My Top 3 Conditioning Methods

Proven training methods and heart rate training strategies that deliver results.

By Joel Jamieson

In 1895, an Italian economist named Vilfredo Paretto noticed something fascinating. Legend has it that he was in his garden when he noticed that only 20% of his pea plants were generating 80% of the healthy pea pods.

This got Paretto thinking about the concept of distribution and the relationship between cause and effect.

Being an economist, he naturally started digging into statistics on wealth distribution in Italy. Oddly enough, he found that 20% of the population owned 80% of the country's wealth. To his surprise, the ratio still held true when Paretto analyzed other countries across the globe.

Allegedly, this is how the 80/20 rule, also known as the Paretto Principle, was born. The principle describes how most of the results (or outputs) often come from a relatively small amount of the total work (or inputs).

We can see the 80/20 rule at work when we look at programming.

In my experience, at least 80% of the results people see from a program depend on one simple thing: the training methods they used.

People often get caught up in all the details of programmingwhich exercises to do, how many sets and reps, what weight to use, etc.but the truth is that those aren't real difference-makers.

The methods you choose have the biggest impact on results by far. I'm not saying that exercises don't matter, but the underlying methods are where the real magic is (and are the most important).

This is why today I want to share my Top 3 Conditioning Methods with you. I've come back to them over and over again, no matter who I'm working with.

They don't require special equipment, they're easy to coach, and most importantly, they consistently produce great results.

Let's get started by looking at Cardiac Output.

Cardiac Output

You may have also heard the cardiac output method referred to as “Low-Intensity, Steady-State Training.” And you may not have warm, fuzzy feelings toward it. This method has gotten a bad rap for being boring and causing repetitive stress injuries by overdoing a single exercise.

When it’s done properly, it can develop the aerobic energy system while training energy control at low levels of exertion.

So, how can you use it to make your clients’ conditioning more effective—without making them hate their workouts?

The key is to use heart rate training. Even better, personalized heart rate training is the real difference-maker.

In this video, you’ll see me using Morpheus, an exciting new technology I created to connect recovery to conditioning. Each day, Morpheus calculates three different heart rate zones built around recovery, conditioning and maximum performance.

This type of personalized heart rate training will people engaged by giving them specific heart rates to maintain. Even better, it works to teach them how to control their energy expenditure more effectively.

This is a huge part of conditioning that's often completely overlooked.

Get Morpheus for FREE

In the last year, Morpheus has become such an invaluable tool in improving both recovery and conditioning that I decided to include a Morpheus system for free when you register for the BioForce Conditioning Certification.

Adding Morpheus into your training to deliver truly personalized programming is the future of training and it can give you a huge advantage over other coaches. That's because it's the only true way to help people connect their lifestyle outside the gym to what they need to be doing each day inside the gym.

This is what personalized coaching is all about and it's the key to helping people transform their conditioning and get the win.

When you register for the Certification, you'll get your own Morpheus system ($147 value) at no extra cost. I'm even hard at work on a coaching platform called The GRID that you can learn more about by clicking here

How to do the cardiac output method:

  1. Aim for a heart rate range between 130-150 bpm (a conversational pace)
  2. Use a variety of exercises and movement patterns to prevent overuse injuries
  3. Use breathing, pacing, and movement control to keep heart rate in the right range

Example exercises include:

  • Sandbag curls
  • Jumping rope
  • Medicine ball throws
  • Running
  • Jumping jacks
  • VersaClimber
  • Biking, etc.

These exercises should only provide low-to-moderate resistance to prevent overexertion.

High Resistance Intervals

The key to performing this exercise is to add resistance (as the name implies) to your intervals. The easiest way to do this indoors is by inclining on a treadmill (between a 10-15% grade).

As with the cardiac output method, it’s important to use heart rate feedback. This will ensure your clients adequately recover between each interval.

How to do the high resistance interval method:

  1. Go for 5 seconds at 100% intensity
  2. Actively recover until heart rate decreases to 130-140 bpm
  3. Repeat until a target time (10-20 minutes) has lapsed
  4. Record the number of reps completed

As your clients’ conditioning improves, use the number of reps they complete during a specific time as a measuring stick of improvement.

This interval will help your clients maintain their speed and power across many repetitions by making their fast-twitch muscle fibers more oxidative and aerobic. It will also train dynamic energy control, so they can learn to recover quickly between periods of exertion.

You can also do high resistance intervals using a:

  • Bike
  • VersaClimber
  • Medicine ball, etc.

Explosive Repeats

The goal of this method is to develop your clients’ ability to be explosive over and over again.

How to do the explosive repeat method:

  1. Perform as many explosive reps with perfect technique as possible over 8-15 seconds
  2. Recover passively or actively (if someone has a higher level of conditioning) for 40-60 seconds
  3. Monitor heart rate recovery after each set to gauge improvement over time
  4. Repeat until the client can no longer complete the same number of reps (or within 1 rep) during the 8-15 second work period—or until their technique degrades

As someone’s conditioning improves, they’ll be able to complete progressively more sets while maintaining proper technique.

It’s best to target the upper and lower body separately when your clients do explosive repeat exercises.

For example, they might do kettle bell jumps from the ground to target their lower body and explosive push-ups or medicine ball throws to target their upper body.

One last thing...

These are the methods I use most often with my clients and athletes, since they effectively train different, crucial aspects of conditioning. While this covers the basics (and is enough to help you start seeing impressive results), I want to show you all of best my conditioning methods inside my online Conditioning Coach Certification.

As a reminder, you’re going to receive a private invitation to register for the conditioning cert before I open it up to the public in May—this is a special offer I’m extending because you’re taking the time to learn right now.

And that’s makes you exactly of the kind of person I want in my certification: a highly-motivated, self-driven coach who’s hungry to master the science and application of conditioning.

And I think you’ll find you’re in good company. You’ll get to see for yourself when you attend the annual live Seattle Workshop this September, which is free to all my certified coaches.

In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about your private registration (coming soon):

  • You’ll get $200 off the course registration price
  • You'll get your very own Morpheus system at no extra cost ($147 value)
  • You’ll get instant access to all online course materials and a 200+ page workbook shipped to your door
  • You’ll be welcomed into the private Facebook community of certified coaches so you can immediately start swapping ideas about training, programming, etc.
  • You’ll automatically receive an invite to the free September workshop so I can meet you in person and answer your questions

So, keep an eye out for your private registration email from me coming soon.

-Joel