Cardio vs. strength training

Which is more important to you?

I would say both are important, but strength training is more important to me. I have found that chronic cardio is not a good thing, and that when it comes to cardio, less is actually more. Chronic cardio is catabolic and leads to the breakdown of muscle when done in excess, and it also leads to coritsol spikes which actually cause you to gain/retain fat and waste muscle. I used to walk 5-6 miles each day, and initially it helped me lose a lot of weight, but when it came down to the last 5-10 lbs I needed to lose, it was lifting heavy weights coupled with high-intensity interval training that got the job done.

 

Plyometrics is the most important to me. It keeps a range of full athletic power with cardio. Once becoming involved on that level everything fitness changed for me.

 

Cardio is more important to me. I don't do it for very long--usually only 30 minutes to an hour, several times a week. But, it's more enjoyable for me, and can be done in a way that doesn't feel like working out. Long walks, hiking, even the occasional run outdoors can be very meditative and enjoyable. I usually do interval training on the bike and elliptical during the winters. Less fun, but not bad.

Strength training feels like a chore. I do it. Not that often. And I'm not terribly interested in being ripped. I do more weight lifting when I'm starting to feel a little soft.

 

I don't do 'training' I just work hard so I'm strong as fuck. I kind of think that gym rats aren't actually strong, they are just targeting specific muscle groups to build them up. But it leads to this disjointed type of effect. Not true strength and knowing how to put it to use.

I was chucking 200lb pine logs for hours straight this weekend. Not sure many meatheads can do that.

Not trying to criticize you, just giving my point of view about gym strength vs real strength. But if it's working for you and making you happy, cool.

That said, I want to start running and cycling again. But you are right. Too much cardio burns everything away including muscle mass.

 

I do cardio; I don't do strength training. And the only cardio I do is running. It is just a preference. I probably should combine some strength training though.

 

I totally agree with you and I come from a gym rat perspective. I trained for explosive power, Olympic powerifting and plyometrics specifically for total body and athletic conditioning. Both of my training partners were professional athletes, one was a gold medal Olympian for wrestling. No one but other professional athletes remotely understood what we were doing and most personal trainers believed that we were far to excessive and would train ourselves only into injury. We worked out and other people in the gym would just look on and shake their heads like we were the ones that didn't know what was going on.

 

I don't really do strength training at all but I do yoga which basically uses your own body's resistance to build strength.

I only do cardio in the form of activities I love doing regardless of health benefits, like hiking and long walks. I occasionally run but more for stress relief than cardio benefits.

I guess I'm pretty balanced. I actually hate working out just for the sake of working out but I am an active person so I stay pretty fit.

 

anybody seen the movie Rocky IV where the russian fighter is training in state of the art facilities and Rocky is training by splitting logs and pulling snow plows. I agree that hard work done regularly builds more real or functional strength but probably doesn't build as much mass as lifting weights does. I think a lot of guys lift for purely cosmetic reasons and only work their biceps and chest but have chicken legs and no real functional strength.

 

Yeah, when I was younger and manager of a lumber yard I was in the best shape/strength ever.
Hefting 20' 8"x12" beams over your head or loading pallets of cement will certainly get you in shape fast.
Used to be able to do about 5-6 curls with one of those beams.

When we were bored we would see who could heave a 50lb bag of salt held against our chest the furthest. By personal best was five pallets or about 22'. :2thumbsup:

Now I would die if I tried that....:wheelchair:

 

Cardio. I prefer being more light and agile.

Also, my fight or flight always encourages me to fly. So being quick is best for me. lol

I'm actually a faster runner than quite a few guys I know. They call me a jack rabbit lol. I remember an incident my friends car was being towed for bad parking. Everyone was slow moving, I got up and phew I was gone and down the street with the tow truck. Saved my friends car Kind of silly but yeah Cardio is my choice.

 

I love strength training. Love bein big and intimidating when i want to be. Added strength is nice too. Ive got the strength of two average men. Took four and a half years though. I wanna do more cardio but its a chore to me. Hopefully gettin some bball goin here once it warms up

 

As far as I’m concerned they go hand in hand; Speed, agility, strength, and endurance. I play basketball but I also enjoy biking which requires upper body strength :2thumbsup:


Hotwater

 

used to know a little wiry guy that everyone liked to take to the rowdy bars.

He could hit the 6' 6", 270lb bouncers in the face about 8 times before the big lug could even move his oversize arms. Big guys go down hard.
I'll take speed, precision and strength any day over just brute brawn.

 

Even if a big fucker isnt strong, thats still a lot of weight to throw around

 

i don't really work out. i enjoy biking, and going on hikes...so the only exercise i do is cardio. i could benefit from some strength training, but it's not all that important to me i guess.

 

i'll stick with my zebra pants and prancercise

you all can keep your heavy weights and running to yourselves.

 

I generally hula hoop for exercise, and my hoop is very light for the intention of doing tricks. So most of my movements are either cardio based, or dance based. Strength training would be helpful for work, but I've never intentionally trained my body in anyway at a gym. My workouts were usually sports (ice skating) or now hooping. I want to be light and agile. But an increase in strength would be fantastic so I could learn more difficult tricks, like handstands/headstands/etc and upsidedown hooping. I think flexibility training would do the best for that, but I'm not sure.

 

My experience isn't that recent I'm afraid. My friends name is Nick Ugula and it was actually in the Commonwealth games in Manchester, England that he won gold for Olympic Wrestling. He taught me a whole lot, I had a lot more muscle mass than he did but he was far stronger. Our philosophy was it doesn't matter what you can lift if you can't move your own body weight and could we ever.