Can cardio be strength training?

RGv2

I have a friend who does a log of bike riding and no other exercise. Over time, his legs have gotten HUGE from climbing hills. He looks hilarious because his whole upper body is skinny. Of course cardio resistance builds muscle. But not all your muscles.

I would consider biking a real mix of cardio and strength training. Especially if you spend quite a bit of your time in 21st gear.

It would be akin to sprinting, or hill work.

bcattoes

And lifting is not cardio exercise either. Its atpcp and lactic acid exercise..

Also, you clearly do not understand the differences in strength vs endurance. Going longer is not strength. Increasing strength does not increase endurance..

If "cardio exercise" is defined as exercise that improves cardiovascular health, then lifting is cardio.

I suppose there may some example where it wouldn't, but in general of course increasing strength increases endurance. Don't be silly.

phjorg1

It can be. But in regards to your body, cardio exercise isc exercise where the cardio system produces ATP to power the muscles. This condition is false for strength training.

And no, strength does not improve endurance. don't be silly trying to claim otherwise.. It may improve performance. But it's downright dumb to claim you will see any serious vo2 improvements.. Totally different systems being trained.

And lifting is not cardio exercise either. Its atpcp and lactic acid exercise..

Also, you clearly do not understand the differences in strength vs endurance. Going longer is not strength. Increasing strength does not increase endurance..

If "cardio exercise" is defined as exercise that improves cardiovascular health, then lifting is cardio.

I suppose there may some example where it wouldn't, but in general of course increasing strength increases endurance. Don't be silly.

bcattoes

And lifting is not cardio exercise either. Its atpcp and lactic acid exercise..

Also, you clearly do not understand the differences in strength vs endurance. Going longer is not strength. Increasing strength does not increase endurance..

If "cardio exercise" is defined as exercise that improves cardiovascular health, then lifting is cardio.

I suppose there may some example where it wouldn't, but in general of course increasing strength increases endurance. Don't be silly.

It can be. But in regards to your body, cardio exercise isc exercise where the cardio system produces ATP to power the muscles. This condition is false for strength training.

And no, strength does not improve endurance. don't be silly trying to claim otherwise.. It may improve performance. But it's downright dumb to claim you will see any serious vo2 improvements.. Totally different systems being trained.

It's silly to assume that only vo2 improvements figures into endurance. If your muscles give out before your lungs, the only want to improve endurance is to make your muscles stronger.

You can make up definitions for "cardio exercise" if you want. Shall we next debate the defintion of clean eating?

rachseby

Thanks everybody for your responses!

xidia

And lifting is not cardio exercise either. Its atpcp and lactic acid exercise..

Also, you clearly do not understand the differences in strength vs endurance. Going longer is not strength. Increasing strength does not increase endurance..

If "cardio exercise" is defined as exercise that improves cardiovascular health, then lifting is cardio.

I suppose there may some example where it wouldn't, but in general of course increasing strength increases endurance. Don't be silly.

It can be. But in regards to your body, cardio exercise isc exercise where the cardio system produces ATP to power the muscles. This condition is false for strength training.

And no, strength does not improve endurance. don't be silly trying to claim otherwise.. It may improve performance. But it's downright dumb to claim you will see any serious vo2 improvements.. Totally different systems being trained.

It's silly to assume that only vo2 improvements figures into endurance. If your muscles give out before your lungs, the only want to improve endurance is to make your muscles stronger.

You can make up definitions for "cardio exercise" if you want. Shall we next debate the defintion of clean eating?

No, it's not to make them stronger. It's to make them better at endurance. Go and read up on Type I and Type II muscle fibres.

bcattoes

And lifting is not cardio exercise either. Its atpcp and lactic acid exercise..

Also, you clearly do not understand the differences in strength vs endurance. Going longer is not strength. Increasing strength does not increase endurance..

If "cardio exercise" is defined as exercise that improves cardiovascular health, then lifting is cardio.

I suppose there may some example where it wouldn't, but in general of course increasing strength increases endurance. Don't be silly.

It can be. But in regards to your body, cardio exercise isc exercise where the cardio system produces ATP to power the muscles. This condition is false for strength training.

And no, strength does not improve endurance. don't be silly trying to claim otherwise.. It may improve performance. But it's downright dumb to claim you will see any serious vo2 improvements.. Totally different systems being trained.

It's silly to assume that only vo2 improvements figures into endurance. If your muscles give out before your lungs, the only want to improve endurance is to make your muscles stronger.

You can make up definitions for "cardio exercise" if you want. Shall we next debate the defintion of clean eating?

No, it's not to make them stronger. It's to make them better at endurance. Go and read up on Type I and Type II muscle fibres.

So, my muscles gave out last month trying to do something that today I can do =/= muscles getting stronger? Um, okay. Good to know.

sweetNsassy2584

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.

Agreed!