Aerobic Conditioning That Doesn’t Suck
Avoiding cardio isn’t doing you any favors. Here’s how to break it up and shake it up so you actually WANT to do it.
Cardio is boring AF, but it doesn’t have to be. Aerobic conditioning is the most underrated aspect of a training program for improving recovery, work capacity, the ability to handle stress, and lifespan.
The question is, how can we make cardio more enjoyable so you actually WANT to stick with it?
Slice It Up!
The answer is to slice it up. Nobody says you must do the same exact motion (like pedaling) a million times in a row for 45 minutes. You can change activities in several ways and make cardio mentally stimulating… and maybe even a little playful. That may sound cheesy, but if it makes you consistent, and if consistency leads to long-term results, then you’d be crazy not to try it.
So, think of the repetitive stuff, like running, rowing, cycling, and stair climbing, as “cyclical” work. That’s how I’ll refer to it here.
How to Break Up Cyclical Work
Cyclical work is the best way to develop aerobic fitness. The core of your conditioning workouts should contain cyclical pieces. However, you can add other modalities to make this work FAR more enjoyable.
Here are some examples:
- Bodyweight Exercises – These add variety to your cardio while keeping the heart rate in the correct ranges.
- Loaded Carries – Carries add core and grip strength benefits while breaking up the session.
- Sled Pushes and Pulls – Sled work targets and strengthens different areas of the body while challenging you without any eccentric stress.
Note: There’s no need to go all-out. Avoid increasing the blood pressure to an extent that negates certain benefits of aerobic training, like improved cardiac output. That’s not beneficial for recovery. And remember, better recovery means better gains, longevity, and work capacity.
You may be wondering: “How am I supposed to do cardio like that at a commercial gym?” No problem, I’ve got you covered.
Example 1: Commercial Gym Setting
Start your stopwatch and go for 45 minutes in total. You’ll alternate between cyclical work and this three-exercise sequence:
Here’s how it works:
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Do the elliptical for 15 minutes at a conversational pace.
Attempt to nasal breathe the entire time. Tracking your heart rate is ideal. So, take 180 minus your age. That’s the optimal number. That means a 40-year-old man would use 140 as a target. If this work feels easy and conversational, you’re doing it right. -
Once 15 minutes is up, get off the elliptical and do these:
- Push-Up: 15-20 reps
- Air Squat: 15-20 reps
- Kettlebell March: 15-20 reps on each side
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Then do a treadmill incline walk for another 15 minutes. Same guidelines as the elliptical.
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Hit this sequence again:
- Push-Up: 15-20 reps
- Air Squat: 15-20 reps
- Kettlebell March: 15-20 reps on each side
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Get on the stepmill and work for another 15 minutes; same guidelines as the elliptical and treadmill.
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One more time:
- Push-Up: 15-20 reps
- Air Squat: 15-20 reps
- Kettlebell March: 15-20 reps on each side
Do this once or twice weekly to bridge the gap between your main strength sessions.
Now, if you’re performing this workout in a home gym, it might look like:
Example 2: Home Gym Setting
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1. | Air Bike | 4 | 25 calories |
| A2. | Overhead Kettlebell Carry (right side) | 4 | 100 feet |
| A3. | Row | 4 | 50 calories |
| A4. | Overhead Kettlebell Carry (left side) | 4 | 100 feet |
| A5. | Air Squat | 4 | 25 |
| A6. | Jumping Rope | 4 | 100 |
| A7. | Hollow Rock | 4 | 25 |
Here’s what a couple of those exercises look like:
The same guidelines apply here. Keep this conversational, or use the formula (180 - your age) for an optimal aerobic target.
Example 3: Functional Fitness Gym
Set a timer for 30 minutes. Do as many rounds as possible (AMAP) of the following:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1. | Sled Drag Backpedal Iso Row | AMAP | 100 feet |
| A2. | Air Bike | AMAP | 50 calories |
| A3. | Sled Drag Face-Pull | AMAP | 100 feet |
| A4. | Ski Erg | AMAP | 50 calories |
| A5. | Sled Drag Extension | AMAP | 100 feet |
| A6. | Air Runner or Rower | AMAP | 50 calories |
| A7. | Sled Pull Extension | AMAP | 100 feet |
Here’s what the sled work looks like:
Again, keep this conversational or use the formula for an optimal aerobic target.
Example 4: Home or Commercial Gym Intervals
In this example, you’ll perform an interval-based aerobic session. Your average heart rate will still fall in the same range, but you’ll perform sets of 15 seconds of hard work followed by 45 seconds of easy work – hard meaning not maximal, but harder than steady-state work.
Here’s an example:
- Air Bike: 15 rounds of 15 seconds hard followed by 45 seconds easy. The details:
This may sound more anaerobic, but it’s not since there’s no complete rest between intervals. Do this at a sustainable yet challenging pace for those 15-second intervals.
Here’s a template. Pick your favorite cyclical work and plug it into any of these:
Session One
For 30-60 minutes, do the following:
- Cyclical work for 5 to 10 minutes per round
- Bodyweight work for 10-20 reps per round
- Kettlebell carry for 100-200 feet per round
- Any sled work for 100-200 feet per round
Set your timer anywhere from half an hour to a full hour. Start with the repetitive cardio, like a treadmill jog or rowing, and go for 5-10 minutes. Then hit all the other activities, one after the other, until you’re back to doing the cardio. Repeat until your timer ends.
Session Two
For 30-60 minutes, do the following:
- Cyclical work for 15 minutes per station
- Bodyweight work and loaded carry between stations
Set your timer anywhere from half an hour to a full hour. Start with cyclical work, like the rower, and go at an easy pace for 15 minutes.
Then, before you move to a new cyclical workstation (like a treadmill), do a set number of bodyweight exercises like push-ups or lunges, then do a loaded carry for a set distance and back.
Repeat these activities (cyclical work, bodyweight work, loaded carry) until your timer ends.
Session Three
For 30-60 minutes, do the following:
- Cyclical work 1: Do 10 rounds of 15 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy
- Cyclical work 2: Do 10 rounds of 15 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy
- Cyclical work 3: Do 10 rounds of 15 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy
You’ll spend ten minutes on each piece of equipment. Start every minute with 15 hard seconds, followed by 45 easy seconds. Then, move to a new exercise machine after the 10 minutes is over.
Make any workout work better. Fuel it.
