Coaches Corner With Carl Hardwick: Use Tough Aerobic Work To Improve Vitality

Tough aerobic work isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it can lead to profound health and fitness benefits that last a lifetime

We are now at our third, and final, characteristic that should be included in every training program, and we advance to the upper limits of aerobic training: tough aerobic work. In our previous articles, we discussed the fundamentals of resistance training and easy aerobic work, setting the foundation for overall health and fitness. Now, we will explore the challenging, yet rewarding, world of tough aerobic training.

Slow and Enduring to Fast and Powerful

The shift from easy to tough aerobic work is like changing gears in a car. We move from a sustainable, conversational pace to a higher intensity that challenges our cardiovascular, muscular and respiratory systems. Remember, though, that this progression should be earned, not rushed into.

Tough aerobic work plays a significant role in improving aerobic capacity and is a key determinant of endurance and overall fitness. This improvement is closely associated with VO2 max, a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen an individual can use during intense exercise. In other words, it’s a solid assessment of total aerobic capacity.

Heart Health and Aerobic Capacity

More intense aerobic work provides robust stimuli to the heart, encouraging it to pump more efficiently. With each heartbeat, more blood is pumped (increased stroke volume), leading to an overall rise in the volume of blood circulated per minute (increased cardiac output). This efficiency translates into enhanced oxygen delivery to the muscles, fueling energy production and facilitating high-intensity activity.

As we progress in our aerobic training, there’s a tangible improvement in aerobic capacity and, consequently, VO2 max. This level of adaptation, however, doesn’t come easy—it requires consistency, dedication, not digging too deep, too often, and an appropriate training program.

Building Up to High Intensity

Before diving into tough aerobic work, it’s recommended that you spend time going through a full long-to-short progression to learn your aerobic gears and build a solid aerobic foundation. 

This is where OPEX’s Maximum Aerobic Power (MAP) Continuum comes in. It’s a progressive aerobic model specifically designed to steadily improve an individual’s maximal aerobic power, progressing from MAP 10 (longer, lower intensity) to MAP 1 (shorter, high intensity). Tough aerobic work begins at around the MAP 6 point of the continuum.

We use 8 weeks per MAP level as a starting point to allow the client to learn their gears, starting at MAP 9, as MAP 10 is simply performing easy zone 1 activities like going for a walk. As the individual becomes accustomed to a particular level of intensity and duration, you can gradually elevate the intensity of the aerobic work by advancing the client down the MAP continuum.

Throughout this process, it’s critical to closely monitor the ability to sustain the set paces.

As your client progresses through the aerobic continuum, the training will transition from long and easy to short and powerful around the MAP 6 part, thereby achieving the ultimate goal of tough aerobic work. This is the essence of the MAP continuum, ensuring a safe, structured and effective progression towards high-intensity aerobic conditioning.

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Although aerobic capacity, measured by VO2 max, tends to decrease by an average of 10% per decade, and over 15% per decade after the age of 50, research has shown that it can always be improved by training, regardless of age.

Progression: From Cyclical to Mixed

Just as we discussed in the easy aerobic work blog, the transition from cyclical to mixed cyclical, and ultimately to mixed exercise modalities, should be utilized for tough aerobic work. This progression not only adds variety to your workout but also challenges your body in different ways, promoting overall fitness and conditioning.

Tough aerobic work is not for the faint-hearted—it’s challenging, intense, and demands commitment. However, it’s this very type of training that can lead to profound health benefits and significant improvements in fitness levels. Once you’ve worked up to being able to perform tough aerobic work, I recommend performing this work one time per week.

Tough aerobic work isn’t just about pushing your body, it’s about challenging your mind, too, by performing, adapting to and recovering from something challenging.

Next week’s column: Implementing Individual Design in a Group Gym

Carl Hardwick, CEO of OPEX Fitness & CoachRx, is a strong advocate for bringing honor to the coaching profession and raising the value of all fitness coaches. He lectures frequently about program design, business systems, and building a sustainable coaching career. Follow him on Instagram @hardwickcarl and OPEX Fitness on YouTube