[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
Sprints are great but aren’t exactly what I would call cardio. Quite the opposite.
Try sumo squats for reps (I mean not dozens but eventually hundreds of reps).
It’s a very easy variation and it hits the pc reliably.
And don’t think of doing them with the same tempo and rythm as you usually do with exercising in the gym.
It’s a bit slower, and your breathing should be strong.
Of course, you can always change stance every 50-100 reps.[/quote]
Try SPRINTING 200m reps say 6 with 30 seconds between each one and tell me you aren’t doing cardio as your heart tries to jump out of your mouth. I remember doing 12 sets of 200m with about 20 seconds rest between them and trying to keep them all around 26 seconds. It was about as painful as things get.
10x100 meters with a slow jog/walk between will also give you the hit or cardio. It’s definitely high intensity cardio though.
[quote]alternate wrote:
Surely sprints will only hit your posterior chain if you’ve got perfect sprinting technique perfected by years of sprint coaching with coaches that know your precise biomechanics? Also, good sprinters tend to have certain proportions like long limbs and a short torso, kind of the opposite of my build.
If a scrub like me (who hasn’t any formal sprint coaching and can make any move quad-dominant) tried to sprint would it still hit the glutes and posterior chain?[/quote]
You are right, i remember reading the journal of a top sprinter who stated that he had a good workout and knew he was running well because he could feel it in the hamstrings instead of the quads. So technique is obviously important even for the top sprinters to ensure they use more of the posterior chain than anterior.
[quote]alternate wrote:
Surely sprints will only hit your posterior chain if you’ve got perfect sprinting technique perfected by years of sprint coaching with coaches that know your precise biomechanics? Also, good sprinters tend to have certain proportions like long limbs and a short torso, kind of the opposite of my build.
If a scrub like me (who hasn’t any formal sprint coaching and can make any move quad-dominant) tried to sprint would it still hit the glutes and posterior chain?[/quote]
You are right, i remember reading the journal of a top sprinter who stated that he had a good workout and knew he was running well because he could feel it in the hamstrings instead of the quads. So technique is obviously important even for the top sprinters to ensure they use more of the posterior chain than anterior. [/quote]
Yeh, so sprinting isn’t that great of an option, because it requires extreme intensity (as in 100% intensity - you can’t run any faster if someone was holding a gun to your head), and also, it will pretty much be all quads unless you have years and years of very specific sprint coaching and the right proportions to become an elite sprinter. Unless you have this, it will not touch the posterior chain, and you’ll quad-it.
So we have high-rep kettlebell swings as pretty much the only option?
You could stair master, but I’m pretty sure most people will turn that into a quad isolation movement as well?
Oh - sled dragging could definitely work but I don’t think I’m alone in not having access to a sled or a gym that has one, and not having any space to drag it along even if I bought one. It’s not like I could drag it in a public park either (even ignoring the problem of transporting a heavy sled to a public park) as I’d get fined for messing up the turf.
[quote]alternate wrote:
Surely sprints will only hit your posterior chain if you’ve got perfect sprinting technique perfected by years of sprint coaching with coaches that know your precise biomechanics? Also, good sprinters tend to have certain proportions like long limbs and a short torso, kind of the opposite of my build.
If a scrub like me (who hasn’t any formal sprint coaching and can make any move quad-dominant) tried to sprint would it still hit the glutes and posterior chain?[/quote]
You are right, i remember reading the journal of a top sprinter who stated that he had a good workout and knew he was running well because he could feel it in the hamstrings instead of the quads. So technique is obviously important even for the top sprinters to ensure they use more of the posterior chain than anterior. [/quote]
Yeh, so sprinting isn’t that great of an option, because it requires extreme intensity (as in 100% intensity - you can’t run any faster if someone was holding a gun to your head), and also, it will pretty much be all quads unless you have years and years of very specific sprint coaching and the right proportions to become an elite sprinter. Unless you have this, it will not touch the posterior chain, and you’ll quad-it.
So we have high-rep kettlebell swings as pretty much the only option?
You could stair master, but I’m pretty sure most people will turn that into a quad isolation movement as well?
Oh - sled dragging could definitely work but I don’t think I’m alone in not having access to a sled or a gym that has one, and not having any space to drag it along even if I bought one. It’s not like I could drag it in a public park either (even ignoring the problem of transporting a heavy sled to a public park) as I’d get fined for messing up the turf.[/quote]
Sled dragging could still be quad dominate if your technique isn’t good.
Running alos involves hip extension so there has to be some involvement of hamstrings and glutes.
Backing up what everyone has said about fixing your posture with what you do when you’re not exercising. Also, a shout out that in my experience (and the experience of the other 50+ people I know who row competitively or otherwise) rowing doesn’t do jack to your hip flexors. You get tight hip flexors if you never extend your hips. If you can extend your hips, then do some rowing (in a boat or an ergo) you’ll have exactly the same amount of hip extension afterwards, the muscles don’t magically half their length as soon as you flex the hips on the rock over.
Brings me to another point - if you do row, use proper form so you actually get a workout. There’s loads of info on the concept 2 site (they manufacture pretty much all the static ergs any gym will have) about proper technique. Get someone who knows their stuff (read, who has rowed on the water if you’re in doubt) to have a look - they’ll be able to pick out anything glaringly obvious. Maybe also get some short videos with your camera (we do this for our crews, and I also use mine in the weight room, it’s probably been my number 1 feedback, seeing how I actually look).
As far as cardiovascular exercise goes, though, you won’t find much that actually engages more muscle mass than rowing, and by extension the load on your cardiovascular system can be proportionally greater for a given intensity - you get more bang for your buck. Also puts very little load on your joints (excepting your back if you don’t pivot right about the hips), which I’m guessing is a rather large plus for bigger guys. I my personal experience running anything over about 3k screws me over for a few days, while hopping in a boat or on an ergo and happily smashing through a 60 minute continuous row at a proportionally greater intensity leaves me feeling fine (this would be 15-16k on the ergo, so a moderate distance).
Thing is, that there is minimal glute involvement (there is some, it’s just minimal).
The cardio that would be best for posture correction would be the one that involves the glutes the most whilst stretching the hip flexors. Hence running is probably out because the hip flexors are over-worked. Sprinting is better, but that’s only HIT cardio, OP was asking for solid-state.
The only thing I can think of is doing bodyweight glute bridges for hundreds (thousands?) of reps as cardio training.
For cardio that hits the posterior chain do sled dragging , walking in a very upright postition, this hits the posterior chain . Leaning forward is a no no. Needless to say, you can go much heavier if you lean but do not do this!! Also, walking uphill using the same technique, keeping the body super errect hits the posterior chain in the same fashion. That is the key, keep the body super errect.
Since most of us don t live near long hills, either do repeats or use an elevated treadmill. Another thing that I do for the posterior chain is LOG FLIPS. Very similar to doing tire flips. Do this for a period of time and tell me how your posterior chain feels!! Of course you must choose the proper wt. log or tire for cardio style…a bit lighter than for pure strength of course.
Standing long jumps
Hill sprints
Kettlebell swings
Kettlebell snatches
Any prowler style pushing/pulling (the latter facing away from the prowler)
Any combination of the above (or variants) as part of a circuit/superset.