So help me God.....Clay is 100% on point and actually has decent fitness advice.


I hope a strike of lightening doesn't hit me.

Scott Free has been wrong about the Chiefs for years (a known Pioli sympathizer)....don't believe a WORD from his mouth.

Its all about what you want to do and can do and enjoy it therefore you keep doing it.

Nobody here is going to win Mr.Olympia, if they even still have that.

The key is to get into the best shape YOU reasonably can doing what YOU like to do.

I run a lot and its effected my lifting. Its a choice.

Some are obsessed with 6 pack abs Its a choice.

Some want squat 1,000lbs and cant run 2 miles. Its a choice.

Do what works for you and makes you happy is my advice. As long as you are active and working at being healthier you are doing more than 70% of this country.

That being said this is a "fitness" thread and in reality there isn't much fitness in it. Lifting alone is not fitness.

If you lift and watch your diet you're going to be fit as ****.

you lying whore...

Keep telling yourself that. I used to be that guy.

Don't get me wrong you can look like a bad mother ****er. But if you cant run 3 miles at a decent pace you arent fit.

It all depends on what you consider fit. That isn't the discussion here though and I have no need to run a few miles....that isn't fit to me. Not to mention I never understood how the term "fit" got paired with cardiovascular training solely.

The discussion is those coming in here and touting that you NEED cardio to burn fat. That simply is not true. Cardio has it's place, especially if you enjoy it and that over-rides your goals for muscle mass/strength. But spouting that one must do cardio to be lean is what is sending most of us who post in this thread into hysterics. It simply isn't true and should not be handed out as advice.

Whatever.

Why is running equated to being fit?

If you can't deadlift twice your bodyweight, you aren't fit IMO. I lift things during the day a hell of a lot more than I run anywhere (which is no where). If you want to equate fit to everyday practicality, lifting way overrides anything you do cardio-wise. So to me, that is my definition of fit.

Still true:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...hy_of_fat_loss

I never said you need to do cardio to burn fat. The point is you need to be cardio fit to be fit. If you dont believe that then you are off base.

Im not saying ou need to to run 7 minute miles for a 10k but the fact is lifting alone does not make you heart healthy nor fit. The only people who still think this way are old school lifters.

When I was 27 I has a 32" waist and weighed 198lbs. I couldn't run 2 miles nor do any serious cardio work at all. This is after being 172lbs in the military and being in shape.

All I am saying is there is a difference between being strong and being in shape or having fitness.

Your resting heart rate will tell you all you need to know about how in shape you are.

\ QUOTE=lewdog;10678922]Why is running equated to being fit?[/QUOTE]

No idea.

I don't think there's any broad definition. Personally, I find that I have my own standards. I need to be able to run under a 6 minute mile and still lift heavy by my standards. I equate my own personal fitness with being able to run forever in soccer and still lift.

I would never push those standards on anyone else. And I'm sure as I get older, my own personal definition will change.

Garbage.

If you're lifting with intensity and not wasting time at the gym you get plenty of cardio.

This being said, I do about 20 minutes of interval training three times a week. But let me guess, that's not enough cardio is it? I need to run 10 miles don't I?

I answered this in my next post in this thread. Why are you equating running to being fit? That simply means you are good at running. We all have our own definitions.

I rarely do cardio. My resting heart rate is 55-65. I get that from lifting heavy weights. How is that possible?! Oh, because these workouts cause me to get my heart rate up, burn an insane amount of calories and increase my resting metabolic rate.

I do aspire to dead lift 2x my weight. Nothing wrong with that. I envy those that can do that.

I still think there is a combination that equals fit.

There is a race in Texas that involves bench pressing your weight and running a half marathon. 13.1 miles.

The more time you lift you your weight it drops off time on your half as credit.

Its a concept that takes strength and endurance both into account. As I have transitioned from a lifter to a runner i find this very interesting because it creates a crossroad.

If you were a Seal or any other type of Spec Ops guy this is where the rubber meets the road.