Strength training indeed can produce a cardio training effect on the body. I’m a certified personal trainer. The cardio or aerobic effect that lifting weights produces, of course, isn’t the same as what hiking uphill for 30 minutes or participating in a step class will produce.
An effect on the cardiovascular system need not be sustained in order to be of value.
If a part of the body is working hard enough to increase oxygen demand, this will force the cardiovascular system to work above baseline – baseline being how hard it must work to supply adequate oxygen while you’re at rest or moving casually.
High intensity interval training (HIIT) consists of brief but hard bursts of “aerobic” activity like running, uphill walking, jumping and pedaling.
These very short work intervals place a huge demand on the cardiorespiratory system, even though each burst may last only 15 seconds, with only six bursts total in a short session.
But the transient nature of the bursts or work intervals doesn’t matter; it’s the intensity that taxes the heart and lungs, thus creating a significant training effect.
People who do HIIT on a treadmill, for example, but who have not been doing long-duration running, will typically report that when it’s time to go outside and jog a few miles for the first time in ages, they’re able to do this without any problem.
My own summer hiking and trail running fitness, derived from excursions in the foothills of the Denver Metro area, is maintained winter-long by doing HIIT on the revolving staircase and treadmill incline.
Thus, don’t under-estimate the transient nature of brief hard work when it comes to training the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen.
So how does strength training fit in when it comes to an aerobic effect? An intense set of lifting weights will elevate the heart rate.
Though the set may last 10-30 seconds, this is all that’s necessary to force the cardiovascular system to make adaptations – just like a 10-30 second HIIT interval does.
There’s more. The longer an intense strength training set, the more the cardiovascular system must work. After a set of 20 reps with heavy weight, tell me your heart isn’t pounding.
However, the type of strength training plays a big role here. Twenty reps of triceps kickbacks or dumbbell curls won’t do much for heart rate.
But 20 (or even 12!) reps of your heaviest leg press, squat, deadlift or lat pull-down will drive up heart rate to supply these multiple large muscle groups with lots of oxygen. A set of pull-ups to failure is another example: This really raises heart rate.
Strength training indeed produces an aerobic training effect, even though this type of exercise is called “anaerobic.” One must lift intensely with compound (multi-joint) exercises to get the cardio effect just described.
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