what exactly is considered cardio?

[fuzzybabybunny]

is cardio basically any activity that makes you heart beat at a certain rate or higher?

I've noticed that my heart rate gets pretty high weightlifting. does this count as cardio?

if i do 30 minutes on the bike with a hr of 140 and then immediately do 30 minutes of weight lifting while keeping my hr elevated around 140 as well, did i just do an hour of cardio?

 

[CatchPhrase]

*snorgle snorgle*

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
is cardio basically any activity that makes you heart beat at a certain rate or higher?

I've noticed that my heart rate gets pretty high weightlifting. does this count as cardio?

if i do 30 minutes on the bike with a hr of 140 and then immediately do 30 minutes of weight lifting while keeping my hr elevated around 140 as well, did i just do an hour of cardio?

There's no real clear cut line between cardio and weightlifting. You can do weightlifting while keeping a low heart rate around 80 or something. You can also do weightlifting that keeps your heart rate around 160.

Why are you looking to distinguish between the two? You're conditioning your body either way. If you would like to knock both out in one swoop, pick up Crossfit. They have beginner workouts that are scaled. They do a ton of different stuff, but it often involves weight-training for metabolic conditioning.

Btw, I think you've been asking a lot of questions you already know the answers to. Be logical, think it through, and you've got it. This applies outside of the H&F forums as well.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
is cardio basically any activity that makes you heart beat at a certain rate or higher?

I've noticed that my heart rate gets pretty high weightlifting. does this count as cardio?

if i do 30 minutes on the bike with a hr of 140 and then immediately do 30 minutes of weight lifting while keeping my hr elevated around 140 as well, did i just do an hour of cardio?

There's no real clear cut line between cardio and weightlifting. You can do weightlifting while keeping a low heart rate around 80 or something. You can also do weightlifting that keeps your heart rate around 160.

Why are you looking to distinguish between the two? You're conditioning your body either way. If you would like to knock both out in one swoop, pick up Crossfit. They have beginner workouts that are scaled. They do a ton of different stuff, but it often involves weight-training for metabolic conditioning.

Btw, I think you've been asking a lot of questions you already know the answers to. Be logical, think it through, and you've got it. This applies outside of the H&F forums as well.

Better to ask too many questions than assume you know it when you're wrong. Everyone's gotta start somewhere. I wish I had access to a good h&f forum or even decent advice when I started.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
is cardio basically any activity that makes you heart beat at a certain rate or higher?

I've noticed that my heart rate gets pretty high weightlifting. does this count as cardio?

if i do 30 minutes on the bike with a hr of 140 and then immediately do 30 minutes of weight lifting while keeping my hr elevated around 140 as well, did i just do an hour of cardio?

There's no real clear cut line between cardio and weightlifting. You can do weightlifting while keeping a low heart rate around 80 or something. You can also do weightlifting that keeps your heart rate around 160.

Why are you looking to distinguish between the two? You're conditioning your body either way. If you would like to knock both out in one swoop, pick up Crossfit. They have beginner workouts that are scaled. They do a ton of different stuff, but it often involves weight-training for metabolic conditioning.

Btw, I think you've been asking a lot of questions you already know the answers to. Be logical, think it through, and you've got it. This applies outside of the H&F forums as well.

Better to ask too many questions than assume you know it when you're wrong. Everyone's gotta start somewhere. I wish I had access to a good h&f forum or even decent advice when I started.

I agree, but I'm moreso letting the OP know not to overthink things in general. He does and it puts more stress in his life. Since it's a health and fitness forum, I'm trying to point out that he should relax better, promoting a healthier heart rate and blood pressure Along with secretion of more advantageous hormones.

 

[Eric62]

http://www.fantasyfit.com/view...cardiovasculartraining
This IMO sums it up best...

 

[skace]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Exercise_zones.png

Technically, lifting weights should raise your heart rate higher for briefer periods. It's anaerobic because it's unsustainable and relies on stored energies. For these reasons, you should be doing your weight lifting first and your aerobic exercise afterwards. Although, completely separate days would be even better.

Since aerobic exercises are sustainable, it often relies on a length of time, a period to burn your energy stores and a period where your body switches modes and utilizes secondary energy stores. You'll often hear 20-40 minutes.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
is cardio basically any activity that makes you heart beat at a certain rate or higher?

I've noticed that my heart rate gets pretty high weightlifting. does this count as cardio?

if i do 30 minutes on the bike with a hr of 140 and then immediately do 30 minutes of weight lifting while keeping my hr elevated around 140 as well, did i just do an hour of cardio?

There's no real clear cut line between cardio and weightlifting. You can do weightlifting while keeping a low heart rate around 80 or something. You can also do weightlifting that keeps your heart rate around 160.

Why are you looking to distinguish between the two? You're conditioning your body either way. If you would like to knock both out in one swoop, pick up Crossfit. They have beginner workouts that are scaled. They do a ton of different stuff, but it often involves weight-training for metabolic conditioning.

Btw, I think you've been asking a lot of questions you already know the answers to. Be logical, think it through, and you've got it. This applies outside of the H&F forums as well.

Better to ask too many questions than assume you know it when you're wrong. Everyone's gotta start somewhere. I wish I had access to a good h&f forum or even decent advice when I started.

I agree, but I'm moreso letting the OP know not to overthink things in general. He does and it puts more stress in his life. Since it's a health and fitness forum, I'm trying to point out that he should relax better, promoting a healthier heart rate and blood pressure Along with secretion of more advantageous hormones.

I was just confused because all the literature seems to make such a clear set apart category for "cardio" and "weight lifting," like "do cardio first, then lift weights." But then I got to thinking about it and thought, "uhhh... isn't lifting weights cardio if it's at a high enough HR?"

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
is cardio basically any activity that makes you heart beat at a certain rate or higher?

I've noticed that my heart rate gets pretty high weightlifting. does this count as cardio?

if i do 30 minutes on the bike with a hr of 140 and then immediately do 30 minutes of weight lifting while keeping my hr elevated around 140 as well, did i just do an hour of cardio?

cardio is just a bad word.
living is cardio since your heart's beating.

aerobic is when your burning fuel aerobically (with oxygen) and anaerobic is when you burn fuel without oxygen.

cardio usually means aerobic and that means low intensity enough that the body can provide the oxygen needed.

 

[brikis98]

If you really want to get technical about it, it's all about the way your body uses/replenishes energy, or the energy/metabolic pathways. The table at the top of this page gives a very rough breakdown, classifying different activities as anaerobic, anaerobic + lactic, anaerobic + aerobic, and aerobic depending on what is supply the energy. You can read more here and here.

However, you probably don't really need to worry about the technical details. The "kind" of exercise you should do depends on your goals. Are you just trying to burn calories, perhaps to help lose weight? The traditional forms of "cardio" - that is, light or moderate running, walking, biking, swimming, ellipticals, etc - are typically going to be the most time efficient way to do it. Are you trying to build muscle or increase strength? Resistance training is usually the way to go. Are you trying to boost endurance? A combination of sprint training, interval training in addition to traditional "cardio" may be a great idea. Are you trying to improve every aspect of your fitness or increase your general physical preparedness (GPP)? Then Crossfit is a great choice.

 

[CRXican]

when I fap my heart rate increases

is that cardio

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: CRXican
when I fap my heart rate increases

is that cardio

Heart rate is used because it is easily monitored, however common sense is required, just spiking your heart rate doesn't necessarily mean you are doing anything helpful. Although, who knows, if you can actually sustain your target heart rate while fapping for 40 minutes there may be benefits there. The true indicator though of aerobic exercise is oxygen intake, it's just more difficult to measure in the manner heart rate can be measured. It is easy to measure in the mind frame of "shortness of breath".