lifting till your heart explodes

[ZZuluZ]

" When you train faster with less time in between sets, you will burn more calories within a given workout, and as losing bodyfat is simple math, burning more calories than you ingest, a weight training session done this way provides more benefits than just building muscle"

If I recall the initial question was this:

"just out of curiousity, why is lifting heavy weight not considered a cardiovascular exercise? honest question here."

-Zulu

 

[needsize]

" When you train faster with less time in between sets, you will burn more calories within a given workout, and as losing bodyfat is simple math, burning more calories than you ingest, a weight training session done this way provides more benefits than just building muscle"

If I recall the initial question was this:

"just out of curiousity, why is lifting heavy weight not considered a cardiovascular exercise? honest question here."

-Zulu

And my point is that training this way provides many of the same benefits of regular cardiovascular training. For example, training this way improves the level of your cardiovascular conditioning, your heart and lungs will work much more efficiently then if you just weight trained the regular way.

 

[vinylgroover]

Lilchit,

It's simply related to the amount of oxygen needed by the body to perform heavy weight training as opposed to cardio, as zulu said.

Lifting heavy weights is basically a series of short explosive movements which does not rely on heavy requirement for oxygen. It's not to say that your heart is not being worked, but weight training is essentially considered an anaerobic activity.

As far as i am aware, zulu is right. Weight training dpends on glycogen to fuel the muscular work required when weight training.

 

[ZZuluZ]

Needsize,

According to research by Kraemer and Fleck even circuit training doesn't come near to cardio in terms of VO2 max, capillarization, etc...

-Zulu

 

[needsize]

Zulu, that is correct, but circuit training is a great way to stay leaner if you don't want to do cardio. In the winter months, I never do cardio, but ever since I started this style of training, I've been able to continue to add mass every year, but I stay much leaner that I did before. And since my cardiovascular conditioning is much better than if I just did regular heavy training, when I do go back to doing cardio, there's no painfull adjustment period, I can go out for the first time in 10 months and still run 5 miles.

When you combine that style of training, with cardio and a good diet, it's aloso much easier to drop bodyfat than just through traditional means.

 

[Lumbuss]

Then what is it?

I'm fairly sure I'm correct here.

-Zulu

The phosphagen system. Anaerobic glycolysis can fuel IIA fibers, but their main source of fuel is the phosphagen system. Type IIB fibers use mostly the phosphagen system. If you are using a tempo where you are lifting for 2 seconds, pausing for 1, then lowering for 4, the phosphagen system will be the main source of fuel for the first 6 reps, then glycogen will kick in when the ATP and PC stores are empty. That is why supplementation with creatine preworkout is a good strategy as well as ultra fuel or some drink like that.

 

[vinylgroover]

Lumbuss,

Sounds very technical and all, but what are you actually saying. I mean at the end of the day, cardio is aerobic and relies on heavy oxygen usage and weights is anaerobic and doesn't rely as heavily on oxygen usage but more so Glycogen.

Is it not as simple as that?

 

[Lumbuss]

Lumbuss,

Sounds very technical and all, but what are you actually saying. I mean at the end of the day, cardio is aerobic and relies on heavy oxygen usage and weights is anaerobic and doesn't rely as heavily on oxygen usage but more so Glycogen.

Is it not as simple as that?

i wasnt refering to the original post, i was just stating that type II fibers use mostly on ATP rather than glycogen as fuel. As far as cardio goes i wouldn't do it, even when cutting. I would just lower calories. Fat loss is esentially calories in vs. calories out. Cardio is part of "calories out" but it is more catabolic as opposed to not consuming the extra calories. It is also easier to calculate how many calories you are dealing with when you dont have to factor in how many calories you burned jogging or bike riding. When your goal is to lose fat and maintain muscle, you want to know exactly how many calories you are dealing with every day. If you dont care about muscle, and are an obese person who eats alot and cant control your appetite cardio can be beneficial. But IMO for bodybuilders cardio has little benefits when it comes to body composition. It does have health benifits though. If your goal is to be healthy or have good stamina cardio can help, but it isn't good for body composition.

 

[ZZuluZ]

Yes, during anaerobic exercise ATP is converted into ADP...but the primary source of energy is glycogen.

"But IMO for bodybuilders cardio has little benefits when it comes to body composition. '

I wouldn't say it has little benefits...but the benefits aren't that great.

Needsize, got it.

-Zulu

 

[Lumbuss]

Yes, during anaerobic exercise ATP is converted into ADP...but the primary source of energy is glycogen.

"But IMO for bodybuilders cardio has little benefits when it comes to body composition. '

I wouldn't say it has little benefits...but the benefits aren't that great.

Needsize, got it.

-Zulu

The primary source of what? Maybe glycogen is the primary source for reps6-12, but only after atp is depleted. In general, glucose is the primary source of energy for non bodybuilding purposes, it is the bodys source for fuel. But ATP is what type II fibers use during muscle contractions, thus it is the primary source of fuel during muscle contractions.