Kozushi
Level 7 Valued Member
So when I started with kettlebells I had no idea about anything. It was just some kind of interesting weight, so I started following S&S, a popular new program. I think if I had known more about fitness at the time I would have gone straight to barbell work, since my goal was to get very strong in terms of maximum strength. Over time I figured out that maybe the kettlebell wasn't the best choice for this, but then I also realized that, perhaps, the non-maximum strength training of the kettlebell is very good for its own reasons - strength-endurance and cardio vascular power and conditioning! So, maybe it was actually fortuitous that I had started my weight lifting career with the kettlebell, I thought, and this is where I am now with it, while certainly having added in deadlifts and presses.
In any case, what I'm gathering from reading the posts on the forum is that there are two kinds of cardio training and both are important: short high-intensity training (HIIT?), and long easy distance(LED or LSD?). So, kettlebells satisfy the first kind as short bursts, and walking or jogging for a long time satisfies the second type of long easy distance. The differences between them include things like the LED trains the left ventricle of the heart but the intense stuff the right, and that the LED builds up the "endurance tank" so that you can recover faster from high intensity training. This is all a revelation because I used to lump "cardio" in my mind all together - it was simply anything that made my heart pump hard, and the harder the better. Apparently, this is just one kind of it - the LED type is the other kind and it should happen too for optimal "cardio" health.
I'd wonder also if it matters what muscles in the body are triggering the cardio responses, or if any muscles will do. I.e., does it matter if it's always only the legs that are triggering "cardio" training - so walking or running? Or, is it important to ensure that the upper body is also triggering cardio training, so things like swings or swimming or something like that which engages the upper body and elicits a "cardio" response.
In any case, what I'm gathering from reading the posts on the forum is that there are two kinds of cardio training and both are important: short high-intensity training (HIIT?), and long easy distance(LED or LSD?). So, kettlebells satisfy the first kind as short bursts, and walking or jogging for a long time satisfies the second type of long easy distance. The differences between them include things like the LED trains the left ventricle of the heart but the intense stuff the right, and that the LED builds up the "endurance tank" so that you can recover faster from high intensity training. This is all a revelation because I used to lump "cardio" in my mind all together - it was simply anything that made my heart pump hard, and the harder the better. Apparently, this is just one kind of it - the LED type is the other kind and it should happen too for optimal "cardio" health.
I'd wonder also if it matters what muscles in the body are triggering the cardio responses, or if any muscles will do. I.e., does it matter if it's always only the legs that are triggering "cardio" training - so walking or running? Or, is it important to ensure that the upper body is also triggering cardio training, so things like swings or swimming or something like that which engages the upper body and elicits a "cardio" response.