High-intensity metabolic conditioning.

That phrase just sounds hardcore.

But what about the opposite of the ultra intense workout?

The daily walk. The easy recovery workout. The 45 minutes of cardio with heart-rate at 130 bpm.

Not so exciting, right?

Even so, they are equally, if not MORE important.

As I have evolved as a person and in my strength/fitness journey, I have learned to adapt and be OPEN to change.

The reality is we are always changing. We aren't in the same body as we were twenty years ago.

Our goals change.

In life and in the gym.

For example: When I first joined a gym I would run on the treadmill and do bench presses, curls and lat pulldowns.

I've come a long way since then.

Recently I started to incorporate more stretching into my routine.

It wasn't forced upon me or inspired by anything specific, it just felt right.

I've also added in some low-intensity cardio work. Boring maybe, but beneficial for sure.

For awhile I advised people to not worry about cardio. Just do your 3 days of strength training and add in a day of intervals.

I always recommended daily walking but many folks don't do it.

It's time-consuming, boring etc..

What I realized is that I need to be more strict with my recommendations.

If you want to operate at your maximum in life, (you should) then you need to spend more time on your health and fitness.

Yes, strength training is still the activity that will give you the most bang for your buck. You also need some cardio.

Walking is great but can't be counted as your cardio work.

3 days per week you should perform aerobic training for 30-60 minutes.

Get your heart-rate up to 120-140 depending on your age, activity level, health history.

This kind of training is not exciting. Believe me, I know. I do it.

Just this morning I had the option of doing some heavy Presses or loaded carries, followed by cardio.

I felt crushed from my past two training sessions so I chose the loaded carries and cardio.

I'm glad I did.

The younger me would NEVER have made that choice.

It wasn't an "easy" workout..just a different stimulus and less intensity in terms of weight lifted and impact on recovery.

There's a time and a place for all forms of training

If you want a healthy heart and to maximize your time in the gym when you lift AND in your life, you should find the time to do it.

The hardcore stuff sells. The kettlebell circuits, sled pushing and pulling, tabata's, barbell complexes...

All those hard and heavy methods of conditioning have their place and they look cool. But they shouldn't be the only form of "cardio" that you do.

The benefits of cardiovascular exercise are numerous. It's my duty to tell you that if you aren't doing it, NOW is the time to START.

If you need help putting all this together into a coherent plan, sign up for my newest training program:

STRENGTH ESSENTIALS MAN THE EFF UP PROGRAM

-Strength training workouts- to build muscle, gain confidence

-Strong eating guide- to make eating simple to stay on track

-Cardio workouts- know exactly how and when to improve your heart health and maximize productivity at home/work

-Early morning routine guide- learn the tips that will help you become more motivated and disciplined to become the strongest version of yourself

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