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Most demanding exercise?Cardio or Weights?

Cardio or Weightlifting more demanding

  • Cardio

  • Weightlifting

  • I enjoy mickey d's

Results are only viewable after voting.
OILFIELDTRASH

OILFIELDTRASH

Lifer
I think by far intense cardio beats intense weightlifting. I'm talking about the kind of cardio where you're breathing like a fish out of water, your chest is pounding, and you almost feel like passing out.

I like both but lately enjoy the cardio more.
 
Weightlifters will say that you can reach failure quicker when lifting so weightlifting is the more demanding activity. Endurance athletes will say that it is demanding to bike/run/swim for prolonged periods of time due to the extended duration of exertion. Who's right? 😉

I voted for cardio.
 
Your heart can explode doing an intense weightlifting session as easily during cardio. It all comes down to the intensity of the individual.

This question has no answer.

I will say something of use: keeping short timed breaks between sets weightlifting (30-45 secs) is important. Intensity is key. if you do 1 pushup an hour you aint doing shit.
 
Megatomic said:
Weightlifters will say that you can reach failure quicker when lifting so weightlifting is the more demanding activity. Endurance athletes will say that it is demanding to bike/run/swim for prolonged periods of time due to the extended duration of exertion. Who's right? 😉

I voted for cardio.
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This is true. Of course, you could argue that sprinting is more equivalent to lifting as they are both explosive exercises.

Weightlifting can definitely be as physically taxing as cardio (though in different ways), but in terms of energy used, cardio requires a larger caloric expenditure.
 
You can make workouts - cardio or weightlifting - ridiculously intense just by timing them, as that forces the person to go as hard as they possibly can. So for me, it's a toss up. Crossfit uses a stopwatch in almost all of its "metcon" (metabolic conditioning) workouts, so a lot of them are absolutely brutal. Some of the most mentally and physically demanding workouts I've done:

* All out 400m run. Has the lovely distinction of seriously taxing all the energy pathways from phosphagen to glycolytic to aerobic as the run goes on. 800m and the mile are not far behind, but nothing leaves me quite as floored as a balls-to-the-wall 400.

* 20 rep squats. The only one in this list that isn't timed, but also the only workout I absolutely dreaded. Worked my way up too 300x20, which was the single hardest set of anything I've ever done. After 15 reps, as you stand shaking and gasping under the weight, thoughts of impending death are common.

* "Eva": lots of 800m runs and a ridiculous number of heavy KB swings and pull-ups. This workout always made me want to quit.

* "Filthy Fifty": this chipper has 500 reps, the last 150 being particularly soul-crushing: 50 wall balls, 50 burpees and 50 double-unders.

* An unnamed workout that included 125 burpees, 125 pull-ups and 125 inverted burpees (a kip-up to handstand). Again, the word "quit" always comes to mind.

* Sprints: sixteen 100m sprints, with 45 seconds rest between each one. 10 burpee penalty each time you ran a sprint too slowly. I ended up doing 1 mile of sprinting followed immediately by 50 burpees. Absolutely everything hurt when I was done.

I'm sure there have been others that I've blocked out of my mind as well 🙂
 
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As others have mentioned...I don't think it is one or the other. Depends on how you are doing them. That being said, based on how most people treat them, I'd say Cardio is more intense...I know it is for me.
 
Either one can be made to be pretty damn brutal. I've come closer to being sick more times with weights than cardio, but on the other hand the pain of weights is generally in short bursts. With cardio it's possible to be in extreme discomfort for very long periods of time and that, I think, makes it harder.

I think that running a mile flat out is extremely challenging, more so than something shorter or longer because it's great discomfort for several minutes. A long distance has less of that "oh God I want to die" feeling and a short distance it's just over too soon.
 
I never worry about shitting my pants doing cardio, but there has been a couple times doing dead lift where it's been a close call.

Edit: I used to run cross country in High School and never found it more difficult than lifting. The hard part about it was the mind numbing boredom.
 
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Personally, I find 500m row and heavy KB swings are the quickest ways to destroy oneself physically and mentally.
 
surfsatwerk said:
I never worry about shitting my pants doing cardio, but there has been a couple times doing dead lift where it's been a close call.

Edit: I used to run cross country in High School and never found it more difficult than lifting. The hard part about it was the mind numbing boredom.
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Shitting one's pants is a very real concern in long distance running. GI issues plus gas can be a gamble and lose scenario on any given day. Just sayin...
 
Megatomic said:
Shitting one's pants is a very real concern in long distance running. GI issues plus gas can be a gamble and lose scenario on any given day. Just sayin...
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Six of one, half dozen of the other. All intense physical activity requires serious mental focus and training. Saying one is more "hard" than another is totally biased based on personal opinion.
 
surfsatwerk said:
I never worry about shitting my pants doing cardio, but there has been a couple times doing dead lift where it's been a close call.
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Reminds me of some good Rippetoe Quotes:

"I strongly advise against intentionally farting whilst moving heavy weights. Sometimes -- especially under those circumstances -- farts have a solid center."

"Shitting yourself when you deadlift was omitted from [Starting Strength]. The best way to avoid this is to not deadlift when you need to shit, and vice versa. Planning is the key here."
 
Both are difficult but I dread difficult cardio workout more so than I do demanding weight workouts. I find intense cardio much more demanding and difficult. Just remembering those workouts where all I can feel is my heart thumping and my lungs are sucking air so hard I can't speak makes me uneasy.

I tried out these cardio DVDs called Insanity from BeachBody. They actually aren't joking, the workouts are ridiculously difficult, so much so I don't even think they are healthy as it seems like you gotta give 100% for 30+ straight minutes without a break.
 
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From a perspective of w = f*d, cardio wins.

However, I'm pooped after either, just in a different way. Can't compare apples to oranges.
 
Cardio over weight training definitely. I do both but on the days I do cardio I'm wasted afterwards, usually have to take a half hour nap.
 
depends on the cardio. Muscles need rest between sets. It supposedly takes up to 20 minutes for your neurotransmitters to reset after a set of lifts. If you don't switch muscle groups, weights becoem fairly easy. You're sitting around a lot.

Cardio isn't very difficult either. Sprint workouts will kick you in the ass if you're used to doing distance training.
 
allies said:
From a perspective of w = f*d, cardio wins.

However, I'm pooped after either, just in a different way. Can't compare apples to oranges.
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That's true, but work isn't the only concern, work output in time (CF calls it power output) is more relevant. You could plod a 20km run over hours and get less power output (and positive training adaptation) done than a track althete doing a bunch of 400M at 80-95% effort. You could also deadlift 135lbs many times versus someone pulling a bunch of heavy singles. Measuring work/power running is difficult as well.

Also, weightllifting (known as olympic weightlifting) is a sport, weight training is what people are talking about (not that this distinction will ever be recognized or matter since it's a fringe sport).
 
Cardio is just torture. I run 4 miles every other day (recently every day).

I hate the feeling about 20% into it, you feel like utter shit and you just want to stop, before hitting runner's high.
 
Howabout both? (regular kettlebell user here).

200 snatches in 10 minutes practically killed me.
 
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