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Interesting Article on Strength vs. Cardio (Read 2377 times)

va


    Stephen - I had my RMR tested at a gym. There are several devices that can be used to test RMR. MedGem and Body Gem are two devices that are quite similar. They connect to a computer (via a serial or USB port I believe) and you breathe into a tube for about 5-10 minutes. The software on the computer determines your RMR based on the breathing patterns. I was tested through the Body Gem method. A third way is through a device called BodPod. You can Google it for more info, that is actually the most ideal because it will also determine your body fat % (I wasn't able to find a facility locally with a BodPod)...I can't really tell you how much weight training it would require for you to increase your RMR by that much. Until you have a benchmark, you also don't really know how you compare to the "average". If you are interested in knowing your RMR you can probably Google one of the terms I mentioned along with your city and possibly find a gym or university that performs RMR testing. I found mine by just looking up the websites of the large gym chains in my city and finally found one that offered it.
    Cynthia, thanks. I'd love to get my RMR measured (and a more accurate body fat measurement). The gym I go to is small, so I need to find some other place that could do it. Note my question about how much weight training would be required to increase my RMR by 750 calories was really rhetorical. I suspect that if I did increase my RMR by 750 calories, I would be so muscle bound that I probably wouldn't be able to run much.
    MilesandMiles


      Thanks Cynthia for this informing post... I sort of knew about the RMR, an expensive Personal Trainer explained it to me when i first started to exercise but i had totally forgotten about it !! PTs are usually trained to teach this kind of balanced approach to fitness with an emphasis on weights and that maybe valid for someone totally new to fitness but i would have to disagree with the notion that resistance training beats running when trying to lose weight... This kind of weights based regimen will only work if combined with a very strict diet... and that sucks for most peope!You might wantt to be healthier, fitter but continue to enjoy a few beers and your favorite carbs. I wonder if any manageable amount of resistance training can burn as much calories as say running/cardio 60 to 75min a day... even taking into account the increased RMR... I am no expert though If a professional exercise physiologist is reading this board maybe he/she can comment... Everyone is of course different but if you increase your running mileage gradually and supplement it by other form of cardio training your joints connective tissues etc... will adapt... Every runner gets injured once in a while but isnt running worth it?
        Also, how exactly is burning calories through an increased RMR better than calories burned through increased phsical activy (e.g., through running)? It isn't except perhaps for the fact that you can burn more calories when you are doing other activites. How much weight training would I have to do to increase my RMR by 750 calories? Probably wouldn't ever happen because although muscle does actively burn calories it doesn't burn that many. If you did increase your RMR by 750 you would probably have so much muscle you wouldn't be able to get your elbow joint to 90 degrees! Big grin 1 pound of muscle = about 20-35 more calories burned per day so a significant gain of 10 pounds might increase your BMR by 200-350 calories/.

        They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. "If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a Board and knock me down, because that means I didn't run hard enough" If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they'd starve to death. "Don't fear moving slowly forward...fear standing still."


        SMART Approach

          You will burn a lot of calories/fat combining running/CV activity with weight training. When in the fitness industry I created a program called FIT (Fatburning Interval Training). I based it off some research from Laval University in Quebec showing tremendous after burn effect from quick intervals vs. sustained CV activity. This work out/class I created, involved doing fast spurts of CV activity (1-2 min) mixed with sets or super sets of weight/resistance training over 1 hour. Go back and forth. You get the benefits of weight training, calorie burning of CV activity and a very strong after burn effect. This is where this type of plan is very effective. Your metabolism will continue to burn calories many many hours after this type of work out. Now, this type of work out doesn't take the place of running because to get better at running you need to run. BUT, if you are looking an effective use of time with a goal of maximum calorie burn, weight training benefits and afer burn, this is an awesome work outs. The body composition changes I would test with skin folds were quite amazing even after 6-7 weeks on this program. I have pages of testimonials.

          Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

          Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

          Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

          www.smartapproachtraining.com


          Beatin' on the Rock

            I have been following the Body for Life weight lifting and nutrition plan for about the past year and that is primarily how I laid out my weight lifting plans. My goals have recently changed as I am gearing up for a half marathon next March so my weight lifting time will most likely be cut back but that is ok, goals sometimes have to change. Smile
            I followed Body for Life for years, and was in the best shape of my life. I quit when my husband got ill and gym time was out. Got a bit flubby. Decided I had to try the running thing ,and I've now been running for close to a year, (took the summer off; it's hot in SW FL!), now training for a 1/2 in March. There is absolutely no comparison FOR ME: Weight training & HIIT (a la BFL) sculpted me, changed my shape, and burned fat, much more than pure running. I plan to go back to it mid-March, after a post 1/2 rest for a week or so. (I emphasize FOR ME, because I know runners who look and feel their best purely running.) I am mesomorphically built; LD running is tough, and I'll never be fast at any distance,... although doing HIIT, I can run one minute as fast as my treadmill can go. Truly, there is no argument to be won here. Fitness should be individualized. Smile
            Be yourself. Those that matter, don't mind. Those that mind, don't matter.
              I followed Body for Life for years, and was in the best shape of my life. I quit when my husband got ill and gym time was out. Got a bit flubby. Decided I had to try the running thing ,and I've now been running for close to a year, (took the summer off; it's hot in SW FL!), now training for a 1/2 in March. There is absolutely no comparison FOR ME: Weight training & HIIT (a la BFL) sculpted me, changed my shape, and burned fat, much more than pure running. I plan to go back to it mid-March, after a post 1/2 rest for a week or so. (I emphasize FOR ME, because I know runners who look and feel their best purely running.) I am mesomorphically built; LD running is tough, and I'll never be fast at any distance,... although doing HIIT, I can run one minute as fast as my treadmill can go. Truly, there is no argument to be won here. Fitness should be individualized. Smile
              Wow I could have written that same post myself. I am lifting less and doing no HIIT until after my HM in March. I am frustrated because I feel more squishy and my clothes are getting tight. I am planning to go back to weights + HIIT via this book after my race in March. My copy is due to arrive in the mail on Friday! I've heard fabulous reports of it, and if you've already done BfL you will probably like it.
              ---- Cynthia
                thanks for the link - its on my wishlist now Smile
                HOSS1961


                  Great posts! I am adding some weight training to my program this year. My personal experience; weight lifting w/o sufficient cardio work when in my 20's and 30's and I lost little weight (gained denser muscle mass) but was in pretty good shape although frustrated with results. Starting running in my mid 40'sonly after, sitting on my a$$ for too long and getting FAT, along with some push-ups and corer work and lost 50 pounds in a year, lowered BP, and avoided any medications. I believe the mix of the 2 is the best for the "Average Joe". As my wife says "Everything in moderation". Too much/little of either will probably not give you optimal results. Hoss
                  HOSS 2009 Goals Have a healthy back and run w/o pain! Drop 15 pounds gained while injured


                  #2867

                    I am planning to go back to weights + HIIT via this book after my race in March.
                    When Cosgrove first published the New Rules of Lifting, the publishers sent me a review copy and it's what I've based a lot of my workouts on for the past couple of years. Here's my review of the original book: http://news.runtowin.com/2006/02/16/the-new-rules-of-lifting-a-book-review.html I fully dissected my thoughts on the new rules here, for those wanting a preview: http://news.runtowin.com/2006/03/11/the-new-rules-of-lifting-dissected.html I interviewed Cosgrove through email about the book at the time, and he wouldn't change anything about the workouts when moving from men to women. However, women had trouble believing that so they wrote this one: http://news.runtowin.com/2007/12/27/new-rules-of-lifting-for-women.html There's a 12 minute interview with Lou Schuler (co-author) and Ryan Lee about why they wrote a women-specific version of the book if you are interested in listening to it. I just point out those links because (a) it can give you a good idea of what to expect and whether the book is right for you, and (b) it proves that I really liked the book since I've been writing about it so much over the last couple of years. If you follow all of the links in those articles, you'll find probably 30 or 40 different articles I've written (although 20+ of them are about the rules themselves.)

                    Run to Win
                    25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)


                    #2867

                      A sample chapter from the New Rules of Lifting for Women has been published over at Muscle with Attitude: Step Away From the Treadmill

                      Run to Win
                      25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

                        I got my book and I LOVE IT!!!! Blaine, I am going to go read your reviews, I missed your thread earlier this week! I am also picking up a copy of the original NROL from the library to read and show to my husband. If he likes it, I will buy it for him.
                        ---- Cynthia
                        runningsharp


                          I find this thread very interesting because there seems to be a huge debate going on in the weight loss world about cardio vs. Weights. After my last child I lost almost 100lbs. It took a long time and I think that if I knew then what I think I know now, I might have done it sooner. When I first started losing weight I began running, and I had pretty good success, I continued strength training but it was more lower resistance with high reps. However the closer I got to my ideal body weight, but still needing to lose, running alone just didn't seem to be enough. I know that it was not an issue with eating too much, I worried sometimes that I wasn't eating enough but it didn't seem to affect my running as my running was significantly improving. I was able to run my last half marathon (San Francisco 1st half) at a 1:55, my previous marathon time was a 4:43 and my last half before the marathon was a 2:10. I felt strong, but my body really adjusted to running. Where I saw the biggest effect on losing the last part of my weight was in high weight lower rep type lifting, with some Interval training that I was doing for Half Marathon training. I am currently pregnant, so I can't really do anything about this weight that has found it's way back on me, but I think that after this baby that instead of going back into just regular running/training that I will focus more on weight training and HIIT till I get back to my ideal weight and then begin my marathon training. I am so tired of there having to be only one way to do anything, All you hear now is cardio is bad do weight traininig. It seems that it has to be all or nothing, it's like all the diet junk out there, low carb vs. low fat vs. whatever the next new thing is. When in reality it never usually is just one thing that works and sometimes you have to keep trying different things to get results. I think that the body is an amazing thing, it can acclimate and adjust to so much, I am so amazed at what you can train the human body to do. And how efficient it can become. I am pretty sure that I burned significantly more calories running in the beginning than I do now, because my body has become more efficient Where I struggle is figuring out how to mix the two effectively. If I lift too heavy then I am too sore to run, and I worry that if I run to much it will negate the benefits of lifting. I have been trying to research this subject for awhile now, any ideas on how to mix the two to get the best of both worlds? Lisa p.s. sorry to ramble on.
                            As far as I'm concerned everyone's different and what works for one may not work for another. I happen to be enjoying the best of both worlds. I'm a distance runner who loves to lift weights (and not light weights either)

                            Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

                              rockenmama: How do you personally balance the two? How many days of each, and how much time spent with each? I ask because I enjoy both as well, but with my limited available workout time, I haven't found a way to put in the miles I want and still have the depth of strength training that I would like, so I compromise and do a upper body only routine on machines, just for efficiency. Just curious. Thanks.
                              Brandon
                                I run 6-7 days a week and I was working out 3-4 times a weeks. However dh and I are looking at doing 2 days of full body workouts and 2 days of a split workout. I get my runs early in the day and my workouts after kids are in bed. So far this week I've got 39.0 Mi in 5:37:01 and I've gotten 2 workouts in at an hour each with 2 more full body workouts left to do this week (one tonight and one on Sunday). I'm lucky that I have more time to work with though that isn't always the case. Hope this helps Smile

                                Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

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