Is strength training cardio?

tomcornhole

N=1, so take it with a grain of sugar.

I was curious to see what kind of cardiovascular shape I was in after 1.5 years of doing just strength training. So I jumped right in and did a 5k last Wednesday in 33:40. Did another one Saturday in 31:10. Another one Tuesday in 33:20. Decided to try a 10k today and did that in 68:35. Not great times, but I ran the whole distance and had more left in the tank. I am pleased with that.

Here's where I'm going to draw a conclusion: Heavy strength training is an effective form of cardiovascular fitness.

Here's where I torque the cardio only crowd: I bet a dime on a donut that someone who has only done cardio training cannot deadlift 2x their body weight in a week starting from a dead stop. I am going to contend that strength training alone is better overall for fitness than cardio alone.

Here's where I might get back on track: Both are fun. I hate to say it, but that 10k was a real rush. I can't wait to try a 1/2 and then a full marathon. Very cool, indeed.

Eat all the foods. Do all the exercise.

Enjoy the ride,

Tom

DopeItUp

_Waffle_

Here's where I torque the cardio only crowd: I bet a dime on a donut that someone who has only done cardio training cannot deadlift 2x their body weight in a week starting from a dead stop. I am going to contend that strength training alone is better overall for fitness than cardio alone.

I bet you a dime on a donut that someone who has only done strength training can't run a half marathon in under 2 hours in a week's training.

Barbellarella_

Congratulations?

LoneWolfRunner

Arrogance is so attractive. *kitten* indeed.

Some_Watery_Tart

So...are you gonna eat that donut?

jturnerx

Apples, meet oranges.

skinnyinnotime

Um...

dont_tap_my_aces

i dont know about everyone else, but i've always considered strength training cardio in a sense. after i pull a set of 5 reps near 2.5x body weight on deads, im completely winded for a good 5 minutes.

that has to register like HIIT would i'd imagine.

BramageOMG

Doughnuts??

whitebalance

Slow afternoon at work?

WickedddMelon

So...are you gonna eat that donut?

Lol best comment ever.

Alluminati

I feel like I'm witnessing a *kitten*.

04hoopsgal73

Thanks for nightly :laugh:

Unknown

This content has been removed.

chudak

Hi Tom,

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I'd argue you're right! Cardio training is getting your heart to pump faster than what it does when you sit on the couch. Your heart doesn't know if you are deadlifting, swimming, or dancing. It just knows it's working hard. And like any muscle, the harder it works, the stronger it gets, the easier you can do certain things that were more difficult before. I'm a hard core distance runner (my "light" jog is 7 miles) and I lift weights because they counter-balance each other and work both. As you know with weight lifting, sometimes you have to shake up the workout to work your muscles again. Same with running! A sprint workout is going work totally different muscles than a distance workout. Running hills and running on a treadmill will exercise different things. Whatever gets you active and moving!

- Crystal

chudak

Sounds like some good fast twitch!

Tom, if you want a really good workout for both sprints and distance running, do a step aerobics class. Not even joking. It's 2.5 miles of sprints within an hour... and you're moving the whole time so you're getting some distance training in there too. Good stuff!

Off to the weight room,
Crystal

Unknown

This content has been removed.

_SantaClause

If you want to get better at running, you run more.
If you want to get stronger, you lift weights.

srmchan

i dont know about everyone else, but i've always considered strength training cardio in a sense. after i pull a set of 5 reps near 2.5x body weight on deads, im completely winded for a good 5 minutes.

Same here. Or any other compound lift like squats. My heart rate graph from weight training looks very similar to my cardio interval graphs.

that has to register like HIIT would i'd imagine.

Personal experience disagrees. My overall heart rate is more elevated with HIIT. With strength training, I might hit my zone 4 briefly when I'm progressing a lift - but most lifts are zone 3. Moreover, my lifts (8 reps per set) are generally less than a minute and my recovery can be upwards of 2-4 minutes of doing nothing but waiting. With HIIT, I'm in zone 4 for a 1-2 minutes for each interval and the lung burn can get intense near the end. The recovery is 2 minutes and typically doesn't go below the top of my zone 2 since I'm still exercising vs doing nothing.

Looking at the graphs, I spend far more total time up in zone 3 and 4 doing HIIT than doing strength training.

All that said, I'm still a fat *kitten*, so you feel free to keep the donut.

Sam

Unknown

This content has been removed.

justcat206

Some times strength training can have a cardio element to it if you keep up a pace that gets your heart rate up consistently.

I think your logic is flawed though. Deadlifting 2x your bodyweight seems like a much greater feat than running a 33 minute 5k.

possibly, but that depends on a few factors, like age, sex, weight. It's taken me about 5 months to work up to ~2x BW deadlift, but running a 5k in that time is impossible for me and would probably take me a long time to get to that

Agreed. It took me 2 months to drop 10 minutes off my 5k (to a 31 min) and 8 months to get up to a 1.5x deadlift. Guarantee you it takes me another year to hit 2x if it ever happens. But I'm a tiny female with a strong cardio background and almost no lifting experience. Everyone is different and has different strengths so it does seem like a bizarre comparison.

Tallawah_

I think your logic is flawed though. Deadlifting 2x your bodyweight seems like a much greater feat than running a 33 minute 5k.

Bingo! Deadlifting 2x your bodyweight as a novice is a much greater feat than running a 33 minute 5k as a novice.

I'd go further..you're extrapolating from your achievement to imply that if I got 10 'strength only novices' the majority of them could run 5k in around 33mins? Are you sure?

My view is that strength training helps with sprinting rather than long distance running.

...but to be honest congrats on your run...it's impressive nonetheless.

_Terrapin_

Tom,

How many dimes do you have?

Liftng4Lis

I want the donut to be worth more than a dime, I'll take a dollar donut.

HamptonPhoenix

liftnlove_

I like dimes. And donuts. And lifting. And cardio. I'll take all the things

Unknown

This content has been removed.

fitani71

Is 10k in 68 minutes really cardio though? That's not a lot faster than a brisk walk, how high would you say your heart rate got?

Jeffharlan

I've been doing a weight training circuit, doing 6 to 8 sets of weights per circuit (bench, squat, rows/pull downs, overhead press, leg press/calf raises, and curls) beginning with a Farmer's carry of 60 yards with two dumbbells. I rest about two minutes between circuits and get three done in 30 minutes. I get the best of both worlds with this: four workouts a week-- 2 with barbells (light and heavy) and 2 with dumbbells (light and heavy). I've dropped 20 lbs and my waist has shrunk. This is a great way to combine weight/strength training with cardio and I'm wiped at the end every time. I don't run any distance farther than 800 meters, but rather do sprints of 100 and 40 yards, which will promote explosiveness needed for athletic competition.

Ilikelamps

youre the man tom...i bet your corn hole is fine as hell