Newbie Lifting Question for Sport/Endurance Athletes

jade14b
jade14b Posts: 22
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello Folks!

A little background about me and my fitness goals. Pretty comfortable with my weight; just looking to tighten up and cut some body fat and if I loose a few lbs along the way I see that as a bonus. I have a "goal look" more than a goal weight but I image that that weight would be around 120-125 lbs. I recently finished Insanity and made some great gains. I plan to begin lifting next week but I have a major concern:

I train a dynamic endurance/body weight sport that combines elements of martial arts, dance, and gymnastics (It's called capoeira if you want to look it up) at least 4 times a week for 2 hour sessions. This is my primary means of fitness and it is also my "thing" so I will not stop. The problem is I have notices most people who lift do not do this much cardio. Some even say don't do heavy cardio on non-lifting days. That is pretty much a non-option for me because I do my cardio workouts so frequently.

My question is: will I still see lifting results doing so much cardio or should I not even bother with a heavy lifting program on this type of schedule? Again, I will not quit training my cardio sport. It's my lifestlye. Mostly looking to see if any cardio athletes balance their endurance training with lifting and still get results. Thanks!

Replies

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Seeing "less" results doesn't mean "no results". A high volume of endurance exercise can restrict muscle gains and make it difficult to achieve optimal results for building muscle mass, but that doesn't mean you can't build any muscle.

    Unfortunately, most of these discussions about "weights vs cardio" are skewed to the perspective of those who want to achieve maximum muscle gains. So, most of those "recommendations" you cite are only relevant to a small group of niche exercisers.
  • britzzie
    britzzie Posts: 338 Member
    I don't do the same volume of cardio that you do, but I do run for about 40 mins five or six times a week. I added in a heavy lifting arms circuit about two months ago. While I don't know about "mass" per say, I have gotten some gorgeous cuts in my shoulders, back and arms and am very happy with the result. (Hello, tank tops!!) I even do my lifting right before I run three days a week.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    I'm a distance runner, and I added strength training to my routines (can't always lift heavy with the high mileage, but at least body weight), and it has helped tremendously. I didn't have a lot of weight to lose either, just a few %, but it is getting me to where I want to be.
  • jade14b
    jade14b Posts: 22
    Yes I have definitely noticed that most people here want large amounts of muscle gains. Me, not so much. I want to get stronger and leaner but muscle mass built is not my ultimate goal. So i guess I technically can strength train and still do all of my cardio. Just not expect to build muscle mass?
  • britzzie
    britzzie Posts: 338 Member
    I would say yes. Not speaking from science but personal experience. I say have at it! Go lift some stuff and see if you get ripped! :)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Yes I have definitely noticed that most people here want large amounts of muscle gains. Me, not so much. I want to get stronger and leaner but muscle mass built is not my ultimate goal. So i guess I technically can strength train and still do all of my cardio. Just not expect to build muscle mass?

    Not to expect to build as much. You still might build some--depends on a lot of factors.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    you'll make some gains, just not as much as those who only do a lifting program/light cardio

    For me its more about maintaining LBM than building new muscle. fwiw, I am loving the way its making me look
  • spirytwynd
    spirytwynd Posts: 141 Member
    You should see some changes. You may not bulk up but you should see a difference.

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