A Cardio Wake-up Call-It's Vital!

[TorontoBruce]

Supplementary to another thread on here asking about the importance of cardiovascular activity....my personal wake-up call this week.

I've been working with a trainer since June. Building muscle just fine. For cardio, I've been using an at-home stationary bike. an effective tool for cardio, but not the best, since it works only the legs.

My resting heart rate is 64. My blood pressure as measured by my GP is about 110/80. Almost perfect.

On the bike, it took me about 10 minutes to pump my heart rate up to 130 -- about 80% of my max. I was pretty happy about that. "Hey, it takes a while for my heart to start working hard. Great!"

Well, I changed gyms this month and started using an eliptical for the first time in about 5 years.

Boy! Did I get a scare! After 5 minutes on the lowest exertion level, at a low 52 RPM, my heart rate shot up to 130.

This was very bad news. Five years ago, I would have to work damn hard at a much higher resistance level an on eliptical to get my heart rate that high.

Clearly, while I've become bigger physically and stronger physically over the past months, I've been neglecting my heart and lung power.

Very, very bad news. Because that heart and those lungs need to be strong and efficient to supply blood and oxygen to those new observable muscles I have developed.

And my new trainer, in observing and testing me in the past two weeks has said, "Your strength is not a problem. You lack endurance."

That endurance depends on the fitness of my cardiovasuclar system.

So: do I want to live a long, healthy life? Yes. Then cardio is crucial. I need a strong heart and efficient lungs.
So: do I want to build muscle, strength and endurance? Yes. I need a strong heart and efficient lungs.

Cardio is crucial.

It's not one man's opinion. It's science. It's physics and inescapable logic.

[2nd_chance]

Cardio is crucial.

I'll pass. To each his own.

[TorontoBruce]

I'll pass. To each his own.

pass you might. but physics and logic are science. not opinion.

[-=FLEX=-]

I'm doing lots of cardio now, but only because I am trying to get rid of my beer belly.

When I was younger I never did cardio and never needed to (except one time when I decided to get "shredded")

That being said...

I tried an Elliptcial trainer today for the first time instead of a bike and I thought it was gonna kill me.

But I will be doing it again.

But once this belly is gone I'm going to sleep in a little later and stick to the weights.

-=FLEX=-

[mickdoo]

I agree cardio is vital for wind, I do a variety for mine, with swimming really getting the lungs going, while lifting I am not even suckin air, no doubt more efficient you are cardio wise, the harder/longer you can lift, even though I hate it(except for swimming) I still do it

[TorontoBruce]

In weight training, I find that cardio inefficiency affects me most demonstrably in walking lunges carrying weight. Big lower body muscles being used, carrying blood away from the upper body. The less efficient my cardio capacity, the quicker the legwork tires me and sends me into head spins. The better my cardio, the reverse is true.

[tmonkey]

didn't you post not to long ago that your pt was often late or would sometimes skip out altogether?
if so glad you found a new one and he seems to be hitting the weak post so great - sometimes change is good.

[2nd_chance]

pass you might. but physics and logic are science. not opinion.

Your other arguments aside, I have no issues with endurance.

[-=FLEX=-]

The less efficient my cardio capacity, the quicker the legwork tires me and sends me into head spins. The better my cardio, the reverse is true.

How many reps do you do on your leg workouts?

I rarely go above 6 on squats, hack slides and leg press (except warmups) so I don't believe I need cardio for that.

My best squat ever was 555 lbs. for 1 RM. Sometime in 1993. Back then, for my "warmup" I would do 4 plates (405) for 12-15 reps).

Hadn't done any cardio at all in years when I did that kind of weight.

But......that was a long time ago. Maybe at our age cardio is more important. I'll let ya know in 6 months.



-=FLEX=-

[peter03]

pass you might. but physics and logic are science. not opinion.

this x2

[TorontoBruce]

didn't you post not to long ago that your pt was often late or would sometimes skip out altogether?
if so glad you found a new one and he seems to be hitting the weak post so great - sometimes change is good.

Indeed, I fired my previous PT for unreliability and became a member of a full service, high-end health club with a staff of permanent career trainers, one of which I now have.
With my old trainer, I'd been doing cardio at home on a bike. Now I'm doing cardio at the full service gym on elipticals.

[TorontoBruce]

Your other arguments aside, I have no issues with endurance.

good that we find a point of agreeance.

Cheers!

[timross13]

I posted a question here a week or so ago asking if anyone has heard the argument that cardio defeats your muscle gain. The article I read is from a guy that backs up his statement with some medical studies. I know, you can't believe everything you read on the internet, that is how WWII started. I always split my cardio by doing 10-15 minutes before, then 10-15 minutes after. As the weight got higher, it became extremely difficult to do that much cardio. I have now shifted to 20-30 minutes cardio after my lifting.

Anyway, I went in for a sonigram (spelling?) of my heart the other day, so I thought the cardiologist would be an excellent person to ask. He said that he has weightlifters in his office all the time with chest pain, chest pressure, or just general discomfort. He said while their body may be strong, their cardiovascular system is weak. He said weight lifting alone is not a good enough aerobic exercise, and he recommends 20 minutes as a minimum of cardio, at least 3 x a week. He said for best results, do cardio in the morning and weights in the afternoon or evening, or vice versa.

[TorontoBruce]

How many reps do you do on your leg workouts?

I rarely go above 6 on squats, hack slides and leg press (except warmups) so I don't believe I need cardio for that.

My best squat ever was 555 lbs. for 1 RM. Sometime in 1993. Back then, for my "warmup" I would do 4 plates (405) for 12-15 reps).

Hadn't done any cardio at all in years when I did that kind of weight.

But......that was a long time ago. Maybe at our age cardio is more important. I'll let ya know in 6 months.



-=FLEX=-

I referenced walking lunges. That's when my lack of cardio efficiency shows the most. Truth be told, in squats, it shows, too. Again, because it's working the big leg muscles from a standing position. The blood flow is diverted from the upper body to the lower. The less efficienct the cardiovascular system is, the more that redirection affects the brain and, so, the sooner you'll feel dizziness and/or lightheadedness.

[-=FLEX=-]

I referenced walking lunges. That's when my lack of cardio efficiency shows the most. Truth be told, in squats, it shows, too. Again, because it's working the big leg muscles from a standing position. The blood flow is diverted from the upper body to the lower. The less efficienct the cardiovascular system is, the more that redirection affects the brain and, so, the sooner you'll feel dizziness and/or lightheadedness.

I'm intrigued now.

Like I said; my plan is to cut way back or eliminate my cardio once the belly is gone.

Time will tell if I lose any ability as a result. I will be sure to report back.

-=FLEX=-

[TorontoBruce]

I'm intrigued now.

Like I said; my plan is to cut way back or eliminate my cardio once the belly is gone.

Time will tell if I lose any ability as a result. I will be sure to report back.

-=FLEX=-

put it this way: if any of your weights exercises are leaving you winded, then logic dictates you need to pay more attention to your wind.

You need not be Mr. Spock to see the logic in that.

[-=FLEX=-]

put it this way: if any of your weights exercises are leaving you winded, then logic dictates you need to pay more attention to your wind.

You need not be Mr. Spock to see the logic in that.

Honestly I never feel "winded" when weight training.

Only when tying my shoes.

-=FLEX=-

[tonester]

Excellent topic.

I get asked by my co-workers for all sorts of advice from "how can I lose this belly", "why does it hurt here", "how do I get legs like yours" "where do you get your energy"? I have been told that they are impressed by my athletic appearance and apparent ease of movement for my age. They see the importance of it but don't know how to go about it. They aren't aware that cardio work can be a fun challenge.

Firstly and foremost to each his/her own. But, why guys my age aren't working on multiple abilities to make their lives really snap is beyond me.

There is nothing in the rule book that says you can't have your cake and eat it too by, for example, working up to a 3 rep max on a deadlift then go do some accessories and then some hill sprints/agility work. Throw in some mobility/flexibility and Bob's your uncle (?). I'm a big fan of the WS4SB template for this very reason.

Now that makes for a solid heart and lung team not to mention a great looking body. Of course, at our age, if having a body approximating an MMA fighter of equal weight isn't enough for someone that's a whole other issue.

[Highlander_40]

I wouldn''t freak about cardio taking away from heavy lifting. If your training consecutive days, then a run could eat away your lifting energy for later that day, but do a couple runs a week and your laughing. Jog, walk, jog until you can jog.

The doctor who figured out exercise for heart attack prevention was an english guy who died recently, he was able to isolate it by looking at bus drivers and conductors. Even although they could both smoke like a chimney, the conductors having to go up and down stairs didnt have the same heart problems.

The old timers used to walk everywhere, now we're a driving society so have to get some cardio.

(I have resting heart 48bpm and before lifting was chubby, its only lifting and being aware what im eating that is changing my body)

[JolietKev]

I have always had a healthy blanace. I am more concerned with my overall health, then anything else. In saying that the BB lifestyle is probably not the way to go if you want to achieve optimum health.

[danno25nh]

I guess I don't understand how anyone would believe that increasing the efficiency of the cardiovascular system through exercise would have a negative effect on building larger muscle mass.

Effective gas exchange can only have the affect of allowing one to train harder.
If we're concerned that cardio training "burns muscle" then increase caloric intake so that there is no caloric deficit. Pretty straight forward physiology.

[jmelanson]

put it this way: if any of your weights exercises are leaving you winded, then logic dictates you need to pay more attention to your wind.

You need not be Mr. Spock to see the logic in that.

I run 3 miles several times a week, so I think my cardio is fine. My resting heart rate is around 52. I do interval weight training which leaves me winded quite often.

So possibly your logic is fail?

[kimsquit]

here's the thing:

the human body adapts to stresses that it is regularly subjected to. It's why it is important to change up lifting exercises from time to time and it's also why it's important to switch up the type of cardio you regularly do.

The fact that you went from Cardio A, which your body was used to, to Cardio B, which your body was not used to, is not in itself an indication that your cardiovascular fitness was as poor as you and your trainer concluded it to be.

It just means that you were doing an activity that your body wasn't used to and therefore wasn't doing it particularly efficiently.

You could have gone from the bike to swimming, to the jacob's ladder or to the stepper and experienced the same thing. Conversely, if you were regularly using one of those, you probably would have found the same physical reaction to using the bike for the first time.

Coupled with that, if your bike cardio was LISS and your elliptical cardio is HIIT (or some variant), then the issue isn't about the physical method of cardio you do, but rather the quality of it. Both LISS and HIIT have their value, depending upon your goals, but they are generally used to acheive two very different things.

For cardio, I've been using an at-home stationary bike. an effective tool for cardio, but not the best, since it works only the legs

do you keep your heart and lungs in the fridge when doing during this

[KQguy]

I use to be afraid of doing cardio,thinking it would strip away all my hard earned muscle.But now cardio is a big part of my weekly training.I now do 40min.of eliptical on the highest setting,and I have yet to lose any muscle from cardio.If anything,I get better workouts now,which will only help build more muscle.If you are worried about losing size,then just eat more calories to offset the calories burned from cardio.That's also a bonus,now you get to eat more without adding any fat!

[themyth2009]

here's the thing:

the human body adapts to stresses that it is regularly subjected to. It's why it is important to change up lifting exercises from time to time and it's also why it's important to switch up the type of cardio you regularly do.

The fact that you went from Cardio A, which your body was used to, to Cardio B, which your body was not used to, is not in itself an indication that your cardiovascular fitness was as poor as you and your trainer concluded it to be.

It just means that you were doing an activity that your body wasn't used to and therefore wasn't doing it particularly efficiently.

You could have gone from the bike to swimming, to the jacob's ladder or to the stepper and experienced the same thing. Conversely, if you were regularly using one of those, you probably would have found the same physical reaction to using the bike for the first time.

Coupled with that, if your bike cardio was LISS and your elliptical cardio is HIIT (or some variant), then the issue isn't about the physical method of cardio you do, but rather the quality of it. Both LISS and HIIT have their value, depending upon your goals, but they are generally used to acheive two very different things.


do you keep your heart and lungs in the fridge when doing during this

So much for science.

I am a cadrio fan myself. But I cant say that it strengths my heart. Isnt the heart an involuntary muslce? Isnt it more likey my body is learning to use oxygen more efficeintly when doing cardio?

My heart rate when squatting would probably be above 130. Is that making my lungs and heart stronger?

[kimsquit]

I am a cadrio fan myself. But I cant say that it strengths my heart. Isnt the heart an involuntary muslce? Isnt it more likey my body is learning to use oxygen more efficeintly when doing cardio?

My heart rate when squatting would probably be above 130. Is that making my lungs and heart stronger?

my point exactly (and much more concisely)

Take any long-distance marathon runner, put him in the squat rack with a reasonably heavy weight for the first time in his life, and his heart rate is going to shoot up regardless of how many marathons he's run.

We are not metabolically efficient at activities we are not used to, which is why in 2006 I was doing 45 minutes of stepper HIIT at 148bpm every day, yet huffed and puffed like a baby rhino when I tried to swim slow laps in the pool.

[tk217]

Cardio is crucial.

It's not one man's opinion. It's science. It's physics and inescapable logic.

/agree.

Cardio = longevity.

[bikini_babe]

BB's want mass, want size and sometimes this equates to more weight on the human frame than it was designed for. Years ago with an ACL injury in hand the Chief of Orthopedics said that human knees are built to hold 150 lbs, end of story. Anything over that puts pressure on the knee in exponential form. Can you be stable if you build up all your muscles around your knee, yes. Think of it as muscle knee brace. Will you seek out activities that pound your knees, probably not?

The reason you do cardio is to keep your respiratory/heart lung capacity in functioning order so you keep your body(muscles, blood, brain) oxygenated.

Cardio can be incorporated into heavy lifting without losing mass. Walking on a treadmill(knee friendly) at a fast pace for 20 minutes 4 times a week won't reduce your mass. Ditto an elliptical that you increase in resistance as you get fitter, the ones with arm action get your heart rate up faster. Your body doesn't really start burning much of anything for the first 15 minutes of aerobic/cardio work assuming you ARE NOT doing the High Intensity style. It does however work out your heart and lungs during that time.

Heart and lung capacity help you in the long term health wise.

[stush]

my point exactly (and much more concisely)

Take any long-distance marathon runner, put him in the squat rack with a reasonably heavy weight for the first time in his life, and his heart rate is going to shoot up regardless of how many marathons he's run.

We are not metabolically efficient at activities we are not used to, which is why in 2006 I was doing 45 minutes of stepper HIIT at 148bpm every day, yet huffed and puffed like a baby rhino when I tried to swim slow laps in the pool.

I think that the best is to cross train with 2-3 different types of cardio each week and then switch it up after a month. For example:

Stationary Bike Intervals - one day

Swimming - steady state - one day

Tread Mill Intervals - one day

Circuit Training - my personal favorite because it gives you best of both worlds

Or add some games in like basketball...

This will help with two angles:

1) Prevent injuries from over stressing certain ligaments and wearing down joints...

2) Not letting your body adjust to a certain type of cardio. Otherwise you have to increase the time spent on it, which is an never ending spiral. There is an article by Rachel Cosgrove where she describes that her expected fat loss from her multiple hour daily marathon training was actually minimal. She explains, in her article, that she couldn't even see her abs anymore! She succeeded in losing fat in 8 weeks after completing the marathon training and doing circuit training!

[tk217]

BB's want mass, want size and sometimes this equates to more weight on the human frame than it was designed for. Years ago with an ACL injury in hand the Chief of Orthopedics said that human knees are built to hold 150 lbs, end of story. Anything over that puts pressure on the knee in exponential form. Can you be stable if you build up all your muscles around your knee, yes. Think of it as muscle knee brace. Will you seek out activities that pound your knees, probably not?

You can do swimming. That is a low impact cardiovascular exercise (I would say is better than an aerobics class or running).

Bicycle riding is another one. THERE ARE TONS of cardio exercises that WILL NOT damage your ligs, tendons, ect that are excellent for you.