Which person would you say is in better shape? - Page 2

Chain · 09-Mar-04, 08:57 PM

Pfft. You could just do some supersets with large muscle groups and compound movements and get the benefits of both without looking like a hamster for 30 minutes.

ACEHOLE · 10-Mar-04, 02:21 PM

Guy B, guy A will be a depleted estrogenic ho

2Scoops · 06-May-04, 12:47 PM

Bump.
Anymore thoughts on this?

ajarvis · 07-May-04, 11:18 AM

If I had to choose then I too would choose cardio. I love cardio and the benefits that come with it. However I do agree that both weights and cardio are ideal.

2Scoops · 07-May-04, 12:02 PM

Cool: of ten people who 'had to choose' its 5 for cardio and 5 for weights. Well balanced - not bad!

**kungfu74** · 07-May-04, 12:19 PM

make it 6 for weights... i dont' do cardio... :P atleast not for the past few months...

ChrisH · 07-May-04, 06:08 PM

For best shape, do both cardio and weightlifting. That way you build and stengthen your muscles, while strengthening your heart, lungs, etc., and the many other benefits that come with cardio.

blitz760 · 09-May-04, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cursor

What is the quality of aerobic/cardio activity that Dude A is doing? (Standard "in-the-zone" aerobics that's supposed to target immediate fat-loss won't do much for strenthening your heart, for example.)

Here's another question for you Cursor or anyone else who can reveal some insight.. I guess from reading the posts on this forum about cardio/aerobics and also the training routines for cardio/aerobics such as HIIT or low intensity training, most of the topics revolve around losing fat. I guess getting to something below 10% bf is a goal of mine, but I would rather have a much stronger heart and secondarily, increase my VO2 max. I guess running on a treadmill for 30 minutes 3 times a week really isn't going to accomplish that for me is it? I feel much better since I started doing this, but I think I've hit a plateau and would really like to exponentially improve the strength of my heart. What type of training would focus on primarily improving my heart and also VO2 max without necessarily focusing on fat loss? Thanks

2Scoops · 10-May-04, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blitz760

What type of training would focus on primarily improving my heart and also VO2 max without necessarily focusing on fat loss? Thanks

The ACSM-CDC's recommendations for improving and maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness are exercising on 4 or more days of the week, 20-60 min at 65-90% of your HRmax.

This will improve your heart health and VO2max. Reaching a plateau may just mean you have to increase your training either by adding volume (say 40 min instead of 30 min) or intensity (80% instead of 70% HRmax). Once your body adapts to a certain stimulus e.g 30 min on the treadmill 3 d/week, no further improvements will be made.

Alternatively, if you are a runner concerned with VO2max and racing performance, you will require a much more detailed and planned approach to training, incorporating many different types/intensities of training organised correctly.

Also, with all due respect to Cursor, he is no expert in cardiovascular exercise (as I'm sure he'll tell you himself) and his comment that 'in-the-zone' exercise won't strengthen the heart is wrong.

DexMan · 10-May-04, 12:59 PM

It depends on what the person is training for... They should train specifically for what they want their body to do and it would be pretty silly for someone not to do both...

2Scoops · 10-May-04, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DexMan

It depends on what the person is training for... They should train specifically for what they want their body to do and it would be pretty silly for someone not to do both...

Hmm, the original idea of this thread has been overtaken. It's already been established by almost every post that both should be done. The question has become 'which would you do if you could only do one'?

blitz760 · 10-May-04, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2Scoops

Hmm, the original idea of this thread has been overtaken. It's already been established by almost every post that both should be done. The question has become 'which would you do if you could only do one'?

Thanks for your response 2Scoops.
Getting back to the topic, for me at least, I'd say that if I absolutely had to choose between one or the other, I would probably say that the guy who does cardio is in better shape. As others have said, it depends on what you define as "being in shape".
I've done some brazilian jiujitsu in the past (on a respite now because im so busy with school). Up until I started rolling on the mats and getting my ass beat by guys who were smaller than I was, I had only been lifting weights. I thought I was pretty strong. Once I started doing jiujitsu though, I realized that my strength was no match for someone who could last longer in terms of cardio/aerobic activity. Ever since then I have been incorporating cardio with my strength training.

Cort · 10-May-04, 10:14 PM

Why speculate over it? In what possible situation would someone put a gun to your head and say "ok now you can only run or lift...if you do both I'm going to blow your brains out." I mean...its like going on a thread about whether or not Bruce Lee or Jet li would win in a fight or something...