The Secret To Becoming HIGHLY Conditioned

Cardio is a topic that many lifters tend to shy away from. However, we simply cannot deny the numerous benefit offered by incorporating some form of cardio into your training program. You'll unlock beastly endurance and work capacity, and can become HIGHLY conditioned WHILST building strength and size. Here's how.

Typically, cardio is done in a LISS format. LISS stands for Low Intensity Steady State cardio. This is slow and repetitive cardio that challenges the endurance system to a very high extent. It can include long runs (above 1 mile), and other common endurance training modalities like swimming, cycling etc. The problem with this traditional type of cardio is that it is really damn BORING! Most lifters and general athletes will be unmotivated to spend a long amount of time at a grueling activity such as LISS cardio, for merely endurance and conditioning benefits. Also, no one has the time to be jogging slowly and steadily like Forest Gump for 30 minutes every damn day!!

This is where MIIT and HIIT come in.

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Essentially, you perform a high intensity activity for a short period of time, then rest for a bit, and then do the high intensity exercise again for a few more rounds. The main difference between HIIT and LISS is that 1. there is a higher intensity (duh) and 2. HIIT is typically much shorter in duration than LISS. With such a high intensity of training, it doesn't really take much before you become fatigued. This means that short-tempered individuals can benefit from incorporating HIIT and still become highly conditioned and training the cardiovascular system without feeling insane. 

A good approach I like to take with HIIT training are density blocks. A density block is where you aim to complete the maximum amount of reps you can complete in a predetermined time period. For example, if I was doing interval sprints, I would aim to first do as many 60m sprints I can in 5 minutes. The next week, I would aim to do more sprints in the same 5 minutes. After a few more weeks, I would increase the density block time to 7 or 8 minutes and then repeat. Density blocks should only me done a maximum of 2x a week since they can be very demanding mentally and physically, and they will turn your lungs into kevlar!

As far as exercise selection for HIIT, you can really do whatever! I prefer loaded carry variations like the farmer's walk and sled drags, as well as sprint variations like hill sprints, tempo runs and interval sprint. General guidelines for HIIT would be to work for 10-30 seconds, rest 30-60 seconds, and repeat this for 5-10 rounds.

MIIT, on the other hand, stands for Moderate Intensity Interval Training. It's the same concept as HIIT but instead of being high intensity, it is a moderate intensity (duh, again). In MIIT training, we would be working for 1-5 minutes, resting 30-120 seconds, and repeating this for 3-5 rounds.

With MIIT training, the goal is going to be much more conditioning-orientated. Since we aren't focusing much on intense performance, the real challenge here is going to be pushing the cardiovascular system in comparison to the muscular system. For MIIT, you have access to a larger array of exercises at your disposal. I have experimented with 400-1200m runs for reps, weighted walks with a weighted backpack, long farmers walks (above 100m), and loaded stairmasters! Just like HIIT, MIIT can be done with unloaded variations as well, so even if you don't have any equipment you can hit the park and get running!

The methods of cardio that I have mentioned above are fun, challenging and easy to implement. Remember when you are first starting out that the weight you use is inconsequential, and you should focus on building your strength and cardiovascular fitness over time. Implementing cardio like this consistently will yield great results!

- Hawtsauce