keeping heart rate up?

martann · 08-21-2007, 01:47 PM

Is there a purpose, or a need to keep heart rate spiking during a weight training workout?
For instance, jumping rope, fast steps, boxing...etc, in between sets?

I see this implemented a lot at the gym, particularly for people looking to lose fat. Is there some science behind this?

Or is it just a trainer not wanting the client to be bored during a workout? Or to make the client "think" they are getting worked out extra hard?

Thankyou.

rem1956 · 08-21-2007, 03:08 PM

If you ask me, IMHO this sounds llike someone who doesn't know what they are doing. You body needs a minute or more between sets and between exercises to recover. Your energy stores need to be relplenished, not constantly drained.

I'd switch trainers faster than I could say "bye".

stingo · 08-21-2007, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martann

Is there a purpose, or a need to keep heart rate spiking during a weight training workout?
For instance, jumping rope, fast steps, boxing...etc, in between sets?

I see this implemented a lot at the gym, particularly for people looking to lose fat. Is there some science behind this?

Or is it just a trainer not wanting the client to be bored during a workout? Or to make the client "think" they are getting worked out extra hard?

Thankyou.

I'd think if the weight workout was hard enough, that'd already have a cardiovascular component built in.

JoshDunn · 08-22-2007, 02:00 AM

depends on the goal.

For fat loss the calories burned during the session aren't the major key. The amount of EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) which is a fancy science term for how hard you body works to recover from the session. This can last up to 36hrs and you are burning calories the whole time this is going on.

A well designed program like anything from Alwyn Cosgrove or Craig Ballantyne will get you lean in no time.

Keeping the heart rate up may burn more calories in the actual session (?) but with a smaller EPOC therefore less burnt OVERALL.

galapogos · 08-22-2007, 02:17 AM

Short rest intervals do have a place in fat loss workouts,but the idea isn't just to keep the heart rate up, it's to prevent complete metabolic and CNS recovery. EPOC is but one component, and although an often overlooked component, it's actually not that big a component. 36 hours is probably a gross exaggeration.