How to Improve Aerobic Fitness Without Doing Long, Slow Cardio
Long duration cardio can get boring, but it’s absolutely necessary to improve both health and performance. Aerobic fitness is correlated with many positive health markers (improved insulin sensitivity, lower resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, and higher heart rate variability, among others) and improves recovery from strenuous exercise. However, running or swimming for long distances tends to beat people up, so if these methods aren’t necessary for job performance or a PT test, I like to prescribe tempo circuits for longer aerobic work.
I learned about tempo circuits through coaches Chad Wesley Smith and Charlie Francis. Basically, this involves alternating low intensity aerobic work with calisthenics, mobility work, or other low-level exercises. This breaks up the monotonous joint stress of repetitive movement while also allowing for a wide variety of other goals to be targeted at the same time.
Like all conditioning, your heart rate and pace are going to determine what kind of training effect you get. Since we’re using this to replace long, slow cardio, our heart rate will reflect this.
To figure out what your heart rate should be, use the Karvonen formula (try this simple calculator). Wear a heart rate monitor and keep your heart rate between 60-80% of your max, mostly in the lower range. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, get one. If it’s not possible financially, using the “talk test” is fine. You should be able to hold a conversation throughout the entire workout without too much effort.
A simple tempo circuit might look like this:
1 minute cycling
15 push-ups
1 minute cycling
10 ab wheel
1 minute cycling
10 windmills per side
Repeat circuit non-stop for 30-45 minutes, keeping heart rate between 60-80% of max.
We’re targeting upper body, core strength, and hip mobility along with our conditioning goals. Time efficient and effective.
I particularly like using tempo circuits to attack multiple training priorities at once. We all have limited time to train and we need to get the most out of each session.
For example, let’s say you’re a firefighter who needs to work on both aerobic fitness and job-specific skills. You can set up a tempo circuit like this:
1 minute sled drag
20 sledgehammer strikes (or med ball slams)
1 minute sled drag
5 sandbag-to-shoulder per side
1 minute sled drag
20 push-ups
Repeat circuit non-stop for 30-45 minutes, keeping heart rate between 60-80% of max
For police officers, try using solo BJJ skill drills (shrimping, crawling, sit throughs, etc) interspersed with your cardio exercise.
This may just look like circuit training, and it basically is. However, the key is keeping your heart rate low enough to trigger the fitness gains we want. Harder is not better and this is not a race. If at any time your heart rate gets out of the 60-80% zone, slow down.
Repeat this method 2-4 times per week depending on your needs. We all can benefit from more aerobic work.
Putting together a tactical fitness program is tough. There are a lot of variables, needs, and individual differences between tactical athletes. My 10-8 training programs are built to help you succeed with your tactical fitness goals, regardless of ability level or available equipment. 10% of all proceeds are donated to help first responders in crisis.
If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me