Dr. Raymond’s “Perfect Program” for “Incidental Cardio”
https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-maximorum-e/I recently flew home from Miami after teaching with my friend Karen Smith, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor, at our day-and-a-half “Late For Your Own Funeral Anti-Aging Strength Lab.”
We all had a blast.
Attendees came from all over – New York, California, Canada, and places in between. It was so cool to place faces with email addresses.
The only problem was the weather.
A massive winter storm blanketed much of the middle and eastern US.
And if you were hit by the snow and ice, you know.
My first flight was delayed for 3.5 hours because the plane came from New York, which was hit pretty badly with snow and ice.
At one point, I had 10 minutes to make a deadline and get from one point in the airport to another.
So, I had to do the UNTHINKABLE.
I had to RUN.
For a whole 6 or 7 minutes.
Now, if you’ve read my newsletter or watched these videos for any length of time, you know that I HATE running.
Not that I think it’s “bad” or “no good” – it’s just that it caused me so much pain for so long, I have somewhat of a negative association with it.
And it’s not just that I ran.
I had to run with my pack on my back – about 35 to 40 pounds – maybe more – I didn’t weigh it. (The TSA lady struggled with it though.)
And you know what?
I was breathing a little bit.
But I wasn’t “out of breath” or “sucking wind.”
Sure, my heart rate was elevated.
But that’s about it.
Now here’s the KICKER:
I don’t train my “cardio.”
I train for maximum strength, power, and power endurance.
And as a result?
I get what we called in the early years of the Kettlebell Revolution – “Incidental Cardio.”
That’s where your cardiopulmonary / cardiorespiratory function improves (and therefore your health), as a result of your kettlebell training.
But it’s a specific kind of training.
It’s not the “get your heart rate so high and keep it there where you can hear your heart beating in your ears and feel it in your temples or behind your eyes” kind of training.
No, doing that all the time can be dangerous for your heart health.
Like “Widow-maker” heart attack dangerous.
That’s how a lot of guys interpret HIIT – High Intenstiy Interval Training.
Me?
I don’t do any HIIT.
I primarily train the double KB Clean + Press in the 1 to 6 rep range for 20 to 30 minutes.
Throw in some Lunges, Squats, Chins, and Dips.
Maybe some KB Snatches too.
And I’m in business.
Am I going to win any marathons?
Absolutely not.
Nor do I care to.
But my heart health is great – resting heart rate is in the high 40s / low 50s depending on my stress levels.
My joints no longer hurt. (25 years of chronic knee pain is a thing of the past!)
I recover quickly when I have to exert myself, so I’m not going to drop dead while shoveling snow or whatever.
Honestly, it’s shocking how well you can improve your health and therefore your life simply by engaging in appropriately programmed kettlebell training.
Raymond, a 70-year old physician from California who attended our “Anti-Aging Strength Lab” that weekend, says it’s the training “perfect program.”
And he’s got “GUNZ” that would make a 20-year old jealous. And he looks 50.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.