“Cardio” is a constantly overused term in the fitness industry. Millions of people every year hit the treadmills, elliptical machines, or stationary bikes trying to lose weight or get in shape. They put in mile after mile, running in place, going nowhere. Do. Not. Do. That.
IF NOT “CARDIO,” WHAT SHOULD I DO?
First… walk.
As humans, we are the benefactors of 4 million years of evolution geared towards spending most of the day on our feet walking around. But in the last couple of generations, that’s been replaced by sitting down for 6+ (often 12+) hours per day.
Fix that by getting out and walking.
- Take a walk in the morning when you wake up.
- Take a walk after dinner.
- Park further away and walk to work or the store.
Whatever you do, just get out and get moving. If you want to do more like rucking with a weighted pack, go for it. But at the minimum, aim for 30+ minutes per day walking.
TECHNIQUE, SKILL, AND SPEED
Going beyond basic walking, living the Gentlman Spy lifestyle means being able to move as efficiently as possible in any environment. That means running and swimming.
You don’t build functional ability by running or spinning in place in the gym. You need to get out in the real world, doing workouts that produce real results.
- Run outside, on the street, on the trails, in the grass, on the beach, wherever.
- If you’re a cyclist, you need to get off the trainer and ride on the roads or trails.
- Whenever possible, get out of the pool and swim in open water: the ocean, the lake, a river, etc.
In both running and swimming, you will focus on technique and speed, with just a bit of endurance work thrown in. Additional skill work is important, and you will want to learn the basics of parkour, climbing, and confidence skills in the water.
Strength training (either bodyweight or barbell), especially in the beginning, must make up the bulk of your workouts. But the ability to move through your environment efficiently is important, so you’ll want two “cardio” workouts per week – one dedicated to speed, and the other more oriented towards endurance.
QUICK-START GUIDE:
Specific programming is included inside the full Gentleman Spy program.
Start today by focusing on technique:
- The Pose Method will fix your running, and
- Total Immersion is the gold standard when it comes to learning to swim and swim training.
When you’re ready to take the next steps and want detailed information and workouts…