Training Fundamentals: Aerobic Base Conditioning & Getting Fit for Sport
Benefits of aerobic cardo + how to build a base of cardiovascular endurance for athletic outputs
Building Off of Foundational Health
The last two weeks we have been discussing the foundational health standards and their importance, as well as recommendations for ways to get these standards met. We also discussed the “Training Goal Hierarchy” and how/why it is imperative that foundational elements allow higher level athletic abilities to be trained productively. (See below for reminder)
These are ordered in levels of importance to higher training goals + return of investment related to a new trainee. In keeping with the hierarchy, we will continue to address each of these training goals in an introductory fashion by talking today about aerobic cardio, its benefits and purpose, and how you should train it to desirable levels relative to your goals so you can use it to make physical tasks easier or to crush your opponents.
Strap in.
Primary Purpose and Secondary Benefits of Aerobic Conditioning
A quick basic definition of Aerobic conditioning:
Aerobic cardiovascular conditioning is the process of increasing the heart and lungs ability to effectively pump blood and utilize oxygen with regard to its muscle and organ demands. Training it requires an uptake in oxygen requirements for extended durations requiring a rhythmic exertion of large muscle groups in order to challenge the body’s ability to supply oxygen and other metabolic elements to their required levels.
Aerobic cardio has been neglected by many for several reasons:
They are “lifting” to work out and thus ignore cardio as they are assumed to be taking care of their health “enough” with lifting weights only.
It is not a priority (often for men) because they don’t see it as a direct impact on their aesthetics since muscle size is usually their primary focus + many know they can lose fat with diet choices instead.
Related to the above - endurance is not quite a “visual” trait. You don’t “look endurant” like you can “look strong”.
It is boring and can be more time consuming than alternatives that have been spread in the fitness community, i.e. anerobic conditioning involving “sprint” efforts like HIIT protocols/Tabata/etc. → This is a different form of conditioning that uses a different energy pathway. It is also a very valid and important training modality but serves some distinct functions that separate it from aerobic systems, as well as the fact that the aerobic system is more foundational (will discuss further; see pyramid).
It has also been marketed by many that “cardio” will interrupt hypertrophy training and many who do not study will take this much too far and completely eschew aerobic cardio thinking they will get “more jacked” this way (see picture). Surprise! They are wrong.
Aerobic endurance training is actually one of the most important, and powerful tools to build your health and robustness against aging and disease, as well as a tool for destroying opponents in competition and overcoming physical tasks with grace.
To begin, regular recommended guidelines of 75 minutes of “zone 2” cardio reduces all-cause mortality by 72% - a 3.5x reduction. (Source study at bottom - 1.) That is for context a three-and-a-half times reduction in mortality from ANY cause just from hitting baseline levels of activity. This, while not being a linear increase, can go further to a 5x increase if activity is sustained from a younger age + brings conditioning up to an elite level. (Per Dr. Peter Attia)
If that isn’t enough on its own to consider how much more robust you are with a strong conditioning base, here are some more immediate and direct returns to your quality of life and performance:
Better heart health; obvious - but needs to be said as heart disease is the #1 killer of men and is increasingly prevalent and often very preventable.
Higher metabolism; also obvious but necessary for those who have a large appetite. Keeping body fat lower will improve insulin sensitivity and prevent/reverse diabetes.
Higher endurance levels for both sport and regular activity; your basic endurance levels for tasks such as climbing stairs, playing with your kids, or practicing your sport are important but consider the implications further - if you can sustain energy outputs at a higher threshold then the quality of your practice on technique and form is better.
→ More quality reps, in lower amount of time needed to rest, means faster and more effective skill acquisition. As well as being able to maintain those skills and outputs throughout a game or full day competition / work.
Improved daily energy levels; it’s common for people think their lethargy and lack of “energy to move” is due to a bad diet, bad sleep, etc - this is all true. However, a huge culprit is simply that your fundamental “energy system” - your body’s basic ability to utilize oxygen and other metabolic energy elements efficiently - is often in terrible shape. By having a heart/lungs that are efficient at supplying energy tasks like getting out of bed, taking out the trash, and doing work is *far* easier.
Increased focus and brain health; this one is big and builds off the last point. Since you are improving your heart’s ability to pump blood to organs and improve organ health, this includes your brain. Your actual brains oxygen and nutrient supply improves and thus so does your focus and clarity of thought. (Source - 2.) It also helps to prevent IQ decline as you age, as both resistance training & aerobic/anerobic conditioning has been shown to have substantial benefits to fluid intelligence when used together over a lifespan. This also contributes to increased levels of alertness and improved reactions - highly valuable for all fast-paced work and performance in sport or otherwise.
Prevent ageing at the cellular level; the health and “age” of our cellular structure is influence by something called “telomeres”; a protective layer along parts of our cell’s DNA structures that keep a cell healthy and promote it to reproduce in its optimal form. As we age, these telomeres decline in length and cells are reproduced at a lower quality than last time. However, cardiovascular exercise has been shown to lengthen and prevent the decline of these telomeres and literally keep you biologically younger. The true fountain of youth is moderate to high vigorous activity and is a major investment in the longevity of your athleticism (and life).
Improved recovery & sleep; moderate and low intensity aerobic conditioning also helps one keep up with an exercise routine both intra- and inter-sessions. This means that your capacity to keep up a work pace allows you to both complete non-cardio-based training sessions more efficiently (squat routines are notorious for not being pushed to muscular failure due to conditioning issues rather than muscular effort) AND recover more effectively between sessions through improved metabolic resource delivery & better sleep quality. Often, a “recovery” issue for lifting weights can just be a low fitness level attempting to keep up with an intensive routine. NOTE: Many people with “insomnia” tend to be out of shape and have sedentary, TV-based, lifestyles. Avoid this.
Aerobic Base Standards
Much like strength standards, common in powerlifting circles, there should be some level of baseline standards to utilize for yourself in terms of cardio as well. However, these are less defined usually.