Yeah too much/hard conditioning will deplete your glycogen/creatine phosphate as well as CNS fatigue and might rob you of some performance
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I hate being out of breath and sweating, so I essentially hate all conditioning. I avoid it unless it’s actually in my program, the only program I’ve done the conditioning in properly is dark horse and I absolutely do red line those 10 mins most of the time, but I think despite that I actually lift better, best performance increases came in on that program.
Not sure if it’s from being warm, having a lit up CNS or just mentally having the worse bit over with but for me despite the fatigue it brings (literally lying on the floor gasp for breath at the end, sweating profusely) I can still go ahead and lift well.
I guarantee if I stuck it at the end it would be missed more often than not.
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This is pretty much my approach. Just with lots of straining, wobbling and groaning. Followed by walking around puffing like an old freight train!
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It depends what you mean by conditioning - I know a lot of people that include cardio in their definition of conditioning.
My personal definition, is that cardio is steady state and conditioning is anything that makes me want to die/cry/vomit without involving heavy lifting, and so I’m 100% in the conditioning after a workout vs. before it if I have to choose, but that’s mostly why I do conditioning on days where I’m not lifting, or at least at a different time in the day.
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I prefer to do it before or on days off. If I try to run after lifting then it’s even more miserable than usual - and that’s saying something.
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Ah, T-Nation; I come for the topless pics of @ChongLordUno, but I stay for the insightful and practical recommendations.
This is definitely proving out, even on chest the other day!
That’s actually the experiment I was thinking back to as well! I wonder if it was the lower rep nature of that that had us performing fine?
Now that I hear (read) it out loud (in print), I think you hit the nail on the head. I’m used to doing cardio, so it’s not a big deal. As I have been moving toward the conditioning end of the spectrum, that’s where I need to pay more attention.
That’s exactly my preference. I absolutely hate doing it after I lift. Thinking through the last couple weeks and what @flappinit it above said, that makes sense because I’m more used to the cardio side.
Awesome discussion, as always, folks!
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Yeah - I have placed a very firm barrier between cardio and conditioning. I like to ride my bike to the gym, towing my kids in a trailer - it’s not crazy intense - only one hill, but it gets everything pumped and I feel GREAT working out afterwards.
But when conditioning day is 8-10 50m prowler sprints, you’re out of your damn mind if you think I’m going to go and have a productive lifting session.
Anaerobic respiration and aerobic respiration are such drastically different metabolic reactions, it’s insane that they get grouped in together in the first place.
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This is a great point. And like you said, it’s pretty easy to tell which one I’m in. I definitely can get to feeling like absolute crap for a pretty noticeable amount of time after the harder stuff. I always, every second want cardio to end, but it’s not like I’m ever in a “can’t take one more step” scenario.
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I had this thought reading through here. Cardio is best done before lifting because running with dead legs sucks. Running with tired abs and pecs sucks worse. Even running with fatigue shoulders and arms sucks.
But if I’m going to do DT then there is nothing but recovery afterwards.
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Yeah, you (and a lot of other people) have enough muscle mass to continue to produce energy like that indefinitely. It creates that ugly middle ground between not feeling strong but not being able (or having to) quit, Unlike with anaerobic, where you will quit/fail at some point.
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Well because the anaerobic pathway is not actually completely anaerobic, and a good aerobic system WILL improve your anaerobic pathways:
• Anaerobic alactic → faster resynthesis of phosphocreatine → you can repeat the same effort with less rest
• Anaerobic lactic → faster elimination of H+ ions (the product of lactic acid) → you can sustain this effort longer
Yep, I was like you, only specialized in anaerobic either alactic (sprints, strength lifting) or lactic (hypertrophy, crossfit). But when I started incorporating more aerobic work, even walking, all my cardio performance improved.
Same stuff happened 10 years ago with Frace’s volleyball team. they used to only train alactic because the sport is like that. The country was always dominating the first 2 sets but then crumbling. The inclusion of other forms of cardio changed that, even though the sport isn’t that cardio
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Awesome stuff, gents! I’ll get back and think through, but just doing my daily check-in now:
15 minutes of cardio followed by volume push day
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Yup - people should do both aerobic and anaerobic work, for sure - I only meant that I don’t use the terms interchangeably because I have to apply them at different times.
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You are at it!!!
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Pull
- 5 minutes elliptical
-
DB Row
35/8
50/6
65/5
80/10
80/10 + 60/6 -
Low Cable Row
60/10
70/10
80/10 -
Rack Pull
135/3
225/3
315/14 -
Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown
60/6
90/10 x 3 -
Hyperextension
65 total reps -
BOSU Crunch
3 sets -
DB Curl
20/25
20/22
20/19
20/15 -
Seated Hammer Curl
25/10 x 3
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Push
- No warm-up today; I just nailed a lion instead
-
Lowish Incline DB Press
35/20
50/12
65/6
80/4
90/10
90/9 + 60/8 -
Bench
45/8
135/6
185/4
205/10
225/4 -
Low Cable Flye
25/6
35/10
35/10 + 30/8 + 25/7 -
Stretch Push-ups
BW/19
BW/16 -
Rear Delt Machine
55/30 x 3 -
DB Y Raise
20/12 x 3 -
Seated DB OHP
60/10
65/10 x 2 -
DB Kickout
30/12 x 4 -
Rope Pressdown
80/10 x 4
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Not sure what this means but, my mind went places it shouldn’t 
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There was some weird thread awhile ago where I remember a guy saying he didn’t warm up because predators didn’t do that and he only conjugated (I’m not sure he understood the word) with lions.
So, anyway, your mind went exactly where it should!
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Oh okay! Whew, I thought I may have needed a therapist.
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Well, I can’t speak to that… but you were on-track about this!
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