Aerobic vs Anaerobic?

[InflatableBuddha]

Separate from the bitching match: CrossFit itself revolves around cardiovascular training through weightlifting. "Just lifting weights" has enabled CFer's to run marathons without running more than 10k. Plenty of people utilize weights to do circuit training. Weights are a valid means of cardiovascular exercise (which typically elicits increased heart rate for a prolonged amount of time). It's actually easy to get a good cardio workout through weights.

I agree that you can get some cardiovascular benefit from weightlifting and strength training (and I do that twice a week myself), but the OP needs more specific distance training for running and cycling. Weightlifting exercises will be more beneficial for developing power for the swimming portion of the event.

The marathon is a far more specific event which requires more mileage in order to perform well. I read a marathon training thread on the Crossfit forums and I honestly was not particularly impressed with the times posted. It is one thing to finish a marathon and quite another to finish with a reasonably fast time.

In any event, the OP's running distance in the sprint triathlon is 5k, so he will do better with shorter, more intense intervals and tempo work, and won't need as much mileage (for reference, pure 5,000m runners typically have the highest VO2 max results among all runners).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I agree that you can get some cardiovascular benefit from weightlifting and strength training (and I do that twice a week myself), but the OP needs more specific distance training for running and cycling. Weightlifting exercises will be more beneficial for developing power for the swimming portion of the event.

The marathon is a far more specific event which requires more mileage in order to perform well. I read a marathon training thread on the Crossfit forums and I honestly was not particularly impressed with the times posted. It is one thing to finish a marathon and quite another to finish with a reasonably fast time.

In any event, the OP's running distance in the sprint triathlon is 5k, so he will do better with shorter, more intense intervals and tempo work, and won't need as much mileage (for reference, pure 5,000m runners typically have the highest VO2 max results among all runners).

I 100% agree that there are much better ways of doing things. I was just pointing out that you can utilize weightlifting to train the heart as well. Depending on what you train for, it could be your main tool or a crosstraining tool. The ability of a person to finish a marathon without much running is a pretty phenomenal feat. It shows that you can train your cardiovascular system to a fairly high general level just through a circuit weightlifting program.

 

[brikis98]

I agree that you can get some cardiovascular benefit from weightlifting and strength training (and I do that twice a week myself), but the OP needs more specific distance training for running and cycling. Weightlifting exercises will be more beneficial for developing power for the swimming portion of the event.

The marathon is a far more specific event which requires more mileage in order to perform well. I read a marathon training thread on the Crossfit forums and I honestly was not particularly impressed with the times posted. It is one thing to finish a marathon and quite another to finish with a reasonably fast time.

In any event, the OP's running distance in the sprint triathlon is 5k, so he will do better with shorter, more intense intervals and tempo work, and won't need as much mileage (for reference, pure 5,000m runners typically have the highest VO2 max results among all runners).

If your sport is running/cycling/swimming, then there is no question that you'll need to do plenty of running/cycling/swimming to get good at it. Having said that, working with weights in Crossfit "metcon" style workouts still produces enormous gains in endurance/stamina/conditioning and not just strength/power. The fact that a Crossfit practitioner can complete a marathon at all should be a testament to its effectiveness given that marathon running is far outside the goals of the typical CFer and the average week of CF has less than 5 miles of running. For Crossfitters who are focused on longer endurance events, it is best to look at Crossfit Endurance, which mixes both GPP workouts (often with weights) and sport-specific training (running/biking/cycling/etc) each day.

 

[alkemyst]

The marathon is a far more specific event which requires more mileage in order to perform well. I read a marathon training thread on the Crossfit forums and I honestly was not particularly impressed with the times posted. It is one thing to finish a marathon and quite another to finish with a reasonably fast time.

QFT...it's like the Rippetoe guys that swears it's the best for everything, the new Crossfitters think they have the ultimate training program that covers everything well.

I have yet to see an impressive marathon time, by anyone not doing long distance cardio.

I will agree before any tool brings it up, running long distance daily is bad and I am not saying that's what's needed at all.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I will agree before any tool brings it up, running long distance daily is bad and I am not saying that's what's needed at all.

Yes, as I mentioned, I vary my training, with some interval and tempo work in addition to the long runs, and I also do weight training and core strength. I agree that LSD all the time is a poor way to train.