Why I'm not for cardio and resistance concurrently
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I seperating my workouts. If I'm going to do cardio I want to go all out and do cardio. If I want to do strength I want to push myself and do strength.
This seems logical enough. Glad I've been doing them seperately.0 -
Bottom line is that fitness, whether it be cardio or strength training, isn't a one size fits all genre. Each person needs to find what works for them. There are too many varibles involved to say this is written in stone. Conventional wisdom tells us cardio and strength training should be on non-consecutive days, personally doing both on the same day has worked off and on for me over the last three years. I've lost 90lbs. AND kept it off! My advice to everyone is to experiment, find what works for you, and then go with it. Afterall we all aren't cookie cutters of each other.
Brandy
Here's the thing, I agree with everything you've just said. But the bottom line of this post was something else.
People, through the years I have been here, have always asked whether it's better to do both in the same session. I'm simply clearing up why, if you have the option, or a specific goal of building muscle strength or size, you should separate them.
So the bottom line of this post is, to optimally train for strength and size, separate your workouts. If you're looking to lose fat, then it's not so much an issue, but for myself, and many others on this site, strength, power, and size are something we are working for having reached our fat goals, and in those cases, specificity in your workouts helps reach individual goals faster and easier.0 -
I usually do cardio first then a trip around the gym for my strength training. Cardio lasts about 20-25 mins (without counting warm up and cool down) and then I go and lift weights but more so the lighter weights with higher repetitions. I feel like that should mean that I can still do both in one session since you mentioned that the strength training the journal is talking about is the sort of strength training with those big dumbbells and whatnot. I really only go to the gym once a week which is why I combine the two. Should I change that?0
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Interesting topic.
I understand we are just discussing optimal performance here, not saying that you must never cobine the two types of training. So what would be the optimal way for an amateur to train for a sport which required both strength and cardio training?
Take for instance rugby. If I was a pro, I could separate my cardio and weight sessions to different parts of the day, separated by some recovery and refueling. However as I work for 8 hours a day 5 days a week, and have to fit life around my exercise, what would be the optimal way to combine these 2 activities?
I realise I'm taking this thread on a bit of a tnagent, but I'm interested to see what would be recommended in this case.0 -
I usually do cardio first then a trip around the gym for my strength training. Cardio lasts about 20-25 mins (without counting warm up and cool down) and then I go and lift weights but more so the lighter weights with higher repetitions. I feel like that should mean that I can still do both in one session since you mentioned that the strength training the journal is talking about is the sort of strength training with those big dumbbells and whatnot. I really only go to the gym once a week which is why I combine the two. Should I change that?
that's correct, high rep, low weight is not really a true "resistance" program (not in the mass or strength building sense), it's closer to anaerobic HIIT training (targeted) than it is an overload routine. It's fine, but it won't really build any mass or increase your strength very much.0 -
Interesting topic.
I understand we are just discussing optimal performance here, not saying that you must never cobine the two types of training. So what would be the optimal way for an amateur to train for a sport which required both strength and cardio training?
Take for instance rugby. If I was a pro, I could separate my cardio and weight sessions to different parts of the day, separated by some recovery and refueling. However as I work for 8 hours a day 5 days a week, and have to fit life around my exercise, what would be the optimal way to combine these 2 activities?
I realise I'm taking this thread on a bit of a tnagent, but I'm interested to see what would be recommended in this case.
it's a nice thought actually. so as a Personal trainer, one of my specialities is AQR (agility, quickness, and reaction time) which is a big factor for Rugby (Yes I'm a Yank, but I played college and mens rugby for about 7 years, fly half). I am certified in AQR by Swift Fitness, I'm also certified by the united states Olympic team to train Olympic Weight Lifting(clean and jerk, snatch and all the progressives leading up to it). I'm just telling you guys this to give you an idea of my expertise, not to brag. I'm not just pulling stuff from the sky.
So to answer your question, that depends on how serious you are, how much time you have, and what your current conditioning level is at. But lets say you're an average Joe with a full time (5 days a week, 8 hours a day) job at a desk. If you have 4 to 5 days a week to work out for about an hour to 90 minutes each time and it's IN SEASON, then I'd say for rugby, do 1 full body power training (overload) set, that should take 60 to 75 minutes. Then 2 days of straight cardio (you should be able to sustain moderate (70 to 75% Max HR) cardio for at least 30 to 45 minutes to play rugby, and a day of hiit training and maybe a few targeted low weight, high rep exercise thrown in. the last day should depend on what your real goal is, if your goal is power, do another overload day, if it's sprint speed, do another HIIT, if it's endurance, do another cardio. Try to keep your power days as far from the Match days as you can, make yoru rest day the day before the match or do the cardio day the day before the match.
Now, off season depends on what you're looking for, if you want to get stronger, remove a cardio day and add a second power day, if you want to increase your ability to sustain maximal output for longer periods (like sprinting longer and more often) then do more HIIT training and eliminate a cardio day, if you want to increase overall endurance, look into more cardio with a training program for it (places like coolrunnings.com or runnersworld.com both have excellent programs that you can use).
Specificity is important in this aspect. Being a generalist means you'll never get AWESOME at any one physical activity, but it means being strong in most, being a specialist means you're working to be GREAT at 1 thing but your other physical activities may suffer. it's why you never see professional marathoners that have large chests or biceps, and you never see body builders doing tempo runs 3 weeks before a competition, these are specific routines designed to increase 1 thing, and it detracts from other physical processes.0 -
I know when I've finished a strength workout I can barely walk down the stairs.
I used to workout on a Sunday then play indoor football within the hour and I noticed that my performance at football seriously suffered as I just didn't have the energy to put in.0 -
Interesting!
Thanks for the research & post.0 -
On my running days, I do only upper body strength training. My arms feel like jello when I'm done and can barely pick up my cell phone, but my legs work just fine....so I run.
On leg days, I break it up as much as possible, and do either a light cardio workout after my strength training (usually a medium setting on the stairmaster or elliptical) or I do cardio in the morning, strength in the evening. After I do strength training for my legs, I can barely walk down the stairs.
It would be LOVELY if I had the time to work out twice a day every day that I want to do cardio and strength training, but the reality is that I don't have that kind of time. I have a 5 year old in pre-k and tee ball, a full time job, a volunteer job, and a boyfriend. So if the only way I can get my full workout in is to do strength training and cardio in one gym session, then that's just how it has to go down. I push myself as hard as possible and lift the heaviest weights I can.0 -
Thank you for posting this. Very informative.
The drag is that there's not a sufficient number of days in the week to do everything I want to do. I want to lift 3x to build muscle & beat you at arm wrestling. I want to run multiple times so I can be ready for my races/mudrun. I want to do my salsa fitness class & pole dancing class bc they're hella fun. Solve that, science!
I would have to agree. There never seems to be enough days or times in the week to fit everything in that I like to do. How do you find the time for all of it?!0 -
Thank you for posting this. Very informative.
The drag is that there's not a sufficient number of days in the week to do everything I want to do. I want to lift 3x to build muscle & beat you at arm wrestling. I want to run multiple times so I can be ready for my races/mudrun. I want to do my salsa fitness class & pole dancing class bc they're hella fun. Solve that, science!
I would have to agree. There never seems to be enough days or times in the week to fit everything in that I like to do. How do you find the time for all of it?!
there's no rule that you have to do everything in a week. I workout on a 9 day cycle, works for me.0 -
Thank you for posting this. Very informative.
The drag is that there's not a sufficient number of days in the week to do everything I want to do. I want to lift 3x to build muscle & beat you at arm wrestling. I want to run multiple times so I can be ready for my races/mudrun. I want to do my salsa fitness class & pole dancing class bc they're hella fun. Solve that, science!
I would have to agree. There never seems to be enough days or times in the week to fit everything in that I like to do. How do you find the time for all of it?!
there's no rule that you have to do everything in a week. I workout on a 9 day cycle, works for me.
I sometimes forget that I can slow down. I'm so focused on losing the last 15-20 lbs that I can over do it sometimes. Like today I will lift for an hour at my work gym and then tonight I will go and do cardio kickboxing or walk on the stair climber for 45-60 min. And if I don't workout on my lunch hour doing weights I feel lost and like its a waste of 60 min. If I don't go at night to do something I feel like I haven't done all that I can do. My head never stops.....0 -
Thank you for posting this. Very informative.
The drag is that there's not a sufficient number of days in the week to do everything I want to do. I want to lift 3x to build muscle & beat you at arm wrestling. I want to run multiple times so I can be ready for my races/mudrun. I want to do my salsa fitness class & pole dancing class bc they're hella fun. Solve that, science!
I would have to agree. There never seems to be enough days or times in the week to fit everything in that I like to do. How do you find the time for all of it?!
there's no rule that you have to do everything in a week. I workout on a 9 day cycle, works for me.
I sometimes forget that I can slow down. I'm so focused on losing the last 15-20 lbs that I can over do it sometimes. Like today I will lift for an hour at my work gym and then tonight I will go and do cardio kickboxing or walk on the stair climber for 45-60 min. And if I don't workout on my lunch hour doing weights I feel lost and like its a waste of 60 min. If I don't go at night to do something I feel like I haven't done all that I can do. My head never stops.....
I guess my only advice on that is to make sure that it is sustainable. Can you keep up with that routine long term, see this as a lifestyle0 -
Could of already been stated as I stopped reading halfway through the second page of replies, but I agree it's what you want on your end result.
It's good to weight train a little while you're trying to lose weight, since your body will take muscle tissue in to complete its nutrition needs if you're eating very little. Maintenance on muscle instead of heavy resistance would be ideal.
I'm hitting up 70% cardio and 30% weight training on my normal daily workouts, spacing out muscle groups to every other day. The good thing about including weight training is to look fit when you actually lose the weight instead of "thin" -- probably important to most guys. It also curves the ratio of being totally within your BMI when the muscles on your build exceed the fat surrounding them, and take more calories for maintenance for a pound of muscle compared to a pound of fat.
I'll switch to 70% strength and 30% cardio when I reach my weight goal and want to develop my chest and back a bit more with a higher calorie intake. But, that's my two cents.0 -
Thank you for posting this. Very informative.
The drag is that there's not a sufficient number of days in the week to do everything I want to do. I want to lift 3x to build muscle & beat you at arm wrestling. I want to run multiple times so I can be ready for my races/mudrun. I want to do my salsa fitness class & pole dancing class bc they're hella fun. Solve that, science!
I would have to agree. There never seems to be enough days or times in the week to fit everything in that I like to do. How do you find the time for all of it?!
there's no rule that you have to do everything in a week. I workout on a 9 day cycle, works for me.
I sometimes forget that I can slow down. I'm so focused on losing the last 15-20 lbs that I can over do it sometimes. Like today I will lift for an hour at my work gym and then tonight I will go and do cardio kickboxing or walk on the stair climber for 45-60 min. And if I don't workout on my lunch hour doing weights I feel lost and like its a waste of 60 min. If I don't go at night to do something I feel like I haven't done all that I can do. My head never stops.....
I guess my only advice on that is to make sure that it is sustainable. Can you keep up with that routine long term, see this as a lifestyle
I understand that. As of right now I'm pushing hard to lose but I think once I get to a happy weight I can scale back and maintain with that just fine. I've been doing twice a days for some time now and I do enjoy it. Some days I don't make it 2x but then I try an make up for it later on. IDK....I'm hoping after I drop the last of the weight that maintaining will be easier than losing.0 -
bump to read later0
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Thanks so much for posting
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Interesting!!!0
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it's a nice thought actually. so as a Personal trainer, one of my specialities is AQR (agility, quickness, and reaction time) which is a big factor for Rugby (Yes I'm a Yank, but I played college and mens rugby for about 7 years, fly half). I am certified in AQR by Swift Fitness, I'm also certified by the united states Olympic team to train Olympic Weight Lifting(clean and jerk, snatch and all the progressives leading up to it). I'm just telling you guys this to give you an idea of my expertise, not to brag. I'm not just pulling stuff from the sky.
So to answer your question, that depends on how serious you are, how much time you have, and what your current conditioning level is at. But lets say you're an average Joe with a full time (5 days a week, 8 hours a day) job at a desk. If you have 4 to 5 days a week to work out for about an hour to 90 minutes each time and it's IN SEASON, then I'd say for rugby, do 1 full body power training (overload) set, that should take 60 to 75 minutes. Then 2 days of straight cardio (you should be able to sustain moderate (70 to 75% Max HR) cardio for at least 30 to 45 minutes to play rugby, and a day of hiit training and maybe a few targeted low weight, high rep exercise thrown in. the last day should depend on what your real goal is, if your goal is power, do another overload day, if it's sprint speed, do another HIIT, if it's endurance, do another cardio. Try to keep your power days as far from the Match days as you can, make yoru rest day the day before the match or do the cardio day the day before the match.
Now, off season depends on what you're looking for, if you want to get stronger, remove a cardio day and add a second power day, if you want to increase your ability to sustain maximal output for longer periods (like sprinting longer and more often) then do more HIIT training and eliminate a cardio day, if you want to increase overall endurance, look into more cardio with a training program for it (places like coolrunnings.com or runnersworld.com both have excellent programs that you can use).
Specificity is important in this aspect. Being a generalist means you'll never get AWESOME at any one physical activity, but it means being strong in most, being a specialist means you're working to be GREAT at 1 thing but your other physical activities may suffer. it's why you never see professional marathoners that have large chests or biceps, and you never see body builders doing tempo runs 3 weeks before a competition, these are specific routines designed to increase 1 thing, and it detracts from other physical processes.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I wasn't looking for any specific advice, as I've been playing and training for the last 18 years or so, was just more interested in both your ideas and the science in programming for such training, where the requirements\boundaries between strength and cardio training get blurred a lot more than more basic general fitness training.0 -
Good stuff my dear, I'm happy I could be a small influence towards your better health! :happy:
Well, you're one of the folks on here who finally got it through my head to drop the low weights/high reps for heavy lifting (heavy being a relative thing of course, I'm still working on building up). I love it and am seeing great results from it. So, thank you, good sir!
only if you want to, there's no law that says you have to be totally drained after a workout, especially if you're targeting a specific muscle group. if you're doing heavy weight, the group you're targeting should be exhausted, but other groups can be fine. I often walk out of the gym on upper days feeling fine in the legs, could do a 5 mile moderate run if I really wanted. I don't but just because time is limited for me.My upper-body is definitely spent from my weight session but my legs do have that last little bit of oomph left. So maybe I need to add in another weight training routine or two for my legs instead of doing the few intervals I'm doing? Your thoughts?
Again, thanks in advance.
I only lift heavy 2x/week and do a full-body, compound exercise routine. So I'm always targeting my lower body, too. I think I'll try adding a couple sets of different lower-body exercises with weights to my routine and see if I get that nice spent feeling without having to do my little HIIT routine.
Thanks again!0
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