[merpnderp]

Aren't those pauses usually people standing around trying to catch their breath, with their pulses coming down from the 180 they hit while doing a set?

Isn't weight lifting more like doing a 40m sprint, then slowly walking back to do it again?

[hellofunk]

My recommendation to the OP, since it was asked, is to engage in sustained cardiovascular activity, where the heart rate is elevated at a consistent rate. I'm not saying weight lifting doesn't have its strengths (no pun intended!) but it's not the type of cardio activity that I'm suggesting, for the same reason as what you've just mentioned: the idea is not to push your heart to an extreme and let the pulse "come down"... it's to get your heart to an elevated rate and keep it there consistently for a long stretch. For that type of activity, weight lifting is not the answer. For other types of goals, it very well may be.

[Thriptic]

It really depends on the lifting. Heavy squats, deadlifts etc? Sure. The pseudo-bodybuilding a lot of people do when they hit the gym? Not really.