resistance. I also try to use my arms a lot. I feel like the muscles in my arms and legs are more defined. Is this just fat loss, or am I building muscle? By using a higher resistance on the elliptical, am I kind of doing weight training too? Thanks for your input!
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Replies

  • KeithK67
    KeithK67 Posts: 1
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    While you may have the resistance up, IMO you're not really doing much in the way of strength training. The muscle definition you're seeing is most likely a result of the fat loss.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    ^^^This.

    If you're new to the exercise game, there might be some noob muscle gains, but besides that this fat loss. I'm going to assume that you are eating at a caloric deficit, so you can't really "build" any new muscle.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Any time you change the nature of a cardio exercise, or try a new cardio exercise, there is an adaptive change as your body adjusts to the particular demands of the new exercise. Especially if you are not very strong, you may notice an "increase" in strength--i.e. you may notice some carryover effect in other activities. However, that adaptation is transient, only applies to the unique demands of the cardio movement, and is not a substitute for resistance training.

    The same goes for resistance training, except in reverse. If you lift heavy enough to get optimal strength benefits, there is little cardio effect--although someone who did little or no cardio would notice an increase in "aerobic fitness" via the same adaptive process I described above. And if you lower the resistance to increase the aerobic component (e.g. circuit training), then you don't get the full strength training benefits.
  • rjd9266
    rjd9266 Posts: 15
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    ^^^This.

    If you're new to the exercise game, there might be some noob muscle gains, but besides that this fat loss. I'm going to assume that you are eating at a caloric deficit, so you can't really "build" any new muscle.

    If you're working out, eating at a calorie deficit, and consuming enough protein I thought building muscle was possible? Otherwise what's the point of working out besides upping the caloric deficit?

    As for OP's question, I'm in the same boat. Jogging stretches are cut short by leg muscle pain not lung distress so I'm hoping I'm building some muscle, otherwise that 5k will never happen!
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
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    It depends on how you define strength. If you define strength as the ability to run for 10 miles, then yes, cardio will build strength. If you are talking about being able to lift a car, then no, cardio is not going to build strength.

    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick. I can maybe squat 100 pounds but I can run for 10 miles without stopping. It depends on how you define strength. I decided a while back that marathon runners are stronger than body builders so that has been my focus but others will almost certainly disagree with me on that. Its all about perspective and personal opinion.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    I would call it resistance training. To call it weight training I would assume you need to be using something weighted.
  • MG_Fit
    MG_Fit Posts: 1,143 Member
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    While you may have the resistance up, IMO you're not really doing much in the way of strength training. The muscle definition you're seeing is most likely a result of the fat loss.

    QFT
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    ^^^This.

    If you're new to the exercise game, there might be some noob muscle gains, but besides that this fat loss. I'm going to assume that you are eating at a caloric deficit, so you can't really "build" any new muscle.

    If you're working out, eating at a calorie deficit, and consuming enough protein I thought building muscle was possible?

    Nope. You can increase your strength without increasing muscle mass...THAT would be the point.

    Increase in Strength =/= Increase in Muscle Mass.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    It depends on how you define strength. If you define strength as the ability to run for 10 miles, then yes, cardio will build strength. If you are talking about being able to lift a car, then no, cardio is not going to build strength.

    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick. I can maybe squat 100 pounds but I can run for 10 miles without stopping. It depends on how you define strength. I decided a while back that marathon runners are stronger than body builders so that has been my focus but others will almost certainly disagree with me on that. Its all about perspective and personal opinion.

    How did you verify your legs got "larger"?

    Distance training isn't going to make your legs bigger...sorry.
  • rjd9266
    rjd9266 Posts: 15
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    ^^^This.

    If you're new to the exercise game, there might be some noob muscle gains, but besides that this fat loss. I'm going to assume that you are eating at a caloric deficit, so you can't really "build" any new muscle.

    If you're working out, eating at a calorie deficit, and consuming enough protein I thought building muscle was possible?

    Nope. You can increase your strength without increasing muscle mass...THAT would be the point.

    Increase in Strength =/= Increase in Muscle Mass.

    Thanks for the clarification. I'm still pretty new to this (It took me awhile to find the motivation, joined date is not start date) so I appreciate it! :)
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    ^^^This.

    If you're new to the exercise game, there might be some noob muscle gains, but besides that this fat loss. I'm going to assume that you are eating at a caloric deficit, so you can't really "build" any new muscle.

    If you're working out, eating at a calorie deficit, and consuming enough protein I thought building muscle was possible?


    Nope. You can increase your strength without increasing muscle mass...THAT would be the point.

    Increase in Strength =/= Increase in Muscle Mass.

    Thanks for the clarification. I'm still pretty new to this (It took me awhile to find the motivation, joined date is not start date) so I appreciate it! :)

    NP...:wink:
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    It depends on how you define strength. If you define strength as the ability to run for 10 miles, then yes, cardio will build strength. If you are talking about being able to lift a car, then no, cardio is not going to build strength.

    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick. I can maybe squat 100 pounds but I can run for 10 miles without stopping. It depends on how you define strength. I decided a while back that marathon runners are stronger than body builders so that has been my focus but others will almost certainly disagree with me on that. Its all about perspective and personal opinion.

    Wow. This whole post saddens me. Physical strength and endurance are not even close to being the same thing. It's not even a matter of opinion or perspective. It's science.

    We can talk all day about the mental fortitude required to run 26.2 miles without stopping or to sit on a bike for 12 hours, but that is not the same thing as the raw strength of a powerlifter. I'm not saying the latter is superior, more important, or more relevant than the former. I'm saying you're trying to compare apples to bananas.

    Also, your legs didn't get bigger from running.

    And I don't care what your goals are, if you're a grown man who can't squat more than 100 lbs, that's a problem.
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
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    NO.
  • xidia
    xidia Posts: 606 Member
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    If you're adding any muscle at all from your elliptical, you'll be pretty much just building endurance (type I muscle fibres).

    If you want to get stronger you'll need type II, which you get from weight training, whether that's raw strength reps (1-5 per set) or body builder hypertrophy reps (10-20 per set).
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
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    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick.

    How did you verify your legs got "larger"?

    Distance training isn't going to make your legs bigger...sorry.

    As I said, they are not large, they are larger. I can tell mainly by visually looking at them, but I can also tell by how pants and shorts fit now. Clothes that were loose in the thigh and calf area are now tight.
    And I don't care what your goals are, if you're a grown man who can't squat more than 100 lbs, that's a problem

    Why? Its not my goal to lift weights. Can I do more than one rep with more than 100 pounds? Absolutely. To be frank, i have no clue what I can squat now since I haven't been in a gym in months. I get all my exercise on a trail now and feel way better for it. It was attitudes like this that made me quit going to a gym.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
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    It depends on how you define strength. If you define strength as the ability to run for 10 miles, then yes, cardio will build strength. If you are talking about being able to lift a car, then no, cardio is not going to build strength.

    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick. I can maybe squat 100 pounds but I can run for 10 miles without stopping. It depends on how you define strength. I decided a while back that marathon runners are stronger than body builders so that has been my focus but others will almost certainly disagree with me on that. Its all about perspective and personal opinion.

    Great post. As you can tell by the responses, there is a lot of confusion about "strength". If you think running doesn't involve strength, run ten miles and tell me how you feel the next day. I do think that increasing the resistance on a machine, running hills etc, does build strength. Of course, for some folks if you aren't grunting over a barbell, it isn't strength training. I do both (running, weights), and see value in both.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick.

    How did you verify your legs got "larger"?

    Distance training isn't going to make your legs bigger...sorry.

    As I said, they are not large, they are larger. I can tell mainly by visually looking at them, but I can also tell by how pants and shorts fit now. Clothes that were loose in the thigh and calf area are now tight.
    And I don't care what your goals are, if you're a grown man who can't squat more than 100 lbs, that's a problem

    Why? Its not my goal to lift weights. Can I do more than one rep with more than 100 pounds? Absolutely. To be frank, i have no clue what I can squat now since I haven't been in a gym in months. I get all my exercise on a trail now and feel way better for it. It was attitudes like this that made me quit going to a gym.

    Sorry, but distance running isn't going to make your legs bigger. They may be retaining water for repair post exercise, but they aren't "getting bigger".
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
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    If you think running doesn't involve strength, run ten miles and tell me how you feel the next day. I do think that increasing the resistance on a machine, running hills etc, does build strength. Of course, for some folks if you aren't grunting over a barbell, it isn't strength training. I do both (running, weights), and see value in both.

    Exactly.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    It depends on how you define strength. If you define strength as the ability to run for 10 miles, then yes, cardio will build strength. If you are talking about being able to lift a car, then no, cardio is not going to build strength.

    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick. I can maybe squat 100 pounds but I can run for 10 miles without stopping. It depends on how you define strength. I decided a while back that marathon runners are stronger than body builders so that has been my focus but others will almost certainly disagree with me on that. Its all about perspective and personal opinion.

    If you think running doesn't involve strength, run ten miles and tell me how you feel the next day.

    Much better than the day after leg day.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
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    Since I started running my legs have gotten quite large and very well defined. However, if you put me next to a body builder I would look like a stick.

    How did you verify your legs got "larger"?

    Distance training isn't going to make your legs bigger...sorry.

    As I said, they are not large, they are larger. I can tell mainly by visually looking at them, but I can also tell by how pants and shorts fit now. Clothes that were loose in the thigh and calf area are now tight.
    And I don't care what your goals are, if you're a grown man who can't squat more than 100 lbs, that's a problem

    Why? Its not my goal to lift weights. Can I do more than one rep with more than 100 pounds? Absolutely. To be frank, i have no clue what I can squat now since I haven't been in a gym in months. I get all my exercise on a trail now and feel way better for it. It was attitudes like this that made me quit going to a gym.

    Sorry, but distance running isn't going to make your legs bigger. They may be retaining water for repair post exercise, but they aren't "getting bigger".

    Run the hills in my area, and you will change your mind. My calves have certainly grow, but maybe I am a special snowflake. :wink:

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