One of the biggest impacts on your health is cardio. I’ve loved weight training my entire life, but in the past few years I’ve seen everyone act like that’s enough to optimize your health. Strength training is an amazing place to start but adding cardio to my training has taken my health and performance to new levels.
Three years ago, in my 30s, I scored a 47 on my VO2 max. The score was considered “fair”. As someone who was approaching my 40s, combined with a family history of heart disease, it was at that moment that I decided to change that.
Two years ago, I scored a 51 on my VO2 max. Last year, I scored 53.7. Both of these scores are considered superior but I have a goal of reaching a VO2 max of 60. For my 42nd birthday, I tested my VO2 max and scored 55.6.
This is my current cardio protocol – what I recommend to clients may differ based on their level of adherence:
Zone 2
🔘 90 minutes per week
🔘 Broken up into three 30-minute sessions
🔘 I prefer to ruck using a vest that’s approximately 20% of my body weight on a treadmill at a pace of 4mph
🔘 I keep my heart rate between 120-130bpm
🔘 I choose this modality because it’s minimally fatiguing for my legs. I absolutely love weight training and I train my legs every 4 days using very heavy weight – I don’t want my cardio to affect my ability to lift heavy.
Zone 4-5
🔘 35 minutes per week of HIIT
🔘 Broken up into two sessions of 1:1; one session of Norwegian Protocol
🔘 1:1 sessions are done on the SkiErg typically with 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off with an average watt of about 400
🔘 Norwegian Protocol is four rounds of 4-minutes with watts around 250 with a 3-minute rest break between each round
🔘 The goal is to get my heart rate into the 160s, 170s bpm
Sauna
🔘 100 minutes per week
🔘 Broken into four 25-minute sessions
🔘 When I’m using my home @SISU_sauna, I keep the temperature at 190 degrees
🔘 When I’m using saunas away from home, I keep the temperature around 175 degrees
🔘 Quickly after entering the sauna, my HR enters the 90s and escalates over time to the 130s
