Cardio vs Resistance Training

armymil

What is the true difference between the two?

I don't mean one is where you breath while walking/running/treadmill/elyptical/stairmaster/AMT/rowing/etc and the other is lifting weights with a band/machine/barbell/dumbbell/etc.

I mean at what point does cardio turn into strength training? I've lifted heavy weights and have been out of breath. I've done the skiing machine, treadmill, etc and been out of breath. But surely you are building muscles climbing steep roads in your quads. You must be doing cardio if you are lifting very light weights in a dance workout. Or weight training by carrying heavy dumbbells while attempting to run.

Is there a true scienctific difference between them?

myfitnessnmhoy

What is the true difference between the two?

I don't mean one is where you breath while walking/running/treadmill/elyptical/stairmaster/AMT/rowing/etc and the other is lifting weights with a band/machine/barbell/dumbbell/etc.

I mean at what point does cardio turn into strength training? I've lifted heavy weights and have been out of breath. I've done the skiing machine, treadmill, etc and been out of breath. But surely you are building muscles climbing steep roads in your quads. You must be doing cardio if you are lifting very light weights in a dance workout. Or weight training by carrying heavy dumbbells while attempting to run.

Is there a true scienctific difference between them?

They are continua on a scale, where "cardio" (moving as many muscles as possible with low/no resistance to get the heart rate at maximum with no intent to build muscle) is on one end and "weight training" (applying significant resistance to specific muscles to build muscle with no intent to raise the heart rate) is on the other.

If you want to combine the two to a certain extent, set an elliptical to maximum resistance and run like you're being chased by rabid wolverines. Or get on a treadmill and don't turn it on, and start moving the belt by holding your hands on the handholds and pushing really really hard.

If you want to accomplish neither, lift really light and slow or go really slow on an elliptical or treadmill with low resistance.

BrianSharpe

run like you're being chased by rabid wolverines

:laugh: I'll have to remember that image for my next race!

There is a lot of crossover between the two and, of course, they complement each other.

The definition of cardio that I've seen is exercises involving large muscle movement that raises your heart rate to at least 50% of your MaxHR over a sustained time period.

While you've correctly observed that lifting weights raises your heart rate it's not generally sustained in a steady state the way running or biking does unless you're following a circuit with little or no break between exercises (For fun sometime wear your HRM during a strength workout and then look at your HR graph, depending on your recovery rate you get wild swings)

blonde71

Couldn't kettlebells be considered cardio? Even though you're using weights, you're moving fairly quickly like with a swing. Whenever I perform 100 swings as a finisher, I've always felt as though I've sprinted or something along those lines. Just a thought.