Recently, I was asked what exactly I have my clients do for cardio, and to be honest, I think my answer came as a surprise. Let’s chat about ‘cardio’ vs ‘conditioning’.
Cardio is just that, cardiovascular. Trying to improve one’s blood pressure, VO2 Max, and stroke volume.
Conditioning is task-specific. One needs a different level of conditioning to go for a bike ride than they need for football; and yet another level to play soccer.
With that thought in mind, when I want my clients to improve their cardiovascular output we simply lift weights faster.
The same movements such as the following:
Kettlebell Swings
Goblet Squats
Pushups
Suspension Trainer Rows
But instead of taking sixty to ninety-second breaks between exercises, we do them as fast as possible.
Now, that could be performing a given number of reps every minute on the minute, setting a timer for ten minutes and doing as many rounds as possible in that ten minutes, or picking a silly number like 1,000 and trying to perform all the reps as fast as possible.
These methods will improve heart strength along with preserving muscle mass and going through movement patterns that limit the risk of injury today, allowing to feel great in the future.
But, if one has a specific goal that needs to be ‘conditioned’ THEN we can have a program designed specifically for that. For example, if a client wants to run a marathon; then we better start running!
And, if a client wanted to get better at jumping rope; we would jump rope.
And, if a client wants to get better at burpees; we would do burpees ☺
BUT, if one simply wanted a stronger heart, the best way to get there is simply lifting weights faster.
And for fat loss?
We would still lift weights faster, but that is a topic for a different day.
Talk soon,
Nate
P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you:
1. Enjoy a Week of Personal Training for $1
Sometimes a coach and a community of like-minded people is just what you need to get motivated and work on becoming your best self.
I have a personal training studio in central Austin, Texas.
Come test drive it for just $1 to see if we’re a good fit. Just respond to this email with “$1” in the subject line and I’ll get back to you with details.
2. Come in for a Custom Success Session
We’ll sit down together and discuss your goals, simple steps you can take to achieve them, and see if there is anything else I can do to help you get the results you want quickly.
If you’d be interested in a Success Session, just reply and put “Success” in the subject line and I’ll follow up with you.
3. Train With Me From Anywhere
If you can’t make it to my facility in Austin, you can still train with the best!
We can train you on Zoom, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, or almost any video software that you prefer.
This is exactly like personal training, but it’s anywhere you need it to be, and it’s even more affordable.
If you are interested in my world-class, anytime & anywhere program, reply with ‘online’ and I’ll get you all the details.
Leave a Reply