Is strength training cardio?

tomcornhole

I think I may have been obtuse in stating my original hypothesis. I apologize for that. I'll restate it to be more clear:

Lifting rules. Running drools.

aneary1980

Depends on the cardio.

Last year I was massively overweight and unfit but I skiied for 4 hours everyday on my holiday and well considering I hadn't skiied for 15 years and the skis have changed in that period, but would someone who had only strength training manage to ski for that long?

SonicDeathMonkey80

Your conclusion is laughable, because relative to 5000M and 10000M record holders, and even the hobby runners, your "race" times are a joke. If you want to be a better/faster runner, you need to run. If you want to get stronger and lift heavier, you need to lift. Don't be a dunce.

SonicDeathMonkey80

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?

That's an ~11min mile. Are you trolling?

aneary1980

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?

That's an ~11min mile. Are you trolling?

I don't agree with the OP but I'm doing my first 10k on sunday and that is the time I'm expecting. :sad:

yopeeps025

So we are comparing weights to cardio? Why

Would you call superset cardio? Lifting with no or minimal break in between sets I call weighted cardio. Then again on strength days my breaks are very short anyways.

princessmommy122

Actually, a study about this very thing was recently released...

http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/strength-training-may-burn-more-calories-than-previously-thought

Strength training is a vigorous-intensity activity after all.

DominicLucock

cardio is aerobic and strength training is not, they utilize the muscles in different way, weights are fantastic and if used properly can give you a great cardio workout but proper strength training won't really train your heart and lungs the way proper cardio will. i'm 25 stone and managed 5 and 10k's before mate, i wouldn't start tooting your horn haha

nilbogger

How does betting dimes to donuts work? Do I put up a dime and get a donut if I win, or vice versa? i'd rather do the former because donuts cost more than a dime.

markink81

Is strength training cardio? In a limited sense, yes. But it's not true cardio. Sure, if you do circuit training, that's more true cardio. But remember though, if putting on as much muscle is your goal, then circuit training isn't going to help you get there, because it's more of a cardio thing. Also when you do weight training, you cannot last indefinitely. So it is cardio. But it's not the truest cardio.

I disagree in a sense. Have you ever done German volume style training? meaning 10 sets of 10 repetitions doing a lift like a squat using 70% of your max lifting volume and only resting 30-45 seconds in between. Now that will make you suck some air!

sijomial

As an ex-Navy fighter pilot you obviously realise the ability to jog slowly hardly qualifies as being fit so presume you are just stirring!

To me fitness should incorporate both strength and stamina with additional elements such as speed, agility, flexibility etc. dependant on goals. My idea of ultimate fitness would be a decathlete (or heptathlete) rather than the extremes of a power lifter or a Tour de France cyclist.

As someone who lifts seriously you also realise it's not cardio or you are doing it wrong, yes it will work your CV systems to a degree but if you made the opposite argument that you can build size and strength doing resistance cardio (rowing as a good example) would you then say rowing is strength training?

There's a big crossover in the middle of the spectrum anyway - someone strength training in a high tempo circuit training style isn't going to be getting very dissimilar results to someone doing a very high resistance cardio activity. My quad strength has improved more by cycling up big hills than it has from leg presses!

It seems a peculiarity on MFP to think cardio is just running - what about all those sports that people do just because they enjoy them? Or leisure activities that people do for pleasure as much as fitness?

IMHO someone who only does 100% or one or the other is missing out to a large degree on some very easy gains, the first 50% of possible benefits require very little investment in time, it's the last 10% that needs absolute dedication and sacrifice.
As an example - at the moment I’ve changed my usual focus from a 50/50 split of strength/cardio training as I'm preparing for a particular event. I'm maintaining my strength with just 2 hours a week but having to dedicate 10 hours a week to make marginal improvements to my cycling.

I will second your comment "Eat all the foods. Do all the exercise." though.

runner475

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.

Hi Tom,
I'm willing to accept your position however I need your Bib # and the Race Name and date you ran it.

If it wasn't the race, I would need your Garmin Connect Id to get the info from.

Until the evidence nothing happened. Sorry I'm not in your camp.

- Runner475

rodduz

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.

I bet someone that can run a marathon can't swim 2 miles at a tidy pace!

Two types of cardiovascular fitness. Cardiovascular health and specific muscle fitness. You need to train route specific if you want to run a marathon, or swim a mile or ride a bike. If you don't want to do that, lifting weights is just fine. Lifting heavy raises my heart rate to near it's max and my resting heart rate is sub 50. I'd say that's pretty healthy cardiovascular wise but I couldn't run 2 miles, swim 4 lengths..

jofjltncb6

Some in the cardio crowd would probably argue that a >30 min 5k or >68 min 10k isn't exactly comparable to a 2x bw deadlift.



But anyhow, I'm in...

...to catch up on this sure-to-be-awesome thread.

stephanieross1

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?

Depending on your size or fitness level, Id say a brisk walk is cardio. I've got family members who are obese and walking to the store 5 min away puts a sweat on them, over an hour of that would definitely make them sweat/possible sore

martinel2099

Think you're drawing the wrong confusion here. Train according to your goals.

I lift 3x per week and do light cardio, my goal is to maintain muscle mass while at a calorie deficit so that's why I lift. I do my best to eat at a calorie deficit through my diet alone so I don't see the need to do insane amounts of cardio just to meet my calorie goals. Heavy lifting also takes a toll on my legs so not as easy to run after a heavy workout.

Here's the thing though, I still do cardio on in between days because I want to work on my cardiovascular health and improve heart rate. Lifting heavy weights does get the heart pumping, look at me after a dead lift, but I'm not maintaining a target heart rate for any significant length of time due to resting between sets.

Running / elliptical / bike will always be a better cardiovascular workout than heavy lifting when working at a target heart rate that you maintain for a significant amount of time. If you want to train to be a marathon runner then bulking up may not be the best idea for you. If you want to put on muscle, develop functional strength and look good with your shirt off then heavy lifting is a good goal.

smittybuilt19

I think the thread has morphed...


What is better for cardio work, cardio or strength training?

dbmata

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

Unless there is new research out. Educated people who spend their time testing and determining these exact things do not agree with you.

Have you read new research stating that lifting is an effective form of cardiovascular fitness?

yopeeps025

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

Unless there is new research out. Educated people who spend their time testing and determining these exact things do not agree with you.

Have you read new research stating that lifting is an effective form of cardiovascular fitness?

OP is using personal experience not research.

dbmata

I think I may have been obtuse in stating my original hypothesis. I apologize for that. I'll restate it to be more clear:

Lifting rules. Running drools.

you would probably be more accurate calling it conjecture. Hypothesis requires a bit more rigor.

dbmata

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

Unless there is new research out. Educated people who spend their time testing and determining these exact things do not agree with you.

Have you read new research stating that lifting is an effective form of cardiovascular fitness?

OP is using personal experience not research.

I know, and his conclusions are pretty damn laughable. So, I'd like to know what actual research or learning from educated people he's used to base his half cooked idea.

If he can't cite a study, he's just being a goofball and speaking out his *kitten*.

PRMinx

I don't always run a 5k, but when I do I make sure I fitness shame the cardio crowd when I'm done.

stumblinthrulife

Here's a comparison of what a year of serious strength training, and a year of serious run training can achieve. Same year, by the way.

Over the past year, I have progressed to deadlifting 2x body weight (330lb, yesterday), running a 22m 5k, and a 52m 10k. So if you could run a 22m 5k with strength training only, I'd agree with you. I'd also say that it would be a fair comparison to ask a non-strength trained runner if they could dead 2xbw. But you didn't do it in 22m. You did it in 33m.

That's an 11m pace, which barely qualifies as a casual jog. If you put up that pace in an Army physical fitness test, you'd fail. Any slower and you'd be walking. That's the running equivalent of 1xbw deadlift - utterly unimpressive, and leaving people saying "it's great that he's trying!". Kudos to you for getting out there and doing it, and lifting has obviously given you a cardio base, but it's the same base that you build in 9 weeks of couch to 5k. So you've really proved approximately nothing.

Yes, lifting will give you a cardio base better than the average couch potato. And if that's all you want, then great, skip the cardio. But if you want a heart that's as strong as the body you keep it in, some form of cardio training is necessary.

Barbells for strength, cardio for endurance. Comparing the two is like comparing fish to bicycles.

nilbogger

Do I get a donut now?

newdaydawning79

I am considered obese (probably morbidly so but whatever) and when I meet with my trainer, I know my heart is pounding when I'm done. The "rest periods" for me are planks or mountain climbers at this stage (still a newbie). I know I'm more winded and tired than when I do anything cardio-related but I'm not sure that means that it's an adequate form of cardio either. They're totally different things.

trswallow

I bet someone that can run a marathon can't swim 2 miles at a tidy pace!

There are plenty of people that can run a marathon and swim 2+ miles at a good pace. Ever hear of the Ironman Triathalon? It consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run (full marathon).

stumblinthrulife

I am considered obese (probably morbidly so but whatever) and when I meet with my trainer, I know my heart is pounding when I'm done. The "rest periods" for me are planks or mountain climbers at this stage (still a newbie). I know I'm more winded and tired than when I do anything cardio-related but I'm not sure that means that it's an adequate form of cardio either. They're totally different things.

Most personal trainers do circuit training, which is hybrid strength/cardio anyway.

BlueBombers

Do I get a donut now?

Here you go

TriShamelessly

As an avid fan of both, with a heavy emphasis on cardio at the moment, I don't think your comparisons are accurate. Strength gains, in my experience, occur much more quickly with consistent training. On the other hand, it has taken me nearly 18 months to work up to my first Half Ironman this coming weekend. I must admit, though, I am looking forward to lifting again in the near future!

nilbogger

Do I get a donut now?

Here you go

Thanks. I'll send you a dime when I get a chance.