Is strength training cardio?

tomcornhole
tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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
«134

Replies

  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    EL6kUeb.gif
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    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_
    Barbellarella_ Posts: 454 Member
    Congratulations?
  • LoneWolfRunner
    LoneWolfRunner Posts: 1,160 Member
    Arrogance is so attractive. *kitten* indeed.
  • Some_Watery_Tart
    Some_Watery_Tart Posts: 2,250 Member
    So...are you gonna eat that donut?
  • jturnerx
    jturnerx Posts: 325 Member
    Apples, meet oranges.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    Um...
  • dont_tap_my_aces
    dont_tap_my_aces Posts: 125 Member
    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
    BramageOMG Posts: 319 Member
    Doughnuts??
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Slow afternoon at work?
  • WickedddMelon
    WickedddMelon Posts: 17 Member
    So...are you gonna eat that donut?

    Lol best comment ever.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    I feel like I'm witnessing a *kitten*.
  • 04hoopsgal73
    04hoopsgal73 Posts: 892 Member
    Thanks for nightly :laugh:
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • chudak
    chudak Posts: 14 Member
    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
    chudak Posts: 14 Member
    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
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • _SantaClause
    _SantaClause Posts: 335 Member
    If you want to get better at running, you run more.
    If you want to get stronger, you lift weights.
  • srmchan
    srmchan Posts: 206 Member
    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. :smile:

    Sam
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
    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_
    Tallawah_ Posts: 2,475 Member
    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_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    Tom,

    How many dimes do you have?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I want the donut to be worth more than a dime, I'll take a dollar donut.
  • HamptonPhoenix
    HamptonPhoenix Posts: 108 Member
    songebob-donut-o.gif
  • liftnlove_
    liftnlove_ Posts: 112 Member
    I like dimes. And donuts. And lifting. And cardio. I'll take all the things :)
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • fitani71
    fitani71 Posts: 1
    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
    Jeffharlan Posts: 1
    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
    Ilikelamps Posts: 482 Member
    youre the man tom...i bet your corn hole is fine as hell

Categories