Can strength training also be cardio?

Not really. Heart increases during resistance exercise (RE) via a different physiologic mechanism than during cardio, so the heart rate increase is not a reliable indicator. Strength results and cardio results are kind of on opposite ends of the spectrum. If you increase the cardiovascular component of the movement (e.g. lift lighter weights at faster speed) you decrease the resistance benefits and vice versa.

Adzak basically opened and closed the thread with the perfect answer. Lifting and cardio are opposites. To put up a decent amount of weight, you're asking your body to use a large chunk of it's energy in a short period of time (power). To run/swim/walk/etc., you're asking your body to take a small reserve of energy and spread it over a long period of time (endurance). Opposites.

Now you can lower the weights, increase the reps, and decrease the rest time between sets and get a great metabolic effect similar to running, but the weights are so low that it really can't be considered true strength training.

10-22

Can strength training also be cardio?

I am currently taking a fitness instructor training course, and yes, strength training can be cardio, even power lifting, doesn't mean you need to take lighter weights either. As long as your HR is in the 60-90% range, you are indeed doing cardio. I personnaly double up sets to make supersets and gets my HR up there, obviously breathing is key as well.

If your "fitness instructor training course" is telling you that, then they are wrong and you should demand your money back. Or you are just misinterpreting the information, in which case you need to stay after school and write:

"Heart rate increases during strength training are not the same as during cardio"

500 times on the blackboard.

Whilst lifting heavy is not cardio (not long enough really is it?), my sprints both running, rowing and cycling have improved since doing the heavy stuff...coincidence? Me thinks not...so it is more like HIIT, or whatever the interval stuff is called. (kettlebells can be used in interval training as can any weights for short bursts)

You are equating increase in performance with an increase in aerobic conditioning. The two are not the same. Increased muscle strength and power can enhance performance (e.g. 5K run time) without any increase in actual VO2 max.

Comparing the effects on cardiometabolic health of a program of strength training only vs. cardio only, there isn't a clear advantage for one or the other. Getting exercise and not being fat is of far, far greater importance.

However; with the added weight (albeit light) you will add an element of muscular endurance training to the exercise - endurance is more differenter than strength.

The answer is to do ALL the exercises. Do some strength, do some cardio, do some "conditioning". It all helps your body be healthy in different ways. If you get to a point where you're ready to be a badass at one particular aspect of fitness then you will need to focus on that one aspect to a much greater degree. Until that point while you're just working on being generally fit and healthy, do everything.

Thank you. So often the post here present the false dichotomy of strength vs cardio that it's great to see a more holistic position.

Holisitic in that I believe in doing all of these things and that they all have a place in most people's fitness programs. They are different types of workouts though, and I don't try to modify one to make it into a combination of two or more types. For cardio, I run - I don't consider this a leg muscle workout. For strength I lift weights - heavy(ish) weight for low(ish) reps. When I'm doing "strength training" I don't worry about trying to squeeze out a cardiovascular workout in the same session.

Just in case that wasn't clear.

your program looks great. IMO, there is no need to over analyze it further.

This.

Not really. Heart increases during resistance exercise (RE) via a different physiologic mechanism than during cardio, so the heart rate increase is not a reliable indicator. Strength results and cardio results are kind of on opposite ends of the spectrum. If you increase the cardiovascular component of the movement (e.g. lift lighter weights at faster speed) you decrease the resistance benefits and vice versa.

I respect your reply, but I am also awre that my breathing rate increases also, so something aerobic is happening. The fact that I take shorter breaks possibly means I am not working at my maximum strength demands but more likely am training towards the intense end of cardio.

I think this is where programs like Insanity sit in the in-between between cardio and strength?

Without a metabolic cart, there is no way to identify with certainty the precise effects of any given type of hybrid workout. I can only say what I said before--in order to increase the cardiovascular training effect, you must decrease the resistance training effect and vice versa.

Let me repeat: I am not saying that your workout as described or workout classes cannot have ANY cardio effect or ANY strength effect exclusively. I am only saying that one will almost always compromise the other. You cannot maximize gains in both areas simultaneously with the same movement.

It is up to each individual to decide if the results they get match their goals. I am not here to criticize anyone's program. You speculated that, based on heart rate readings, your strength routine could also double as a cardio training routine. The answer is that: if you are trying to do a traditional strength routine, and you are expecting the results of a traditional strength routine, and you are truly working to failure in 5-8 reps, then it does not provide cardio training benefits and the increased HR is not indicative of a cardio training effect. And if, by chance you WERE experiencing a cardio training effect, it would mean that you had structured the workout in such a way that you had significantly compromised the resistance training effect.

None of this means that any exercise choices are "wrong". It just means that people have to structure their workouts to meet their goals, and in order to do that, they need to understand the physiological facts of how each type of exercise affects the body.

Talking to nobody in particular, just like to point this out for those reading this post and are more concerned with calories burned (which you shouldn't necessarily be, including different things in your workout is a good thing if you ask me). We should not go by the assumption that heart rate indicates the HRM can calculate calories burned for cardio and strength training. If your heart rate is the same, calories burned are not. The HRM has no idea that your body is lifting weights, the calculations for those guys are based on cardio activities like running or cycling only, not strength training. Look it up.

Huge Yes to this. But that's not surprising because CoderGal is always knows her *kitten*.

Don't give me the credit, Azdak was the one who informed me and triggered me to look it up long ago He has a good head on his shoulders. Since then I realized how many people don't realize this and I tend to throw it out there every now and then

Talking to nobody in particular, just like to point this out for those reading this post and are more concerned with calories burned (which you shouldn't necessarily be, including different things in your workout is a good thing if you ask me). We should not go by the assumption that heart rate indicates the HRM can calculate calories burned for cardio and strength training. If your heart rate is the same, calories burned are not. The HRM has no idea that your body is lifting weights, the calculations for those guys are based on cardio activities like running or cycling only, not strength training. Look it up.

Solid advice

Thanks guys.