cardio output

[sysopt]

What's the optimal way to increase cardio output?

[Dark Eternal]

Fartlek

[sysopt]

bump for the masterminds

[PowerManDL]

What do you mean by "output"?

[sysopt]

Sorta like maximum hypertrophy and optimum hypertrophy. Powerlifters seek optimum hypertrophy by using lower reps to optimize intramuscular coordination and strength....bodybuilders want maximum hypertrophy to get as large as possible by using higher reps although I dont quite understand that yet. My question what kind of aerobic workout would one do to optimize cardio output. Making the heart larger increases its demands for o2 which I believe is not ideal. An analogy is an automobile engine. Making it larger doesnt make it more efficient, but, say, reducing friction would decrease losses and make it more efficient.

[PowerManDL]

Well, that's kinda a complicated question. I need to know some specific performance goals, since "output" is really general and dependent on a lot of factors.

Give me some examples of things you'd like to do with "improved output."

[sysopt]

I'm not sure....let's start off with what effects cardio output. Any links where I could read about it?

[PowerManDL]

Main things are the cardiopulmonary issues and the muscular endurance issues.

Cardiopulmonary deals with the action of your heart and lungs, specifically stroke volume, heart rate, and VO2 max. In other words, how efficiently your lungs can process O2, and how efficiently your heart gets blood through your body.

The muscular endurance angle is how well your muscles are adapted to aerobic metabolism, which is a function of ST fibers and specific aerobic adaptations to all the fibers. This can also carry over into the anaerobic/lactate threshold as well, w/o becoming truly aerobic.

For the cardiopulmonary factors, anything that stresses heightened activity of those systems will work. This can be anything from a distance run to 10 minutes of fartlek. This will be highly specific to what you wish to accomplish.

Muscular endurance, as well, can be trained with endurance work or with lactate-threshold work. As with the cardiopulmonary adaptations, the development of these qualities are highly specific to your goals.