Cardio vs Strength Training

[Miahjera]

I'm not trying to be contrary and I AM NOT trying to be a know it all because I'm far from that - Hunting is many different things to many different mindsets, IMO and IME if one treats prep for hunting season like training for the Olympics there enters the possibility of injury or worse, burn out before the season even arrives - OF COURSE "train" ! I'd be a big fat hypocrite to say otherwise but don't forget the ENJOYMENT of the entire thing from physical preparation to the peaceful relaxation of a good memory afterward, it's not a competition in any sense so "lighten up Francis" is all I'm advising......

I think we can all agree that enjoyment comes first and foremost. If you don't enjoy training, then don't train for it. It's pretty simple really. I enjoy getting as far away from roads and people as possible to see things that most people don't get to. That's why I train the way I do, and it's different for everyone. When I'm training I need motivation to help keep it light and to help me enjoy it more. After every workout I feel good because that's just one step further I can get into the backcountry to help me to escape the day to day realities of life. In the end that's what it's all about for me. What brings joy to each individual person is going to be different for everyone.

 

[deerkiller]

I think you get the result that correlates to the effort expended but the best efforts are expended thru the year with no real significant down time to speak of.....after a few years of that you can see significant results from a program that does not kill you but instead pushes you forward gradually. But keep in mind that conclusion comes for me and I am in the 'older' group.....plus I did not work any fitness program from 40-59 other than active work. Strength training is very important in my program.....hips and posterior chain strength is very important at my age and that is coming along rather well lately from adding specific exercises for that to my program. I start adding in rdl's next week. E-Z does it but do it and always be among the hardest workers in the room. Find the program you can work regularly for extended periods of time without burn out....include regular days off in that program. I do not agree with doing 1/2 what you are capable of more often, I do just under failure regularly in strength training.

It really becomes a lifestyle that incorporates correct nutrition and regular vigorous physical activity. If your nutrition is not on track your results will be reduced. Lean and strong is what I want.....

AND sleeeep …… FYI, the latest valid exercise physiology studies clearly show that a watchful mix of those "1/2 of what is capable" lend the best results for the most people - That doesn't mean "you" particularly but keeping an open mind just might help avoid a inopportune injury or get you "there" faster than you thought possible

In regard to my repetitious sleep comments, in my 30's and early 40's I lived on 5 1/2 hours a night sleep as a regular "way of life" , it caught up to me in more than one way and caused an epiphany on the rebound side, I'm still going strong at 69 albeit lumbar spine troubles that are genetic (if these darn knees had been made of titanium I would have been happier too !) BUT now they are, makin' the best of it though

 

[Torrey in Tahoe]

I would focus on cardio first, strength second.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Which is more important: your left leg or your right?

 

[deerkiller]

I would focus on cardio first, strength second.

the latest reputable sports physiology studies show that, done properly, strength training can provide as much "cardio" as "traditional" cardio only training does with better long term cardio benefits in addition to VO2 uptake and such

 

[Torrey in Tahoe]

the latest reputable sports physiology studies show that, done properly, strength training can provide as much "cardio" as "traditional" cardio only training does with better long term cardio benefits in addition to VO2 uptake and such

I have heard this as well; particularly working on bursts high effort vs steady state cardio. I used to rock climb a lot and it was common to either work 'power' or' endurance'. I remember hearing the quote, 'power is endurance', which does have some truth to it but it's really not accurate. My current program is three days a week of squat, bench, deadlift ,press and two good mountain bike rides along with daily dog walks. Works well for me.

 

[Corvus Corax]

Strength often can mask ones lack of fitness. Both are immensely important. Getting under your pack a couple days a week with a load around 30% of your body weight on whatever challenging terrain you can find is a great way to condition yourself to western hunting. Keeping the pace in the ball park of 3-4 mph will ensure you are working hard, and still keeping yourself from running (pack on), which likely would add stresses to your joints in excess of a what a really heavy pack would. Strength training with compound multiple joint movements paired with high intensity interval training 3-4 times a week is a reasonable strategy for finding that balance.

 

[deerkiller]

I have heard this as well; particularly working on bursts high effort vs steady state cardio. I used to rock climb a lot and it was common to either work 'power' or' endurance'. I remember hearing the quote, 'power is endurance', which does have some truth to it but it's really not accurate. My current program is three days a week of squat, bench, deadlift ,press and two good mountain bike rides along with daily dog walks. Works well for me.

that's a darn good regimen, at about 55 I slowed it to 2 weight days a week and now at 68 the only weight training I do any more is some leg sled with no more than2 plates per side (45lb) for reps, I've started to get concerned about my bilateral "mechanical man" knees as they've begun to make some pretty sinister sounds but no pain, looseness or alarming "clunks" as yet - After my second left rotator cuff reattachment I talked to a new (younger) sports medicine trained shoulder surgeon about some all too familiar pain, when I admitted to doing benches BUT never over 145 lb he asked me if the previous surgeon had talked to me about "weights", I said "yes" and looked me in the eye and asked me if I was "dumb" ? Anyone with my type of history should look at a person who's had a "total reversed shoulder" procedure, it might sway your ways, did mine ….. push ups, pull ups, cable rowing single side (no BIG weight) get's me there now

 

[Inconstancy]

I think both are important but it definitely depends on your level of beginning fitness and body make-up. Heavily muscled people are going to use more oxygen. Therefore, cardio. A slimmer build with good lung capacity might think about building some core and leg strength. Just think about it. Just make sure you can carry your gear in as far as you need to and get your gear plus meat out in a trip or two. Can't believe it's any more complicated than that.

 

[HighDesertSage]

the latest reputable sports physiology studies show that, done properly, strength training can provide as much "cardio" as "traditional" cardio only training does with better long term cardio benefits in addition to VO2 uptake and such

Can you please elaborate on this? I'm not doubting you, just looking to further my education on the subject.

 

[Coach Chris]

"Cardio" is a marketing term
Lungs are bags that exchange gases
The cardiovascular system responds to the demands of skeletal muscle not vice versa.
Everything you do requires a percentage of your absolute strength
The stronger you are the easier everything is.
"Core" is a marketing term as well

 

[deerkiller]

not underst

I think both are important but it definitely depends on your level of beginning fitness and body make-up. Heavily muscled people are going to use more oxygen. Therefore, cardio. A slimmer build with good lung capacity might think about building some core and leg strength. Just think about it. Just make sure you can carry your gear in as far as you need to and get your gear plus meat out in a trip or two. Can't believe it's any more complicated than that.

not understanding your breakdown of this - if a person has "more" lean muscle mass and is in "good" health in terms medically of course that person will utilize more oxygen ? it's not the volume of oxygen demand (but that is limited to some degree by elevation and humidity), it's the efficiency of that oxygen used per amount presented to the lungs - "exercise" is simply that, exercise - It's the efficiency (or level of physical conditioning) that makes all the difference - a power lifter will have "conditioning" better allowing a max burst of energy to complete a lift, then a rest period immediately following (recovery) The speed of said "recovery" is the key to optimal conditioning, that's why interval training technique has been found to be so successful BUT each of us has an optimal rate for that equation to work best - body make-up is subjective as shown by football players gaining large amounts of "playing weight" while actively engaged, then losing after they quit - look at "Gronk" ….. is he in better "shape" now or when playing ?

 

[deerkiller]

"Cardio" is a marketing term
Lungs are bags that exchange gases
The cardiovascular system responds to the demands of skeletal muscle not vice versa.
Everything you do requires a percentage of your absolute strength
The stronger you are the easier everything is.
"Core" is a marketing term as well

well put ….

 

[TNsavageman86]

Cardio works best for me. I think it all depends on the individual.

 

[*zap*]

Strength training is more physically demanding than cardio, that's for sure.....if I had to choose one over the other it would be strength training for sure.
There has been some interesting info presented in this thread, thanks.

 

[P Carter]

It's somewhat of a false dichotomy as well, right?

Whatever you're doing for "cardio" also works "strength," and whatever you're doing for "strength" also works "cardio." When I'm trailrunning, I definitely work "cardio," yet my legs get demonstrably stronger. Working in the gym supplements that. Every time the muscles are pumping, and heartrate is up, you're developing some degree of strength and some degree of cardio. For me, a consistent diet of trail running plus supplemental gym workouts and hiking with a pack works really well. If I can throw some biking in there, it's a plus from both a "strength" and "cardio" perspective. Talking about them in isolation doesn't seem productive. In my view, it's all "fitness."

 

[Poser]

It's somewhat of a false dichotomy as well, right?

Whatever you're doing for "cardio" also works "strength," and whatever you're doing for "strength" also works "cardio." When I'm trailrunning, I definitely work "cardio," yet my legs get demonstrably stronger. Working in the gym supplements that. Every time the muscles are pumping, and heartrate is up, you're developing some degree of strength and some degree of cardio. For me, a consistent diet of trail running plus supplemental gym workouts and hiking with a pack works really well. If I can throw some biking in there, it's a plus from both a "strength" and "cardio" perspective. Talking about them in isolation doesn't seem productive. In my view, it's all "fitness."

That’s not really how it works.
You don’t get stronger while doing an activity. You get stronger as a result of recovering from an activity or stressful event. The reason that strength training works better in isolation from conditioning is because you can apply more stress this way than you can under cardiovascular duress. Because you can apply more stress means that you can move more weight than you can other wise and, as result, get stronger during your recovery windows over a plane of time.

Just because your heart rate is up and your muscles are pumping doesn’t mean anything in terms of training value unless you capitalize upon the recovery window and then come back and do a slightly more stressful event. This is the difference between training (a systemic path to improvement: faster, stronger, longer through increased volume and intensity) vs exercise (ie breaking a sweat).

 

[P Carter]

That’s not really how it works.
You don’t get stronger while doing an activity. You get stronger as a result of recovering from an activity or stressful event. The reason that strength training works better in isolation from conditioning is because you can apply more stress this way than you can under cardiovascular duress. Because you can apply more stress means that you can move more weight than you can other wise and, as result, get stronger during your recovery windows over a plane of time.

Just because your heart rate is up and your muscles are pumping doesn’t mean anything in terms of training value unless you capitalize upon the recovery window and then come back and do a slightly more stressful event. This is the difference between training (a systemic path to improvement: faster, stronger, longer through increased volume and intensity) vs exercise (ie breaking a sweat).

Surely you're not saying that a trail runner does not gain strength relevant to trail running while trail running. (OK, so technically it's "while resting after trail running," so long as proper recovery and nutrition are proper.) Now, perhaps you could get stronger with strength training. But you do gain strength by doing the activity. I do agree with you on training versus just exercising, for what it's worth.

 

[Coach Chris]

It's somewhat of a false dichotomy as well, right?

Whatever you're doing for "cardio" also works "strength," and whatever you're doing for "strength" also works "cardio." When I'm trailrunning, I definitely work "cardio," yet my legs get demonstrably stronger. Working in the gym supplements that. Every time the muscles are pumping, and heartrate is up, you're developing some degree of strength and some degree of cardio. For me, a consistent diet of trail running plus supplemental gym workouts and hiking with a pack works really well. If I can throw some biking in there, it's a plus from both a "strength" and "cardio" perspective. Talking about them in isolation doesn't seem productive. In my view, it's all "fitness."

You're confusing strength with efficiency. Strength requires progressive overload. Unless you're adding weight while you're running you're not getting stronger.

 

[JohnnyB]

Check out the book "New Alpinism" if you get a chance. Hunting in my opinion correlates much more closely with mountaineering than strongman competitions or other max effort events. I appreciate the views in this book don't overlook strength training but put it into its proper role for a specific use.

I love to lift weights and do it year round but without focusing on cardio I feel much worse while in the mountains.