If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you’ve heard me gripe about the people who try to overcomplicate fitness.
I.e., most of the internet.
I find it annoying because it creates a barrier to entry for people who really just need to get started in whatever goal they’re trying to pursue.
For most people, “just getting started” is one of the hardest parts.
So when someone tells you that you need a 103-page instruction manual to even unlock the door, it becomes a really good reason not to even go to the house.
This is why I try to keep things simple.
Most of us would do much better if we just. kept. things. simple.
Now if you’re a college athlete who’s trying to win nationals…
Or a professional runner who needs to win Boston to make your paycheck…
Or someone who’s dealing with a chronic injury…
The details probably matter a lot more.
But for most of us, we can do really well by just “failing forward.”
And it’s not even that it’s failing, but that can be a helpful way to think about it for someone like me – a person who has some significant tendencies towards perfectionism.
If you just get out there and try hard, you can make a ton of progress before you really even figure out what’s going on.
And I forgot that for a long time.
I got so caught up in trying to “do it right” that I ended up avoiding doing it at all.
Then I wondered why I wasn’t really making any progress.
Let’s look at something like a VO2 Max workout…
In case you need the reminder, VO2 Max is a measure of your top-end cardiovascular abilities.
For a lot of people, it’s a huge limiter and we would do better to spend a little more time training it.
Now, here’s where things get… tricky.
When we look at professional athletes, it’s damn-near impossible to intentionally improve their VO2 Max.
Is it because the training doesn’t work?
No.
It’s because they’re already so damn good that they’ve basically tapped out their genetic potential.
If you’re running (or cycling or rowing or cross-country skiing or insert other cardiovascular activity here) at such a high level that someone is paying you to do it…
Then you’re already very close to maximizing your oxygen capacity.
That’s just not true for the rest of us.
Most of us aren’t anywhere close to maximizing our ability to use oxygen during activity and we would do a lot better if we spent a little more time pushing that barrier.
So how do we do this?
Simple.
Do intervals where you feel like you’re going to die.
Warm up for 10-15 minutes.
Push hard for 3-5 minutes – and when I say “push hard” I mean so hard that you can’t really breathe well. You really have to target the ability to intake oxygen.
Recover for 2-3 minutes – if you did the interval correctly, then walking for at least some of this time might be a good call.
Repeat 3-5 times.
Do that every week or two.
If you do that, I can pretty much guarantee two things.
1 – It will be hard.
It should always feel hard.
If it doesn’t feel hard, then you’re not pushing hard enough.
This is one of those things where it doesn’t ever feel easier; you just get faster and better at mentally dealing with that particular variety of suck.
2 – You will see improvements.
If you don’t do a lot of intense cardiovascular work and you start doing intense cardiovascular work…
You will get better.
Now, one HUGE caveat.
You have to be physically capable and ready to work really hard at whatever activity you’re planning to do.
If you have some kind of hamstring tear or Achilles tendon rupture, then now’s not the time to start this kind of training.
Heal first, then start to introduce intensity.
If you’ve only been running for a month, then your running form probably isn’t good enough yet to really warrant VO2 intervals while running.
It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it, but it likely means we should pick a lower-impact methodology – like the bike or the stair stepper.
But if you’re both sufficiently uninjured and acceptably skillful at the activity you’re trying to do…
Then this will almost certainly help you create some improvements.
Training doesn’t have to be complicated.
You can get great results with simple work.
You just have to do it consistently and do it well.
If you have any questions, send me a message and I’d be happy to chat.