Someone asked me this question the other day.
So I thought I would write a blog post about it.
I did a Hell and Back event few years back. This is a 12k endurance event with obstacles in between. Trawling through mud and water, getting shot by snipers, jumping over walls; great fun!
To be honest, I didn’t do a lot of cardio for this. Apart from a few runs on the treadmill, most of my training was weight training and combinations of metabolic type training.
Some of my clients like to do some kind of competitive aerobic events like 10k runs or swims, cycles etc
Now even though I don’t do direct running or cycling with them, there is a direct carry over from the training to cardiovascular fitness.
Let me explain.
You see, the Cardiovascular system is designed to support the working muscles.
So, if you are working intensely on a set of squats or leg press, your heart and lungs can’t tell the difference between that or the treadmill, all they know is their working hard and your heart rate Is up.
Now add short rest periods to that in between sets and you can see how High Intensity weight training really is just as effective as doing ‘Cardio’.
Now, if someone is doing a triathlon obviously their going to need to put in the specific work on the exercise they’l be performing e.g swimming, but building a strong muscular system and cardiovascular efficiency through weight training is definitely going to help that.
So, they don’t have to be separate.
While I don’t generally recommend long steady state cardio like marathons etc for changing body composition, I understand that some people just love this type of exercise.
And that’s fine. If you like something, you will do it more often.
But there is a balance and if you check any long time runners joints after 10 or more years of it, their probably not going to be in good shape.
If you’d like to see how this training can help you then e-mail me at info@theexecutiveedgecoach.com.