Traditional cardiovascular conditioning has its place in all strength and conditioning programs. Whether it’s steady-state training or high-intensity interval training on the treadmill, bike, road running, or elliptical, it has great benefits for heart health and performance.
However, some lifters avoid cardiovascular conditioning like the plague because “traditional” cardio methods bore them to tears. They know they “have to” do it, but can’t cope with another round on the treadmill (count me in as someone who despises typical cardio).
I’d rather go to the dentist and talk about my feelings than slide around on the elliptical. If this sounds like you, then this unique and effective type of conditioning is for you. We’ll dive into other tools for your cardio when you’re looking to change things up or are bored. We’ll see how to incorporate these tools into your current routine to reap the benefits of cardio without getting bored.
WHAT IS CARDIO?
Cardio, short for cardiovascular, is exercise that involves the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Cardiovascular exercise is any rhythmic activity involving the arms, legs or both that increases your heart rate. Deoxygenated blood returns to the heart and picks up oxygen from the lungs to return it to your working muscles.
How effectively this happens and the intensity of your workout determines how high your heart rate is. Note the words “any rhythmic activity” because road or treadmill running, cycling, stair climbing, and ellipticals aren’t the only ways to get your heart rate up.
TOOLS FOR UNCONVENTIONAL PACKAGING
You may be new to these tools or have used them for strength, but when used for conditioning, these unconventional tools will increase your heart rate, improve your conditioning, and burn unwanted fat. The list below is a partial list, but you should more than likely have access to it at your gym or home, if you’re lucky.
- Kettlebells
- Medical balls
- Sleds
- Body weight/weighted vest
- battle ropes
The beauty of almost all of the above tools is that your joints will be spared a lot of the unwanted knocks you would normally get on a treadmill or similar machine. There’s little eccentric stress on your muscles and joints involved with these tools when used correctly, so you’re not likely to get sore afterwards.
Why is this important?
Because it won’t reduce your strength training recovery and your ability to get stronger. Eccentric muscle contractions are where your gains and pain come from. And when you can minimize it during your cardio, you’ll get the benefits of conditioning without the boredom or pain.
INTEGRATING UNCONVENTIONAL PACKAGING
When your goal is strength or building muscle, it’s best to do your conditioning after your strength training or set aside a day for it. Performing this type of cardio conditioning before your workout will reduce your strength training energy and the weight you lift may decrease.
For me, having separate conditioning sessions or performing a cardio finisher after your strength training works best for strength and muscle goals while reaping the benefits of cardio. Here are some examples.
Autonomous Sessions
Due to the more intense nature of this workout, the duration will be between 15 and 30 minutes because as the intensity increases, the time decreases. Use it in place of your typical cardio session between your strength days.
30/30 training
Here, you’ll alternate between 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off, and the rounds will last 10 minutes. You will do two to three rounds of 10 minutes for 20 to 30 minutes. The beauty of this pattern is that you can substitute any unconventional tool above to increase variety, prevent boredom, and work more muscles than heart.
- 30 seconds of kettlebell swings
- 30 seconds rest
- 30 seconds of med ball slams
- 30 seconds rest
Repeat five times for a total of 10 minutes.
Or another example uses a weighted sled and body weight.
- 30 second sled push
- 30 seconds rest
- 30 second bodyweight squats
- 30 seconds rest
Repeat five times for a total of 10 minutes.
For other pairs of exercises, you can substitute a wave variation of battle rope/kettlebell swings, alternating battle rope/reverse lunge, or medicine ball slams and bodyweight squat variation. Regarding this type of template, you are only limited by your imagination and access to the material.
CIRCUIT TRAINING
Here, you’ll choose two unconventional tools (except the sled) and incorporate them into a circuit of five exercises. You will have the choice of doing each exercise for reps (8-15 work well) or time (sets of 20, 30 or 40 seconds), or a number of reps with time (8 reps every minute to the minute ).
