weight training vs cv?

[arry]

anyones advice will be much appreciated!

i am 20 yrs old and in the last 6 months have got into weight training. i go to the gym 4 times a week and am on various supplements. i really enjoy training and seeing physical results week to week is gr8!
however.....
i am joining the r.n as a diver and am being told my c.v needs to be very high.
i have to go for a pre selection test in a couple of months time where i will be tested to see if i meet the required standard of fitness. they say i should be doing at least a 4 mile run 4 times a week, swimming, cycling etc etc to get my c.v up to scratch.
Am i not gonna just lose everything ive been working on the last 6 months? is it worth weight training still? is there any supplements suitable for someone doing c.v and weights? surely rugby players must deal with this c.v vs weights battle?
thanks in advance
arron.

[Karlos02]

i would definitely keep up the weights.do you cv on days your not doing the weights. for c.v id do a mixture of HIIT and med-high intensity cardio for say 30-45mins. HIIT will really take your cardiovascular system to the limit and abit of variation may decrease likelihood of overtraining.

supplements-
the usual whey, CEE, ground oats, fish oils , vits/mins

and add leucine too, sip on 10g in water through your extended training session 45mins+.

also whats your diet like, this may be the difference between your body being able to cope with all the exercise or not.

[arry]

thanks, what type of HIIT do you recommend? and what exersizes are best to get a high intense cardio workout? my diet mainly consists of meaty,protein rich things, some carbs but is not very strict. i add oats in my protein shake twice a day. could this be improved?

[Karlos02]

~150m sprint- up a slight hill- followed by a ~450m (150m x 3) slow jog to recover.

i did the sprint 6 times

thats what i do. increasing intensity by increasing sets, intensity of recovery, or length of sprints. i prefer longer sprints, theyre less stressful on cns aparently.

for longer cv, just go for a 30 min jog at moderate to high intensity.

low gi carbs around training sessions. protein and fats every 3 hours and fuirt and veg. - thats a basic guideline to a good diet.

i have 2 oat and whey shakes aday and 4 whole food meals.

[assassin]

I'm in the same position as you. Joining the army, navy is for...

Keep up the weight training. The best type of exercises are:

Push ups, pull ups, dips ( basically using your own body wieght)

For cardio: I highly recommend Spinning, Circuits and interval running.

Forget the treadmill, its gives you a false sense of achievement. Its good for interval training now and then though.

All the best

[arry]

navy is for what? intelligent, strong minded individuals, with a future for travel and success? and the army? cannon fodder mate!
na but seriously,cheers for the advice, spinning sounds good, gonna hit the HIIT hard as well.
Good luck with the army.

[Gareth83]

Quote

i prefer longer sprints, theyre less stressful on cns aparently.

Karlos, how do you figure that? Surely sprinting max effort for 150m is more stressful than 100m? Assuming you are sprinting max effort??

[Karlos02]

im not sure tbh,but i think it kind of reflects how 3 reps high intensity compares to 10 reps high intensity. 3 reps is always the one stressing your cns more.

perhaps due to the longer work periods, the majority of the stress will be shifted from cns to the muscles and cardiovascular system. obviously you wont be sprinting as fast with longer sprints. of course this all depends on the recovery period.

[SamForrest]

Im joining the RM hopefully,got my PJFT and PRMC next. Ive been into weight training for a couple of years,got pretty strong and big,but ive had to lose about 2/3 stone ,not really wanting too,but its been a results of doing so much cardio and altering my diet. Basically mate, i wouldnt bother with gym type weights,its not needed.Stick to doing bodyweight circuits,pressups,situps,burpees,free sqauts,pull ups etc,and get the technique down 100% so that your not doing the wrong type of pressup for example.

Cardio is the main aim though. Id say mix the circuits up a bit so that you have a couple of intense bodyweight circuits each week,but make them really hard. An example is what i have been doing recently


(10 Excersises)


Press ups

SKIP 30 secs

Pull Ups

SKIP

Sit Ups

SKIP

Dips

SKIP

Squat Jumps

SKIP

Pull Ups

SKIP

Burpess

SKIP

Press Ups

SKIP

Dips

SKIP

Sit Ups


This sort of thing is a killer,as you dont rest for about 15 minutes. All you need to do is 30 seconds skipping inbetween each excersise

That a few times a week,and a cardio session is how im training.

Gym workouts will be ok,but they wont actually help as much as doing the stuff you need to be doing.

Id say keep the supps up mate ,and maybe alter you training so your main aim is to get fit and strong in terms of bodyweight.

Good luck eitherway,and you assassin

[NU_nutrition_TS]

THE ULTIMATE EXERCISE MYTH.

A study published in the April 2000 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise looked at what happens to people who try to do plodding exercises in combination with caloric restriction as part of a weight loss program. In other words, this study examined the fate of the countless thousands who are exercising and dieting “sensibly” in an effort to lose weight. Guess what happens when you get on the treadmill when suffering a caloric deficit? Your body takes your next meal and stores as much of it as it possibly can as fat. So, endless plodding on your treadmill not only makes you tired, hungry, and grouchy, it actually makes it much, much more difficult to lose body fat. Never exercise when in a post-absorptive state. Above all --- we must never workout in the early morning before breakfast. The catabolic stress will destroy us.

YES, BUT WHAT ABOUT “CARDIO’? ISN’T THE MOST IMPORTANT BENEFIT TO BE DERIVED FROM EXERCISE THE STRONGER CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM THAT COMES FROM “AEROBIC”/“CARDIO” EXERCISE?

If you are still asking that question, then you simply have not been paying attention. Plodding at your target heart rate will make you tired, grouchy, hungry, and, is as likely to weaken your heart as strengthen it. In fact, low intensity, long duration “aerobic” “cardio” exercise will, when done to excess, do catabolic damage to the heart. Up to the point of over-training, plodding workouts are minimally beneficial (i.e., better than nothing), BUT WILL NEVER ACHIEVE EXERCISE GOALS. Going beyond the point of over-training (which almost everyone does) will do catabolic damage to the heart and oxidative damage to the arteries. There are countless studies showing the damaging effect to the heart of low intensity, long duration “aerobic” “cardio” training. Why have you never heard of these studies?

WHO IS GOING TO PUBLICIZE THEM?

Certainly no one associated with either competitive sports or with the fitness industry will let the cat out of the bag. Here are three studies off the top of a list that includes many dozens showing that even competitive endurance athletes on nothing more than a routine training regimen suffer heart damage from their workouts:

Quote

Cardiac drift during prolonged exercise with echocardiographic evidence of reduced diastolic function of the heart. Dawson, et al. Eur J Appl Physiol 2005 Mar 12.

Does four hours of cycling cause cardiac fatigue or cardiomyocyte damage? Damage! This study demonstrated damage to heart muscle cells as shown by reduced diastolic function of the heart. Diastolic filling had not fully re-covered after 24 hours of rest. Furthermore, the heart damage was greatest in the cyclists who were best conditioned, i.e., had the highest
maximal oxygen uptake.

Quote

Altered cardiac function and minimal cardiac damage during prolonged exercise. Shave, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 Jul; 36 (7):1098-103.

This study measured markers of cardiac damage to highly trained triathletes in a half-triathlon. RESULTS: reduced left ventricular contractility, reduced diastolic filling, and elevated markers of inflammation and catabolic damage including creatine kinase, creatine kinase isoenzyme MB, and cardiac troponin.

Quote

Effect of Endurance exercise on autonomic control of heart rate. Carter et al. Sports Med 2003; 33(1):33-46.

Does the resting heart rate decrease in endurance athletes because the myocardium is stronger and the stroke volume increases? In other words, is the bradycardia a positive adaptation to the stress of training? No. This myth has existed for many decades. “Since he started running two years ago his resting heart rate has come down to 52! He is really in great shape!” Ha! The study [quoted above] showed that prolonged endurance training results in a non-physiological change in autonomic control of the heart such that parasympathetic activity dominates and sympathetic control is reduced. The parasympathetic stress and sympathetic weakness results in a decreased heart rate at rest, and in response to sub-maximal exercise.

The well-conditioned heart, such as derives from strength training and high intensity intervals, functions at rest with a pulse of 72. The pulse increases rapidly at the onset of exercise, then recovers very quickly at the end of exercise. The quick recovery is the key to cardiac strength; the resting pulse of 72 is the indicator of healthy myocardial physiology.

“Aerobic” “cardio” long duration exercise is not only bad for your health, it is not even the best way to build cardiovascular endurance. It is not even the most effective way to train for long distance athletic competition. Distance runners, cyclists and swimmers are better off not training at long distances? Preposterous, you say! As you have just read, science shows us that endurance training actually damages the heart. Science also demonstrates a truth that is far outside the comfort zone of running and swimming coaches --- the training methods they use are vastly inferior to the one truly effective way for endurance athletes to maximize performance (and the way for the rest of us to maximize cardiovascular health). --- And what way is that? I’ll bet you can guess.

Adapted from material by Guy Schenker, D.C., originally published in the Nutri-Spec Letters.