Conditioning

Conditioning

            Everyone knows that cardio is important, but there is a big difference between cardio and conditioning.  Cardio is just slow long movement and exercise to increase heart rate and burn calories through sweat.  Cardio is great for all weightlifters to lose fat and to support overall health.  Conditioning, on the other hand, is consistent cardio with long intense exercise usually with a lot more sweat and work than just regular cardio.  This post will be discussing the comparison of conditioning with cardio and the benefits of conditioning.

            One way to look at it is that cardio is great and can really help you to shed off fat, and conditioning is the intense version of cardio that works twice as good.  Cardio can be anything from jogging on the treadmill for a half an hour, to light weight training with countless reps and fast heart rate.  Conditioning is more hard core than that.  Conditioning is like martial arts, sprints in track, or boxing.  Cardio makes it hard to catch your breath and you need a towel wipe up your sweat, conditioning makes it so you can barely breath and you can’t see from all the sweat pouring over you.

            So the obvious benefit from conditioning is that you can lose weight a lot faster than from just regular cardio because of the intensity of the exercising.  But also because of all the extra sweating that comes from conditioning means that you will become less affected by strenuous exercise.  Another benefit is that from all the sweat, your immune system gets strengthened and all the toxins from the foods you eat are being cleansed.  Also because of the intense workout from conditioning, your general health will increase tremendously and you will feel better, gain confidence and lose cravings for junk food, which by itself is better for you.  You can do your conditioning just once to twice a week which I feel can be perfectly filled up with either a martial art or boxing.  Martial arts works great because not only are you getting that great conditioning you need, but you also learn self defense and it’s also a great way to meet new people you probably wouldn’t have met anywhere else.  Along with that you get taught discipline and most martial arts require exercise and long warm-up times. 

            So if you had the opportunity to condition your body on a regular basis, it would be a great idea to do so.  Increased health, cleansed toxins, and overall rejuvenation are all products of conditioning.  Remember, we’re all in this together, keep your stick on the ice.