A physician buddy asked me whether the general population should focus on cardio or lifting — and I wanted to share my answer with you. In this solo cast, I break down why cardio and resistance training produce different adaptations, offer my go-to weekly framework for getting started, and talk about zone two training, high-intensity intervals, VO2 max assessments, and why compliance beats the perfect program every time. Plus, the Flexible Meathead Cardio Course is open for enrollment through Wednesday.

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Enroll in the Flexible Meathead Cardio course. Enrollment ends Wednesday, April 1, at midnight PST.

https://miket.me/cardio

Available now:

Grab a copy of the Triphasic Training II book I co-wrote with Cal Deitz here.

Episode Chapters:

01:11 The Cardio vs Lifting Question
01:29 Research Case for Lifting
03:02 Short Answer Do Both
03:34 Context Matters and Zone 2
04:24 Compliance and Daily Steps
04:57 Can Lifting Improve Cardio
06:23 Simple Weekly Training Split
07:29 Adding HIIT for VO2
10:16 Assessing VO2 Max Baseline
12:13 Limits of Metcon for Cardio
14:14 Practical Template and Retesting
15:45 Zone 2 Nuance and Wrap Up

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Episode 365: Cardio vs. Lifting: Which Should You Prioritize for Health? A short solo update.