Any conditioning programs and/or books you all recommend? Both with and without equipment i.e., sandbags, kettlebells, DB’s, Mace etc.
Looking for something that is taxing on the whole body. I have just been running and it is affecting my leg days.
Anything with a sandbag is amazing. Brian Alsruhe (@Alpha on here) has some great you tube videos and an Ebook that is worth a look.
@T3hPwnisher has released a free book of bad ideas on his Mythical strength blog that has lots of conditioning ideas. Definitely worth a look but I can not recommenced any of the workouts because they are all horrible and will leave you hating yourself.
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I’m pretty new to all things workout programs, but I’m not new to conditioning and endurance sports. Swimming is a great full body workout and it teaches breathing techniques (try different strokes for different ‘workouts’). I’m a fan of the triathlon three so running, biking, and swimming are my favorites. If you can do some mountain biking, it is a heck of a workout. However biking is leg heavy so it might affect your leg day like running does.
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“Favorite conditioning” is sort of an oxymoron
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Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning is a pretty good book, breaking down the difference and benefits between high-intensity and low-intensity steady state conditioning, and how you can program them alongside lifting.
It also gives a whole load of example sessions you can do (just checked, and there are 40 listed) of varying types and with easier/harder variations you can do if needed. A lot of them do involve running, but you can sub that for a bike or rower or whatever, and then a lot will mix in bodyweight or KB movements as well.
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Ditto to everything above and I’d certainly check out @T3hPwnisher’s book and anything @kleinhound does. @antiquity is also a competitive CrossFitter.
May I ask what you’re conditioning for? If there’s a competitive goal at the end, we may recommend something different than if you’re looking to be a general beast, which itself may slightly differ from getting shredded.
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Agreed this is probably the best I know of based on the OP’s criteria. Lots of track work, KB work, and General Condition that mimic WOD’s. This is a great choice if you want examples of how to program it alongside a strength program.
I’d also check out crossfit WOD’s (available online) and give those a try. As others said, check out @kleinhound, @T3hPwnisher , and my own log for examples of conditioning workouts and different ways to program them.
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Starts with a b
Ends with s
Has urpee in the middle
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Just looking to get my general conditioning up. I started a thread about my BP being a little higher than I would like and aside from my sodium intake (which was way too high) conditioning is the only thing I had not been doing as I did not want anything to interfere with my weight training.
I used to run longer distances at varying speeds and my BP was good but, it taxed my legs too much. So, I want to try something new.
I may change my training for a while to focus more on conditioning in general for a while.
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I’ve found that I’ve become more conditioned just by using a workout timer. I can set a time for the set and rest time. It’s also about as specific as conditioning can get for a lifter. Running for example I don’t think will condition someone for lifting as much as lifting with a timer will.
I try to challenge myself with the rest times especially on the accessory lifts. It’s easy to rest a long time for me. It’s getting easier for me the more I use it. As an additional bonus, I am doing at least 50% more volume during my training sessions.
I also noticed that after using the workout timer for a few weeks that my heart rate doesn’t get as high when I do my cardio on the treadmill (incline walking). The same settings don’t get my heart rate up as much, and when I cool down, the heart rate drops faster. BTW, I also really like incline walking for conditioning. It doesn’t beat me up, and doesn’t take away much from recovery or my lifting.
I am sold on the little timer. Worth the $20, even though my wife and a few friends make fun of me for buying a timer when I have a smart phone. I don’t like using the smart phone. The screen turns off, it won’t turn back on well with my chalky hands, I can get distracted by it…
Well, that was a rant.
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I would still do harder conditioning because it’s awesome to be in better shape, but the things that most helped my BP:
- Steady-state cardio. I know it’s boring, but just accumulating those Zone 2 minutes makes a huge difference in my BP.
- Losing weight. Also sucks, but sub-210 me has better blood pressure.
- Nattokinase. @TC_Luoma wrote an article about this, I added 4000 FU daily split into two doses, and my blood pressure and hematocrit both decreased significantly.
- Reducing red meat. This may simply have correlated with losing weight, but this was another change I made.
Good luck!
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Just to double-check: that’s somewhere between 2 and 548 stone, right @ChongLordUno?
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-I do a lot of walking already (10-15k steps). Every day, I walk my dogs fasted, for 30-60 minutes total in addition to treadmill.
-I am pretty lean. (I know favorable lighting)
-Started taking Nattokinase after it being recommended by Dante Trudel. Started with 4000 now up to 8000. It has helped but, still cannot get consistent readings under 134 readings. Has only been 3 weeks though. Also, using beet root and citrulline malate.
-I already do not eat much red meat. 1-2x a month. Nothing against it, it just slows my digestion a little.
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You’re really lean!
Honestly… I don’t know what else to suggest. Some of us have some genetic predisposition. This site even has a general practitioner and a registered dietician, though, so we can see what experts think.
@pettersson @QuadQueen
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How confident are you in your BP measurement? What is the diastolic blood pressure reading?
If that is accurate, I don’t see it being realistic to keep BP in check with more exercise. You’re already doing a lot and are in shape.
I think you may be someone who is a good candidate for a BP med. Although at 134, you probably won’t get an Rx, which I think is silly since we know being lower than 134 is better for long term health. You could probably bring it down to 120 (or close to it) with a low dose of an ARB. You’ve far exceeded the expectations that doctors have when they tell patients to diet and exercise to bring BP down before giving them a BP med (which is a silly practice, they should give that advice and a med, and hopefully can take them off if they diet and exercise and don’t need the med anymore).
Are you doing anything that would increase BP? PEDs? Stimulants?
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I have considered getting another monitor. Diastolic ranges from mid 70’s to low 80’s occasionally I get lower readings as well as higher.
I train 4-5x week for 40-60 minutes, 6-10 total sets per muscle group, and 10-15 k steps day. Only in the last 2 weeks have I added a 2-mile run 3x a week keeping my HR at 150 and above. I count those steps into the 10-15k total. Before that I do not think my HR has gotten above 120 in quite some time. Maybe during a hard set.
No caffeine/stimulants except for what is in decaf coffee. Have never taken PED’s.
I am a naturally anxious person. Maybe, I should go the other way and add in yoga/meditation. Though, the more intense cardio has helped with that as well.
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I bought another one when I wasn’t confident in the cheapo Amazon one I had.
Being nervous about the measurement can actually raise your numbers some. BP measurements are supposed to be when very relaxed. I suggest doing some research about how to take the measurements (when, what physical state, etc). We aren’t meant to have under 120 mmHg at all points of the day. It is supposed to be kinda the best case number, and it is assumed that if the best case is good, then the rest of the time it is acceptable.
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There’s definitely the bad genetics card which might be some of what’s at play here. I’m pretty sure in your BP thread we talked about your sodium intake. If I remember correctly it was like over 20,000 mg, correct? Maybe try to get that down to 5,000 for a few weeks and see if that has any effect. Otherwise, I think we covered the other diet stuff in the BP thread.
If you have any questions about diet/nutrition stuff though, just let me know!
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I have kept it at around 4 grams a day since the thread, for sure under 5 grams. I plan on getting a new monitor and keeping a record for a few weeks to see what happens.
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Awesome!! If you’re one of the “salt sensitive” folks, this will definitely help. If it doesn’t and everything else in your diet is awesome, I’m guessing that you were dealt a crappy genetic card.
Let us know how the lower sodium trial goes and I’m here if you have any questions!
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