Cardio is the term for those activities that raise your heart rate and stress your cardiovascular system. Another term - the term we prefer - is conditioning.
Conditioning tends to come more with the idea of a purpose, like training versus exercise. Cardio is more something you should do to get out of breath and sweaty.
There are three general reasons people do cardio.
Cardio encompasses three energy systems.
Conditioning for lifters will typically stress the aerobic and glycolytic energy systems, as lifting stresses the phosphagen system (and the glycolytic as well).
Why and How Lifters Should Do Cardio: Conditioning for Strength AthletesMost lifters will want to incorporate some easy aerobic activity and then high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
For the aerobic activity, things that simply get you active suffice. This can mean walks. If you enjoy other activities, such as swimming, running, or biking, by all means do those in Zone 2.
To include intervals, you should perform low-impact, low-skill activities for relatively short durations repeatedly a few times a week.
This can look like accessory circuits at the end of your workouts, hill sprints, prowler pushes, or some type of machine intervals (bike, rower, elliptical, etc.).
Why and how lifters should do cardio depends, but there are some general principles and best practices that make sense for your performance and health.
S6Ep5 - The Beginning of MED Series: Rethinking SRA
S6Ep4 - The Beginning of MED Series: Programming 101 - Pt2
S6Ep3 - The Beginning of MED Series: Programming 101 - Part 1
S6Ep2 - The Beginning of MED Series: MED
S6Ep1 - The Beginning of MED Series: A Rational Philosophy for Early Intermediate Programming
#348 - The Beginnings of Programming
#347 - When It's Fun to Chase Numbers
S5Ep9 - The Post-Novice Series: The Four Day Split
S5Ep8 - The Post-Novice Series: Old Man Texas Method
S5Ep7 - The Post-Novice Series: Programming the Post-Novice w/Andy Baker
S5Ep6 - The Post-Novice Series: Reynolds 5/3/1
S5Ep5 - The Post-Novice Series: Deloads: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
S5Ep4 - The Post-Novice Series: The Dos, Don’ts, and Whys of Supplemental Lifts
S5Ep3 - The Post-Novice Series: Embracing the Grind & A Clarification
S5Ep2 - The Post-Novice Series: You Can Still Use LP
S5Ep1 - The Post-Novice Series: Stop Lying to Yourself About Recovery
#346 - Biomechanics & Barbells
#345 - Q&A #51
The Best Exercise Program For Depression - The Barbell Health Series S4 Bonus
The Mindset of Lifting - The Barbell Health Series S4Ep7
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good Nurse Bad Nurse
The Relaxback UK Show
Your Sleep Guru Podcast
Well Beyond 40
Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin