The Cardio Conundrum

The world of strength and conditioning is filled with opinions, quick fixes, and ego-centrism. When one sets out to find information regarding the optimal way to train, they are often left with more confusion than clarity. As a result, they become a victim of "paralysis by analysis" and give up. With the health of our nation declining at an alarming rate, it is my hope that this article can provide a little clarity on the importance of training the cardiovascular system and how to implement it into our daily lives. 

It has been known for decades that improving lung capacity and maximizing one's ability to utilize oxygen can literally add years onto your life. To put this in perspective, think about how every hospital monitors your pulse ox on the monitors. If your oxygen levels decrease, the potential for negative health effects increase. The inverse of this is also true. As the heart and lungs get more efficient, heart rate decreases, circulation improves, stress goes away, blood pressure is reduced, and disease seems to be held at bay.

There are a variety of ways to train the body and I may upset a few meatheads here but jacking steel in the weight room is not enough. We must do things like go for walks, increase your step count, spend more time sleeping, eat better, and lastly, if we want to do all we can to live a long healthy life, we must train the cardiovascular system! 

You may be asking, how does one best do this? I will outline the types of training below and then describe how to best utilize them with your current training program. There are three distinct ways that we can train the cardiovascular system:

1. Steady State: This is the most popular type of training and is ideal for the beginner. An example of this is taking a slow jog or bike ride through the park. The heart rate doesn't vary much and the perception of effort should be around a 6 or 7 out of 10. This means that you should be able to hold a conversation with someone if needed (I don’t recommend this) and prevents the body from entering oxygen debt. If you find yourself gasping for air, you are going too fast! 
2. Interval: This type of training requires the participant to inject a little muscular effort into the session. To sum this up simply, you basically sprint, recover and repeat. An ideal time for the sprint is anywhere between 60 seconds and 4 minutes. While completing an interval, you should reach oxygen debt and really get that heart rate elevated. Get yourself huffing and puffing a bit here and the perceived level of effort should be about a 9 out of 10. Once time is completed or you feel your form deteriorate, slow down, rest, recover, and repeat! These sessions should not really exceed 45 minutes. If they do, your interval pace is too slow and you should move faster! One important thing to remember is that the rest period is important. Not enough and you won't have the output that is required and too much will reduce the effectiveness of the training. Push hard, catch your wind, push hard again. Repeat for 4-8 reps and then call it a day!
3. Hybrid: This style of training combines the weight room with aerobic training and is comparable to some of those Crossfit-style workouts that have become popular in recent years. This is a great time to use some different training tools like sleds, medicine balls, kettlebells, rope waves, sprints, etc. These types of workouts have an almost vomit-inducing effect while performing. I have to offer one bit of advice, this is not the time to try to set personal records with heavy weight training. Weights should be moderate, the pace should be fast, and the heart should pumping!
   
   

Now that you know what to do, here is how you add them to your routine...
​
Choose one of the three outlined above and really focus on it for 6-12 weeks. During week one, each workout should feel fairly easy. At the conclusion of the session, you should feel closer to energized than depleted. Each week, add a little distance, push a bit harder, and finish a little sooner. Slow, incremental improvements are our primary focus. Continue to follow this approach for up to 12 weeks.

At this point, your body will be pretty adapted to that style of training and results will begin to diminish. When this occurs, it becomes the perfect time to change methods. In addition to the physical benefits of variation, the mental benefits are also apparent. Keeping things fresh mentally allows you to look forward to each session and prevent your training from getting stale. Keep cycling through these methods for an entire year and you will become a new person come December!
The great Bill Pearl once wrote that "The human heart doesn't care how it gets elevated, just as long as it gets elevated". What you choose to do is not the important part. The important part is that you do it, and you keep doing it for the rest of your life!

Chris Fluck