Weight lifters weigh in!!

reginaswork
reginaswork Posts: 26 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I work hard to get 10,000 steps per day and want to stay in good cardio shape, so when I go to the gym to lift weights, I will alternate my free dumbbell sets with 10 minutes of cardio equipment like the elliptical. At the end I usually have 30-40 minutes of WLifting and 30 min of cardio.
BUT, I notice that WLifting does get my heart rate up, so it seems to have some cardio effect.
So here’s my question: would I be better off increasing the weight lifting exercises so that the session lasts longer and is the cardio even necessary?
2nd question: I only do 2 WL sessions per week. If I keep it to 30 min I might be able to get in 3 weeokly sessions, but the thing is, I play tennis, I walk, I take dance classes (well pre Covid on the dance 😢) so because I do love those things more, I’ve always limited WL to 2 x’s

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Why do you alternate lifting and cardio rather than doing it in two distinct blocks or even entirely different sessions? Don't you find your style compromises your lifting and limits your recovery between sets?

    Yes your HR goes up during weight lifting but unlike cardio it's out of line with oxygen demand and of no great siginificance let alone a training aim. As you are getting plenty of cardio not seeing why you are seeking an extra cardio effect while lifting.

    Your goals and capabilites determine what style and how long you weight train for, without knowing your aims only you know if your two short sessions of lifting are enough. (Not enough for me but I'm not you, for most of my training lifetime I've needed three decent length sessions a week to make good progress and x2 is more like strength maintenance.)

    "is the cardio even necessary" - certainly doesn't seem necessary to be alternating strength training and little blocks of cardio unless your training in that mode is for a specific reason towards a particular goal - emulate a sport like rugby perhaps where you have both cardio and strength elements?

    Caveat would be if you simply like training like this - enjoying your exercise in a particular style is a totally valid choice. Personally I prefer to concentrate fully on one thing or another so my cardio and lifting are done separately.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    I prefer to lift then do cardio. For my goals and tastes, I lift 4x a week 45-1 hr followed by 30-60 min cardio.

    Only you know if 2x a week is enough for your goals and what you enjoy. As above though, I wouldn’t alternate weight lifting and cardio within the same session (Ex: bench press, some treadmill, incline bench, some elliptical, fly machine, etc) because it will negatively impact your ability to lift to your full potential. Maybe that works for your goals, I just know it wouldn’t work for mine.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited October 2020
    I recommend you do both resistance training and cardio. They both have benefits that even carry over to one another some extent.

    The amount of cardio suggested will very on intensity.

    Two sessions of lifting per week is the baseline recommended, though the majority of people will benefit from exceeding that guideline.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
    I keep my weight training and conditioning separate. I want to focus on one or the other.
  • reginaswork
    reginaswork Posts: 26 Member
    Thanks everyone. I went today and kept them separate. Honestly I agree that it allows for better form and better WL session.
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