Lift Weights Faster If You Don’t Like Traditional Cardio

Cardio is essential for anyone looking for a strong heart and good health. However, not everyone likes traditional forms of cardio like running. If you’re the type of person who would rather fight a two ton rhino than run two miles, there are other cardio options. Try “lifting weights faster” for the same benefits.

If you prefer to lift weights, you can use weights to get the same benefits from cardio (and obviously the benefits from strength training). Jen Sinclair, fitness writer and Women’s Health contributor, explains :

When people ask me what I do for cardio, I reply that I lift weights faster. Of course, there was a standard skeptic on the Internet: “You can’t do cardio with weights,” he shouted.

Fortunately, there have been several recent studies on weight lifting and aerobic capacity. A recent study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise found that a group of young, relatively fit people who trained with kettlebells for 8 weeks experienced a 13.8 percent increase in aerobic capacity, along with the strength and balance of benefits you would expect.

“Lift weights faster for cardio” may sound as silly as “move your legs faster to get where you’re going faster,” but there are nuances (and limitations) to doing it right. For example, Jen explains that past research shows that barbell and machine exercises cannot replace cardio.

However, Dr. Alex Koch, assistant professor of exercise at Lenoir Rhine University, explains that getting good cardio resistance training is indeed possible :

I believe you can improve your VO2 max with high repetition dynamic exercises like snatch , clean and jerk , or swing , says Koh. effort and duration of effort that is constant or intermittent with short rest breaks.

If you’d like to get started, here’s a sample workout that Jen has kindly provided from her Lift Weights Faster 2 program :

For more information on how to use cardio weights, see the link below.

Lift weights faster | JenSinkler.com

Vitals is a new blog from Lifehacker dedicated to health and fitness. Follow us on Twitter here .

More…

Leave a Reply