Cardio Tips
Tired Of Being A Hamster?….Learn the truth about “CARDIO” and how you can boost your cardio training to new highs!
I don’t know about you, but there was a time when I made excuses to avoid my cardio training at the big health club facility. Not only did I dread those days, but I developed a healthy dislike for so-called “cardio” training. I always thought that it was a punishment which was almost certainly derived from “running lines” after basketball practice.
This is not the way that I envisioned using 30-45 minutes of my time….FOR ANYTHING. But, that’s the way it was. You get into the gym and lift one day and do cardio the next. As a newbie on the karate circuit following the advice of my elders at that time, that’s what you did. Personally, I found that the kicks didn’t have any snap after a while and although I had endurance, the intensity of the matches wore me out more than I had ever been worn out going on a 5 mile run… You can chalk it up to lack of preparedness on my part, poor research (again my fault), and less than optimal coaching (you guessed it…my fault). Something, had to change. It wasn’t until my friend, Jeff who is a top trainer, PGA teaching pro, and former strength coach at Western Michigan said to me,”You have it all backwards about cardio. It is your heart’s job to supply blood to the muscles not the other way around.”
That was my aha moment….The training certainly had to reflect the task that I had to perform. So, it was my next big goal at that time was to overhaul my concepts of cardio training and adapt some new theory and practice. I think that this information is going to be beneficial for you as well.
What is cardio anyway?
The definition given by the American College of Sports Medicine for cardiorespiratory endurance is: The ability to perform large muscle, dynamic, moderate-to-high intensity exercise for long periods of time. Performance of such exercise depends on the functional state of the respiratory, cardiovascular, and skeletal muscle systems.
Stated another way: It is the taxation of the cardiovascular system by which the individual increases the heart rate by using a method that utilizes at rhythmic contraction/relaxation cycle of the entire body at an intensity that will markedly increase oxygen uptake by the muscular system.
At no place in that very brief definition was there a mandate given to get on the treadmill hill program or any other hamster device for 30 minutes. There is a pretty broad range of activities that are available to achieve the ability of cardiorespiratory endurance. It is my opinion that running should not be done for long periods anyway without the involvement of a ball. (basketball, soccer or tennis…Take your pick!) Running is a sport and should be practiced as one. If you do not have a coach that can help you achieve good efficient running mechanics, you WILL open yourself up to Pandora’s Box of injuries. In this case, AVOID IT!!
Another concept that you need to know of is the VO2 MAX. Basically, it is your body’s capacity to consume oxygen during peak exertion.
Why is that so important?
During bouts of intense training you have some factors that affect your ability to perform:
- your body’s ability to convert muscle glucose or glycogen to fuel
- your ability to convert fat to fuel during long bouts of exercise
- …and hydrogen ion concentration in the blood as a by product of lactic acid being taken up by the liver.
There are also central nervous system fatigue and issues of psychological motivation, but that is part of a different discussion.
WARNING:The following section may produce intense drowsiness. Please stick with me!
During exercise the glycogen in the muscle is the main source of energy. It is broken into glucose and is further broken down into a molecule called pyruvate. The energy that is released from converting glucose to pyruvate is used to form adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is an energy producing compound by the muscle cells. Pyruvate enters the mitochondria or cell powerhouses during cellular respiration and is converted into ATP. If there is not enough oxygen for this reaction to continue, pyruvate is converted into lactic acid. In the presence of oxygen, lactic acid can be converted back into glucose to resume the cycle. If there is not enough oxygen in the system, the hydrogen can accumulate as it is cleaved from lactate. This hydrogen ion accumulation or the “lactate threshhold” happens at about 50-80% of the VO2 max and can slow down some metabolic and contractile processes in the cell and possibly contribute to fatigue and that awful burn that you feel when you are in the middle of a long bout of exercise.
Well…what’s a poor soul to do?
All you have to do is:
Increase your VO2 max with intense interval training so that there is more available oxygen to bond with the free hydrogen as lactic acid is converted back to glucose.
Interval training is a system that works both the aerobic and the anaerobic energy systems. This is important because in many sports such as basketball, soccer, hockey, boxing and in self defense situations, there are peiods in which you should be able to perform short bursts of activity that are of high intensity followed by periods that are less intense. It then becomes necessary to train in a way that combines both the aerobic and anaerobic systems.
During high intensity intervals, lactic acid builds up in the muscles as the body enters oxygen debt. When you are recovering during the rest interval, the cardiopulmonary system works to balance the oxygen debt and convert the lactic acid back to glucose as mentioned above. At this time the aerobic system is in control of this feedback loop to convert the lactate to energy. This repetitive form of training leads to many adaptations that are beneficial to the body.
Circulatory System
- Increased heart volume and weight
- Increased capillary density
- Increased power of the contractile muscle of the heart
- Decreased heart rate during rest
- Increased volume of bloodflow during maximal exercise
- Decreased blood pressure
Respiration
- Increased endurance and strength of respiratory muscles
- Increased ventilation at maximal exercise intensity
- Increased rate of oxygen transport from the lungs to the bloodstream
Peripheral Effects
- Increased bloodflow to the muscles
- Increased fatty acid uptake from the blood
- Decreased rate of lactic acid production
- Increased insulin sensitivity
To really oversimplify the subject, you will be able to go harder, and more intense for a longer time, and you’ll be able to recover faster. Who doesn’t want that?
Interval training can also reduce the risk of injuries you often get from performing long repetitive endurance exercise. Intervals allow you to increase your training intensity while at the same time of reducing the risk of burning out.
Interval training can also help you burn more calories. Studies have shown that during a high intensity interval session, it is possible to work up to 95% of your VO2max creating a much HIGHER energy demand for the body to do work. So, you will burn more calories in a higher intestity session that is done over the same time period as a long slow session. However, it is important to note that the work:rest ratio must be devised such that you don’t burn out too early and that you don’t recover completely during the rest interval.
How do you accomplish this?
ONE of the best ways to practice the interval for the most functional real world application is the kettlebell snatch, which sits on the high court” of kettlebell ballistic lifts behind the swing.
The following is an example of the MVO2 protocol from Viking Warrior Conditioning by Kenneth Jay:
WARNING: If you do not know how to properly snatch the kettlebell, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO SO. Seek a qualified instructor, or if you are in Chicago stop by Rhodes Fusion Fitness to sign up for kettlebell classes.
First you must find the cadence that you will use during the protocols. To do this, you’ll snatch for a 5 minute incremental test in which the cadence of the snatch increases every minute. Also you’ll switch hands at the top of each minute of the test. I normally start in my strong hand so that I can finish with it in the 5th minute. The test looks like this:
- 1st minute: 10 reps
- 2nd minute: 14 reps
- 3rd minute: 18 reps
- 4th minute: 22 reps
- 5th minute: As many reps as possible…take it to the limit!
When the timer stops, you stop. No cheating! Record your result from the 5th minute. Then you will perform the 15:15 MVO2 protocol. You’ll take the number from the 5th minute of the test, divide it by 4 and perform 15 seconds of snatches followed by 15 seconds of active rest. Your goal is to make it to 80 sets!!! Trust me. It’ll take you a few weeks to get there, but it is well worth the reward.
When you have completed the 15:15 MVO2 protocol, you will move up to the 36:36 MVO2 protocol. Here, you will have 36 seconds of work followed by a 36 second active rest or a 1:1 work:rest ratio. To get your cadence, divide your test number by 10 and multiply by 6 then round up. This is the number of snatches that you will perform in 36 seconds. You are making progress when you hit 35 sets.
The snatch works so well for this drill because you have to move the weight very quickly over a long distance to hit 70-90% of your VO2max. One great benefit of this is that you are using multiple muscles against an external force, so you will see many positive changes in the upper body as well. Ladies start out with a bell between 18 and 26 pounds. Gentlemen depending on your existing strength, start with a bell between 26 and 36 pounds. No ego please. The above conditioning regimen is the Gold Standard when it comes to hard interval training with the kettlebell.
Using the same work rest ratios (no need to reinvent the wheel), I have put together a couple routines that are a couple of scorchers:
36:36 Heaven
- 5 sets kettlebell swings
- 5 sets 2 kettlebell high pulls
- 5 sets Double Unders
- 5 sets Burpee deadlift combo with 2 kettlebell
- 5 sets kettlebell swings
- 5 sets kettlebell push presses
- 5 sets of pushup/plank holds
15:15 Fun In The Park
- 5 sets of sprints 80% top speed. Proper warm-up is necessary here. While it should be tough, you shouldn’t have silly injuries. For info on how to run properly find a coach and also read Born to Run.
- 5 sets of burpees
- 5 sets of 10 m lateral shuffle (change directions at 10 m
- 5 sets of Hindu Squats
- 5 sets of 10 M Carioca
- 5 sets of pushups/plank holds
- perform up to 4 sets
These examples are only a small range of possibilities when putting together an interval routine. Some factors can include your technical ability, specific sport practice, and your present level of conditioning. Just so you remember, if something doesn’t feel right during the session, stop and continue another day. Don’t try to push it just for the sake of quantity over quality. Three to four years of light to moderate training is worth a whole lot more than three to four weeks of intense which results in you quitting your program. You are trying to get out of the hamster corps right? As always, please consult your physician before starting any rigorous training program.
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