Hi, just wanted to ask, if bodyweight exercises are done with little rest between sets, does it provide sufficient exercise for the heart? I've been working out this way but it seems my resting pulse has increased instead of decreased
All weight(This includes bodyweight) training should be done with rest periods between lifting intervals for maximum effect. That being said: Cardio =/= Bodyweight training If you're trying to exercise in order to improve the condition of your heart I suggest you stick to basic cardio exercises such as running, swimming, cycling, jump rope, etc. Doing these exercises may make your heart healthier, but many problems with the heart stem from a poor and unhealthy childhood, were the heart is still developing and growing. If your a 30-year-old guy who has just started to exercise, I wouldn't expect much of a change, at least not right away.
You could do HIIT complexes. They are cardio, and they get your heart pumpin for sure! EDIT: also, the resting pulse thing. MAybe you are just upping your metabolism to the point where your heart rate is increased for a while after your workout.
I beg to differ - running and swimming are both forms of bodyweight training Also, resistance training is not necessarily always performed with the goal of developing maximal strength (or hypertrophy for that matter). Provided you already have a decent conditioning base, the traditional concept of cardio (ie long distance running, swimming, biking etc) is far from ideal training, particularly for martial artists. There are certainly many valid forms of conditioning using bodyweight exercises with short rest time - ie: tabata squats, burpees in intervals, and so on. For good information on this kind of conditioning you should check out the information on http://www.rosstraining.com/ and http://www.crossfit.com for starters. I'm not really knowledgeable enough to address the heart-rate issue. If your workouts are good (use the information you may find above as a measuring point) and you are making progress, I should think the resting heart rate should continue to be depressed. Contrary to the suggestion of the terminology, many forms of anaerobic conditioning, such as the tabata protocol, have been shown to improve aerobic conditioning appreciably as well as the intended target. If you are relatively new to regular workouts of appreciable duration/intensity, and/or perform poorly in primarily aerobic activities (ie low intensity workouts of appreciable duration ala long (a relative term) distance running), then it is probably best for you to develop capacity in this area before approaching the significantly more awesome high intensity conditioning methods. (I second Prophet's suggestion too)
I think you could benefit from this.. mixing bodyweight exercises with cardio, this is a link I had recently come across in the forums but I can't remember where.. here ya go http://www.realbuzz.com/en-gb/What_is_PHA_training?/index?pageID=128
Good stuff right there, read, learn, apply. Cardio Roundtables: 1 http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle...FB167801FCE5B.hydra?id=461325&cr=bodybuilding 2 http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle...D091A5800F75A.hydra?id=461524&cr=bodybuilding
