The pendulum is swinging.
In the 80’s cardiovascular training was IT.
Then it was circuit training.
Then then there was strength training.
Then cross fit, which is kinda circuit training with heavy weights right?
Now (or at least until the other weekend) it’s movement. Which is as yet undefined but seems to involve handstands and crawling.
Were any of these phases/fads/fashions wrong?
Nope
Were they right?
Ah…that’s a bit more complicated.
They all tell a part of the story of fitness.
Yes we need cardiovascular fitness, but we also need to be strong.
We need to be able to work at a high intensity (circuit training) but we also need to move well.
No one part beats any other part.
But how can we prioritise them in order to work on them?
In the long term/big picture it’s simple:
Move well – develop cardio – build strength – build high intensity work capacity
In that order.
But what if you’re already training?
That’s where a good, honest needs analysis comes in.
Do you move well?
How’s your cardio?
Are you strong enough?
Any area that is below par is where your training needs to focus on.
So the 80’s phenomenon of cardiovascular training is back! It should never have gone away in the first place, and over the next few blogs I’ll explore the various ways in which we can build cardio.
And also why “lifting weights faster” really isn’t the answer.
Blogs are a touch intermittent at the moment simply due to my client workload, but there’s a series in my my head that needs to get written titled “In defense of Cardio”
Make sure you’re subscribed so as to.not miss this.
And if you’re not sure if you’re moving well, that is what our Anatomy in Motion assessments are all about, more on them here: http://wg-fit.com/wp/postural-assessment/
Regards
Dave Hedges
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