F*ck your science based cardio routine
Stop overcomplicating your cardio, just do this instead
Science based workout routines have become wildly popular these last couple of years because of people like Andrew Huberman, Peter Attia and other fitness influencers.
We’ve become obsessed with hyper optimizing all aspects of our life, including our cardio routine. If it’s not the perfect, 100% scientifically accurate zone 2 + norwegian 4x4 method, why do it?
At least, that’s what I thought a couple years ago. I got into the whole science based workout and health advice, and adopted what I believed was the perfect cardio routine.
Zone 2 three times per week for a total of about 3-4 hours
Norwegian 4x4 once per week
Walking for recovery
This would give me the improvements I needed in both my aerobic base and my vo2 max. And it worked. I improved my vo2 max from the low 40’s to the mid 50’s in under a year. Pretty amazing right?
Maybe except for the fact that it was the most boring f*cking routine I have ever tried. And that’s my point with this post. Why do some boring ass cardio routine when you can get pretty much the same results just winging it and doing the cardio you actually like?
After sitting on the indoor bike trainer doing my zone 2 for over a year I just said f*ck it, quit, and started just doing the cardio I actually enjoyed.
Playing basketball, surfing, sprinting up hills, hiking through beautiful nature, playing golf, padel tennis, plain old walks, the occasional martial arts session and so on.
I also wanna argue that you actually get better results in the long term following a routine like this, and let me explain why.
Yes, on paper the whole science based routine might be better at improving your vo2 max, but that doesn’t account for a couple of things. First up, consistency. In the long run you are much more likely to stick to a routine you actually enjoy. Second of all, having fun is also important for longevity. Depressed people die earlier, just saying.
You might come at me with the whole “just use discipline bro”. Yeah cool, but talk to me in 40 years and we will see if you’re still doing your science based routine.
Besides, my vo2 max is pretty much the same as it was when I was doing the repetitive, boring ass science based routine, and I don’t even follow a schedule anymore. I just wing it. Hit up some friends for a golf session cause the weather is nice. Go for a sprint to get my heart rate a little higher. Maybe some basketball today. You get the picture.
All this science based stuff is kinda gay. Sitting there on the indoor trainer making sure I am pushing the exact watts I need to stay in the exact fat burning zone. Sure, if you’re a professional athlete you might need that to crank out the last bit of performance but most people aren’t. Most people aren’t training for all out performance, they’re just training for health and longevity. And for that, you don’t need some perfectly optimized routine.
Cardio actually becomes fun, something you look forward to, instead of something you feel like you just gotta do to stay healthy. And btw, I ain’t saying to quit running or cycling or whatever. If you actually enjoy those forms of cardio, great, keep doing them.
I go for the occasional jog as well, nothing wrong with that, but doing it just because you feel like you need to, that’s when you gotta switch it up.
So find out what sports/forms of cardio you enjoy and start incorporating them into your workout routine.
There’s also another point to prioritizing sports and these more dynamic forms of cardio over these zone 2 sessions and HIIT sessions. You get cardio, coordination, social interactions and competition all in one.
Sports generally also tend to be more self motivating. When you see yourself getting better at climbing, playing basketball or whatever, you keep coming back. You don’t really get that by going on a run in my opinion. It’s kinda the same every time.
That’s the rant for the week lol. Do whatever you want.
Thanks for reading and godspeed fellas.
— Kasper Veritas