It’s counterintuitive to think that going for an easy jog or bike ride would be of any use to an athlete who depends on speed for success. In fact, when I started out as a strength and conditioning coach (back in 2009), it was popular for coaches to bash low intensity training, feeling it wasn’t specific enough to the sports their athletes were training for.

But the specificity argument only goes so far. If being specific was the primary goal of training, no one would be lifting weights. After all, not too many athletes have to compete with metal bars balancing on their shoulders. But no one advocates for putting down the iron because they recognize the value that strength training has in sports performance.

When considering a new training option, we should be asking ourselves, “What’s the value this brings to the athlete?” Not, “How specific is this to the sport?”

Low Intensity Training, Defined

Low intensity training goes by many names: steady-state cardio, long slow distance, and submaximal exercise to name a few. But I prefer the term “low intensity” because I think it most accurately describes the nature of the training. It has nothing to do with pace, speed, or duration—those are all byproducts of an athlete’s fitness. It’s the level of intensity, or effort, that produces the effect we’re looking for.

So how low is low? Published research on the topic suggests 70% of one’s max heart rate.¹ But in my experience, the optimal heart rate for low intensity training varies tremendously by individual. Not only is max heart rate itself highly variable between athletes, but so is training status, age, and resting heart rate—all of which influence an athlete’s target heart rate zone. For example, my sweet spot is between 135-140 beats per minute when running. But I’ve coached athletes that could cruise along at 165 (which would set my lungs on fire) and look like they could take a nap.

At the end of the day, low intensity training should feel easy, which can be a big mental shift for athletes used to grinding and pushing their way through torturous high intensity interval sessions. When doing low intensity exercise correctly, athletes should be able to carry on a normal conversation or breathe easily through their nose. In other words, the training should not impact respiration too much. What I tell my athletes is, “When your breathing deepens and it starts to feel like effort, take it down a small notch.”

A lot of athletes I work with are uncomfortable training at such a low effort. Since they don’t get tired, they mistakenly (but understandably) feel that not much is happening. But that’s usually a sign that they’re doing it right.²

The Body’s Response to Low Intensity

Low intensity training develops the aerobic system, which uses stored body fat as well as oxygen to meet the majority of the body’s energy needs. Although it can’t produce energy quickly, the aerobic system is very efficient, and can provide a steady supply of fuel for hours at a time.

There are a number of aerobic adaptations that occur as a result of low-intensity training. The heart responds by increasing the strength of its contractions as well as its overall size, allowing more blood to be pumped with each beat and resulting in greater overall efficiency. This is why one of the hallmark signs of an improving aerobic system is a drop in resting heart rate—the heart just doesn’t have to work as hard to deliver oxygen to the body.

There are also changes that happen to the muscles themselves. Additional capillary beds, the smallest branches of the circulatory system, get created near the working muscles and allow more oxygen-rich blood to reach them. Individual muscle cells also generate more mitochondria and aerobic enzymes, both of which improve the rate at which they can produce energy aerobically.³

The Value for High Intensity Athletes

A healthy, robust aerobic system is something that all people, regardless of whether they’re an athlete or not, strive to achieve. But the biggest benefit for an athlete is improved recovery from high intensity activity. Athletes with better aerobic energy systems are simply able to absorb and recover from more intense efforts faster and easier than others.

As part of my assessment protocol with athletes, I often have them ramp their heart rate up as high as possible through short, repeated sprints, and then monitor them for a few minutes after they finish. An athlete with a well-developed aerobic system will get their heart rate back down to a comfortable 130-140 beats per minute after 60-seconds of hitting their max, whereas poorly conditioned athletes are still huffing and puffing with their heart rate jacked up into the 160s.

An athlete’s inability to quickly recover means a heavier dependence on their anaerobic system for energy. The anaerobic system can generate a lot of energy in a short amount of time, but produces a ton of muscular damage and metabolic waste when used too much, making it difficult to recover from.

Few sports demand just a single explosive effort. Most depend on an athlete’s ability to be explosive repeatedly. A better aerobic system means less anaerobic activity is required to produce energy, resulting in a fresher, more effective athlete in the later stages of competition.

The Role of HIIT

At this point, the high intensity interval training (HIIT) crowd is probably saying, “Wait a second, I heard that HIIT is actually better for developing the aerobic system. What gives?”

This, to a degree, is true. Research consistently shows that HIIT does a better job of improving markers of aerobic fitness compared to low intensity exercise over the course of 6 to 12 weeks.^{1, 4} So if an athlete can get more benefit from a few 30-second sprints than they can with a 45-minute jog, going with a pure HIIT approach seems like a no-brainer, right?

But just because something plays out a certain way in the laboratory, doesn’t always mean it’s the best training decision in the real world. What we don’t see from these studies is the cost that these two training styles take on the body.

Where Low Intensity Training Shines

HIIT requires violent, maximal efforts that produce a ton of muscular damage and central nervous system fatigue. It’s not uncommon for an athlete to need several days to fully recover from one HIIT session. Low intensity training, on the other hand, should be gentle, rhythmic, and easy on the body. By keeping the heart rate low, the athlete never gets to the point where they’re exerting themselves too much. They finish sessions feeling relaxed and restored, with little to no fatigue the following day. It’s this difference that makes low intensity training such a useful tool for me as a coach.

Most of the athletes I work with have very demanding schedules. And while a HIIT workout might seem like a perfect fit for the time-crunched athlete, it only makes sense if the athlete is rested enough to put in a quality effort and has ample time to recover. Adding intensity to an overstressed athlete is a recipe for burnout and injury.

Designing a training program is as much about stress management as it is anything else. Unlike HIIT, the gentle nature of low intensity training means it can be placed almost anywhere in an athlete’s weekly plan, making it a highly adaptable way to develop the aerobic system that doesn’t stress the athlete.

Many of the athletes I introduce to low intensity training, while initially skeptical, are shocked at how much better they feel when they finish a session. Over time, they actually learn to welcome the change of pace and see it as an opportunity to unwind and relieve some stress. It’s got a very powerful effect on the nervous system and is a fantastic way to facilitate recovery.^{5, 6}

Find a Place for Low Intensity Training

Specificity still matters, let’s not forget that. It’s important that athletes are training in a way that will prepare them for the specific demands of their sport, and HIIT must be a part of that strategy.

But low intensity training still has a place for the high intensity athlete. Not only will it build a strong, aerobic engine that supports and improves recovery from more intense efforts, but it does so in a way that’s restorative and gentle on the body, allowing the athlete to recover and come ready to hit the gas the next day.

That, for me, is a double win and tremendous value is added for the athletes I coach.

References:

1. Jan Helgerud, Kjetill Hoydal, Eivind Wang, Trine Karlsen, Palr Berg, Marius Bjerkaas, Thomas Simonsen, Cecilies Helgesen, Ninal Hjorth, Ragnhild Bach, and Jan Hoff. “Aerobic High-Intensity Intervals Improve VO2max More Than Moderate Training.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 39, no. 4 (April 2007): 665-71. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3180304570.

2. Livingstone, Keith. Healthy intelligent training: the proven principles of Arthur Lydiard. Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2012.

3. Joyner, Michael J., and Edward F. Coyle. “Endurance exercise performance: the physiology of champions.” The Journal of Physiology. 586, no. 1 (September 01, 2008): 35-44. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2007.143834.

4. Ramos, Joyce S., Lance C. Dalleck, Arnt Erik Tjonna, Kassia S. Beetham, and Jeff S. Coombes. “The Impact of High-Intensity Interval Training Versus Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Vascular Function: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine. 45, no. 5 (May 15, 2015): 679-92. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0321-z.

5. K. Tian, J. Qin, L. Huang, M. Long, J. Wu, S. Yu, and Y. Yu. “The effect of aerobic and anaerobic endurance training on the regulating function of autonomic nervous system and its significance.” Journal of Biomedical Engineering. 23, no. 5 (October 2006): 1020-023.

6. Stanley, Jamie, Jonathan M. Peake, and Martin Buchheit. “Cardiac Parasympathetic Reactivation Following Exercise: Implications for Training Prescription.” Sports Medicine. 43, no. 12 (August 03, 2013): 1259-277. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0083-4.

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Endurance is the result of being able to prolong fatigue from repeating a technique or skill over a long span of time. Be it running, swimming, biking, hiking, climbing, or any number of activities, when you have to repeat the activity consistently over a long span of time, your body and energy systems require a level of endurance to perform at the best level they can. When you place repeated stress on the body through motion, impact, or resistance, you also make the body more prone to adaptations that can create imbalances likely injuries.

The Trap of Over-Training

It’s easy to understand that the more often you use a machine or a tool, the quicker it is likely to break, and if you don’t take care of the tool or provide any maintenance, the tool will surely deteriorate quicker. Endurance events are unique in this aspect because the time required to train and compete often exceeds the time taken for a number of team sports and other high intensity style competitions. This creates a very important need to understand balance, priorities, and time management to ensure that the body is performing at its optimal levels.

Because of these time constraints, many endurance athletes get stuck into the “mileage trap” often described by runners. This idea is that the more miles you run, the better runner you become. The more you do something, the more efficient you become, in other words. To an extent, this may be true, but eventually, there comes a point where the increases in performance become minimal. There is something to be said that the more you do something, the more your body adapts to that movement and it becomes very efficient, but efficiency is only one single piece of the endurance athlete puzzle. When approaching the idea of improving performance for an endurance athlete, training and development have to go beyond efficiency, all the top athletes are extremely efficient in their technique. What many of them lack, however, comes down to not effectively applying three critical pillars of training to improving their performance during endurance events.

Often, many athletes are spending too much time in one of these pillars and, generally, that over-trained pillar is mileage. An endurance athlete needs to appropriately develop endurance, strength, and speed in order to make critical gains in their performance. Distributing the time spent with each pillar effectively is key, but when accomplished, it can build upon the efficiency that is so highly sought after and can take the athlete to a whole new level of performance.

Train for Aerobic Capacity

First things first, training for endurance performance requires principally increasing the capacity of the athlete to prolong fatigue at the highest intensity possible. This requires improving the body’s aerobic capacity, or its ability to use oxygen, as the agent to replenish muscle energy stores. When continuous training (CT) sessions are performed, the body focuses on staying in an aerobic state utilizing oxygen and fatty acids as its primary fuel source. These particular fuels in are nearly unlimited making CT an important component to enduring a lengthy competition and not hitting the wall.

During CT sessions, the limiting factor becomes the body’s efficiency in using these fuel sources since oxygen and fatty acids take more energy and steps to break down and in the end, yield more calories for the muscles to use. The most important adaptation that happens during CT is that the body becomes more efficient at using these long lasting and high yield fuels. This also allows the body to increase the speed of training while maintaining a high aerobic intensity range.

Long, slow distance training sessions are irreplaceable for this reason, making more sustainable energy systems function at higher intensities. In endurance events that are going to last longer than 2 or 3 minutes, some degree of aerobic fitness must be developed because that is how the body will resist fatigue and push through to the end of an event. As events grow further in distance or longer in duration, training sessions that mimic these durations and distances become more important to teach the body how to handle the repetitive stresses for the event. Continuous training serves more than just physiological purposes, but also trains sport specific characteristics that the athlete needs in order to compete at the highest level.

Train for Strength

The problem with CT sessions alone is that they do two things; first, de-train the body’s ability to accelerate beyond the trained pace and the production of power is significantly impeded. Second, ligaments, connective tissue, and muscles are used so rhythmically that the body actually changes its structure to over-facilitate the ability to reproduce the motion and this increases the risk of injury, especially when performing actions not related to the event.

This is why strength training needs to also have an important place in the training program for an endurance athlete. Strength training brings a plethora of benefits to the athlete, fortifying the joints and the connective tissue, increasing the capacity to generate power, and eliciting balance and equilibrium of the body’s muscle structure. The most efficient way to get the most out of strength sessions is to lift heavy. Compound movements, squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press (done at 80% of 1 repetition max in sessions of high sets and low reps with plenty of rest in between) will help the body stay healthy and injury free in spite of the sustained repetitive impact felt during training.

Apart from the big four classic compound lifts, other assistance lifts should also be done. Incorporating weighted carries, single leg, single arm, and other movements requiring movement across all planes of motion (front to back, side to side, and twisting) will only benefit the athlete when it comes time to perform. When the body is able to effectively reproduce technique at an optimum level through cadence, stride, or stroke rate, the athlete that is able to maintain that optimal technique with greater production of power per rep and will have the advantage. In addition, the athlete that can train more because of fewer injuries is also going to gain an advantage over their competition. This is what well done resistance training brings to the endurance athlete’s table.

Train Using Intervals

The last important piece to effective endurance training involves higher intensity, shorter intervals, otherwise known as interval training, high intensity interval training, etc. Each endurance competition course brings a different set of challenges, whether they be in the form of hills, descents, curves, loops, small roads, uneven surfaces, climate conditions—the list goes on and on.

Endurance events vary tremendously from venue to venue and, because of this, athletes don’t entirely know what to expect. If all you have trained is going at a very consistent pace for a long period of time, yet at the race you are confronted with a number heavy duty climbs, odds are you’re not going to perform to your regular standards.

Aerobic pace training focuses a great deal on the activation and development of slow-twitch muscle fibers that effectively utilize oxygen and fatty acids as their primary fuel source. However, in order to blast up those hills or make that charge at the finish line, the ability to engage the fast-twitch fibers that create greater force becomes very necessary.

Interval training can teach the body how to accelerate when fatigued by being able to activate those stronger fibers and make a short burst of higher speeds, be it to climb a hill, pass an opponent, kick at the finish line, or distance oneself from the pack. Interval training accomplishes the goal of getting the body to work at high intensities that will allow it to compete in a range of intensities and use those varying intensities dependent of the course and competition. Interval training can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but incorporate intensities at or below race pace for a short burst, followed by little rest and repeated various times.

Put These Pillars to Practice

These are the three essential pillars to effectively make gains in your endurance event performances. Endurance, interval, and strength training are three tools that will create effective performance efficiency, ability to engage different intensities, and also stay injury-free. The key to incorporating these tools is to do so in an appropriate proportion that will provide the greatest benefits to performance.

The majority of training for endurance events should be done at the aerobic pace of the athlete. Since the intensities of these sessions are relatively low, it is important to spend enough time to elicit adaptations that will increase the pace of the athlete at the aerobic level—80% of time training should be done at the aerobic level. Interval training, as important as it is to be included, should be trained in limited quantities. When elite athletes reach above 20% of time spent doing high intensity work, many report diminishing returns on performance and an increase in symptoms of overtraining because their bodies don’t recover fully.

Weight training for the endurance athlete should be done independently from the hours spent training for the sport specific activities. This does not mean that it is less important than the other two pillars, it just means that the goal of weight training holds a completely different purpose than that of sport specific practice. Weight training is the athlete’s tool to bullet-proof the body, increase muscle power output, and prevent avoidable injuries. Lifting twice a week is plenty to accomplish this task while making sure that there is plenty of time to recover between sessions in the gym. When these three pillars of training are used effectively, the potential benefits to performance increase greatly.

References:

1. Bazyler, Caleb D., Heather A. Abbott, Christopher R. Bellon, Christopher B. Taber, and Michael H. Stone. 2015. “Strength Training for Endurance Athletes: Theory to Practice.” Strength & Conditioning Journal (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins) 37, no. 2: 1-12. SPORTDiscus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2017).

2. Foster, Carl, Courtney V. Farland, Flavia Guidotti, Michelle Harbin, Brianna Roberts, Jeff Schuette, Andrew Tuuri, Scott T. Doberstein, and John P. Porcari. 2015. “The Effects of High Intensity Interval Training vs Steady State Training on Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacity.” Journal Of Sports Science & Medicine 14, no. 4: 747-755. CINAHL Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2017).

3. Laursen, P. B. 2010. “Training for intense exercise performance: high-intensity or high-volume training?.” Scandinavian Journal Of Medicine & Science In Sports 20, 1-10. SPORTDiscus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2017).

4. Munekani, I., and T. J. Ellapen. 2015. “Does concurrent strength and endurance training improve endurance running? A systematic review.” African Journal For Physical, Health Education, Recreation & Dance 21, no. 1:1: 46-58. SPORTDiscus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2017).

5. Seiler, Stephen, and Espen Tønnessen. 2009. “Intervals, Thresholds, and Long Slow Distance: the Role of Intensity and Duration in Endurance Training.” Sportscience 13, 1-27. SPORTDiscus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2017).

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I was recently talking to a friend of mine about the intricacies of training. This particular friend also happens to be a very successful powerlifter. He balked at the idea of using light weights, and I imagine if I had advised long distance cardio work, he would have laughed at me. “The fibers change when you do light work, I’d never do that,” is just about what he said to me. This is a common fear, and at the time I had no response other than, “There needs to be more research on the effect of cardio and lightweight training on muscle in people who also lift.” You see, there is evidence that muscle fiber types easily change with training and those changes are not permanent, but does the change even occur in normal athletes who do a broad range of exercises or just in lab conditions? I needed some evidence, and today I have it.

A recent study in the Journal of Applied Physiology went to battle with this myth. Does aerobic work really hinder your progress while lifting? Specifically, in muscle hypertrophy? I’m guessing you read the title of the article, so you already know the answer, but it’s exciting for an exercise geek like me nonetheless. Not only doesn’t aerobic work slow down your lean mass gains, it actually improves them.

In the study, each participant did 5 weeks of knee extensions on one leg, and 5 weeks of knee extensions plus one legged aerobic work on the other. The resistance work was 4 sets of 7 reps, and the cardio work was 45 minutes on a bike. The numbers speak for themselves. Although the strength values gained were fairly similar there was still a slight difference. The resistance-only leg gained an extra 2% on average in isometric strength, while the leg that also did aerobic work had 5% better peak power. For lean mass, on the other hand, the leg doing the aerobic work demonstrated a significant increase in muscle volume, muscle diameter, signal intensity of the nerves, and citrate synthase activity (an enzyme important in metabolism) over the other leg, and that was despite a short program.

Over time I suspect that the benefit would be seen more in the strength realm as well. While peak power was improved only a little, that little was only over five week’s time. On a serious weight training program, I suspect the benefit would be great especially in the long run and you wouldn’t be likely to see isometric strength as being less either. That extra lean mass would eventually assist in making the athlete stronger as well.

Aerobic exercise has a plethora of benefits, but many people have viewed it as detrimental to some goals that may seem more important, like strength or size. However, we can now feel free to reap the health benefits of aerobic work and the hypertrophy benefits as well.

References:

1. Tommy Lundberg, et. al. “Aerobic exercise does not compromise muscle hypertrophy response to short-term resistance training,” Journal of Applied Physiology 114:1 (2013)

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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As a coach, I have touted the benefits of anaerobic exercise for years. Clients always want to know which form of exercise reigns supreme, cardio or strength? As a generality, weight loss clients and especially women tend to favor cardio, while men tend to favor the weights. Both are obviously important, but my response to this question has always been that it’s how we do both that is more important. Meaning, do anaerobic exercise. It’s not a popular answer because of the scenario described above – it hurts!

How could something that feels so bad be so good for us? Well, it’s like eating kale or broccoli – certainly not as tasty as ice cream, but much more beneficial. We know this truth deep down, but still, we will go to almost any length to avoid hearing an answer we don’t want to hear. If you want the body most want – toned and defined, not too muscular and not too lean – and if you want to achieve optimal fitness, then anaerobic exercise reigns supreme.

What Is Anaerobic Exercise?

When I am coaching novices on getting their sprint on, I ask them to imagine a blood thirsty Rottweiler (not to pick on Rotties) trying to take a gash out of their hamstring – run like that. Or as a sign I recently read said, “Run like you stole something.” That is what it means to run anaerobically. You can’t do it for long. Why? Because training anaerobically means training without oxygen. Anaerobic exercise is defined as short duration, high intensity exercise lasting anywhere from merely seconds up to around two minutes. After two minutes, the body’s aerobic system kicks in. Examples of anaerobic exercise are ones that use fast twitch muscle fibers such as jumping and sprinting. By using and developing those fibers we enhance that musculature.

The Eyeball Test

Most people want a lean, yet toned body, but they train partially like a bodybuilder and partially like a marathoner thinking they’ll end up in the middle. Perhaps for a minute they’ll get there, but not in a sustainable way. You want a body like a sprinter, dancer, or gymnast? Guess what? You have to train like one. There is, of course, a chicken and egg debate here. Are sprinters born with their bodies, enabling them to become sprinters, or does participating in years of sprinting help them get those bodies? To which the answer of most such dilemmas is ‘yes.’ Like anything, it’s not nurture versus nature, but rather both happen. The key is to control your fifty percent.

What Anaerobic Training Does

The anaerobic effect happens in the body when we exert ourselves at 84% of our max heart rate and above. When we train in this level of intensity for short bursts of energy, we create what is called EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. In essence, EPOC is an after burn effect of calories burning at rest for up to 38 hours post exercise.¹ This type of training can be incorporated into both our cardiovascular exercise as well as our strength routines.

With cardiovascular exercise we can do sprint intervals and we can go anaerobic in a strength application by doing explosive jump squats. The residual effects are numerous: burning more calories at rest, developing strength, a more efficient use of time, a more lean and defined body, and an increased VO2 max. And there are even studies that correlate anaerobic training to loss of belly fat and increased growth hormone.²

With all of the science and research behind anaerobic exercise, why isn’t it all the rave and sweeping the nation by storm? I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact anaerobic training is hard. Very hard. It’s not what people want to hear, so fitness professionals don’t always tell you. Generally, it’ a better business practice to tell customers what they do want to hear, and so trainers develop fun exercise programs. Anaerobic exercise isn’t like that. It’s not fun and takes a monstrous effort. It also feels terrible at times.

With such effort intensity comes an intimidation factor, as well as issues in and around safety. I would highly recommend good coaching and a safe environment before you head off on your own to the track to do sprint work or into the weight room to do jumping push ups. As with any plan, preparation is key – this means conditioning to condition, laying the proper foundation and base. It also means proper maintenance is required: deep tissue massage, proper stretching, myofascial release, and the use of heat and ice, for example. If you’re looking to become more athletic or toned, and I cannot frankly imagine someone who deep down wouldn’t want both, go anaerobic and your body will thank you.

References:

1. Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM (March 2002). “Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for body mass management.” European Journal of Applied Physiology 86 (5): 411–7. doi:10.1007/s00421-001-0568-y.

2. Irving, B., Davis, C., et al. “Effect of Exercise Training Intensity on Abdominal Visceral Fat and Body Composition. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.” 2008. 40(11), 1863-1872.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Metabolic syndrome is the current buzzword for what amounts to First World diet and lifestyle problems – extra weight around the upper and middle parts of the body and insulin resistance. These are usually the first warning signs of an impending storm of other problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Along with rising public health costs these are becoming very real problems many of us will have to face. Even if you aren’t among the growing numbers of people afflicted with these diseases (Although, is it really inflicted if you do this to yourself through poor diet?), you will still be asked to help pay for the treatment costs through taxes.

These days we are spoiled for exercise choice. The Internet is like a massive shopping center that can cater to any and all fitness needs you may have. The problem is, just like most supermarkets are filled with poor choices, so is the Internet. Shake Weight, anyone?

When it comes to training the world seems to be just as filled up by promises, cheesy packaging, and marketing as the supermarkets are. In much the same way that shows like Masterchef have ruined simple, home-cooked meals, the Internet has almost ruined sensible training advice. Everyone wants to talk to you about their new fancy metabolic conditioning work or their Tabata-inspired something or other.

But when the researchers had a look at the best ways to combat metabolic syndrome and the risk of cardiovascular disease what did they turn to? Simple aerobic training.

Researchers found the fire fighters with the lowest aerobic fitness score had a ten times higher likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome when compared to those with the highest aerobic fitness. As with most risk factors for heart disease, the risk of metabolic syndrome rises as you age. However, as age is a constant in the equation – you can’t make yourself younger – the number one factor that can be addressed is cardiovascular fitness.

While it may be sexy and in vogue to have a beastly deadlift or a strong press the research shows that won’t help you to have a healthy heart. Training should be about far more than what can you do right now. It should be about making your life better for as long as possible. Entering into the second half of my life I have no question in my mind that a healthy heart is important, as more and more friends seem to be struck down more and more often by illness. The immune system, as well as the cardiovascular system, is built on a foundation of aerobic fitness.

While the study doesn’t mention the best ways to train for cardiorespiratory fitness, only how they measured it, I would suggest a good starting place is to follow Maffetone’s simple heart rate formula described here. If your plan is to live not just stronger, but longer as well, adding in some aerobic work is the way to go.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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