When you need to get your cardiovascular system on-line in a hurry, here’s something worth doing. But be warned: while it won’t feel like much for your joints or muscles, it’s not for the faint of heart!

Uh-oh

I have to recertify the infamous snatch test every two years. This time, due to slow recovery from an injury, I’d prepared by doing a timed 1K row most days. It’s a similar timeframe, and I’d managed to shave a good 40 seconds off over a few weeks, even hitting a lifetime PR. (4:29.5, if you’re interested.)

I did what should have been a quick check five days beforehand to make sure I felt okay about pacing…and came nowhere near what I needed. 60 of the necessary 100, to be exact. Turns out my shoulder was fine by now; it was all about the lungs.

Gulp.

Moving into the mindset of not “if” but “how,” I checked my BOLT number the next morning upon awakening…and it was terrible. Weird! But good information at least, and something I could work with.

For context, I’d already done a deep dive into the past into the power of the exhale. For a LOT of info on that, click here.

And here’s the TLDR: More time spent exhaling = better tolerance to CO2 for improved ability to use existing oxygen within the organism – not to mention a calmer nervous system.

Thing is, as with most gains, it’s usually best to get there in a gentle and progressive manner. I didn’t have that luxury.

So here comes the part that’s not for the faint of heart. I hightailed it to a commercial gym, and spent 20 minutes walking on an uphill treadmill at full incline, aiming for exhales that were at least six counts long for each one-count inhale. Headphones with my own music blasting helped take away some of the pain, but there’s no way to call it anything but a very nasty time. This was about trying to stay parasympathetic in the face of extreme discomfort.

Result?

It worked. I finished my snatch test with a good 20 seconds to spare. Granted, it wasn’t pleasant, but then again TBH it never is anyway 😉

If you need help working on your own cardio — but this time, with a far more progressive approach — please be in touch!