Maximize Your Fitness With
Targeted Conditioning Training
"Conditioning is really nothing
more than how well you're able to
maintain your strength, speed, and
power over the course of a fight”
- Ultimate MMA Conditioning
While the fitness athlete isn't in a physical fight with an
opponent, we are fighting against the clock, the weight on the
barbell, or our body weight in gymnastics movements. The
constantly changing workout times, reps, loads, and
modalities mean that developing a robust conditioning
foundation is crucial to our progress in our sport.
This PDF will cover the foundations of energy systems
development for athletes wanting to improve their fitness for
CrossFit, Hyrox, and other functional fitness activities.
Build Your Engine Podcast Series:
Episode 1 - Rethinking Conditioning for Fitness Athletes
Episode 2 - How Energy Systems Drive Performance
Episode 3 - Conditioning WODs You Need to Train
Episode 4 - Wrist vs Chest Strap Heart Monitors
Part I – Energy Systems Overview
We need a basic understanding of the human body's energy
systems to best program conditioning work to maximize our
functional fitness performance. During activity, our body
relies on three different systems to create energy based on
the time and intensity of exercise:
Phosphagen, also known as the ATP-PC system
Anaerobic glycolytic system
Oxidative or aerobic system
These three systems can be divided into two subset
categories: the anaerobic, which does not rely on oxygen for
energy production, and aerobic, which requires oxygen to
produce energy.
The Phosphagen/ATP-PC system and the Glycolytic systems
can produce huge amounts of energy because they do not
rely on oxygen to produce ATP. Think of ATP as energy
currency. Their downside is that they can only produce these
high energy levels for a short time.
Fortunately, for longer-duration activities, our oxidative
system (aerobic system) can provide prolonged energy
production without fatigue, but at lower levels than the
anaerobic systems can because it relies on oxygen to
produce ATP.
The Phospagen / ATP-PC System
The ATP-PC system provides energy for short, high-intensity
activities lasting up to 10-15 seconds. It uses stored ATP and
phosphocreatine (PC) in muscles to produce energy quickly.
It's the fastest but least sustainable energy system, powering
activities like sprinting, jumping, or a single heavy lift.
Glycolytic System
The glycolytic system provides energy for moderate to high-
intensity activities lasting from 30 seconds to <2 minutes. It
breaks down glucose (stored as glycogen in muscles) to
produce ATP, but this process generates lactate, which can
cause muscle fatigue. This system works during efforts like
400m sprints or a set of high-rep weightlifting.
Aerobic or Oxidative System
The oxidative system is the primary energy source for low to
moderate-intensity activities lasting 2 minutes or longer. It
relies on oxygen to break down carbohydrates, fats, and
proteins for ATP production, making it slower but highly
sustainable. This system powers activities such as long-
distance running, cycling, or everyday endurance tasks.
Constant Collaboration
The ATP-PC, glycolytic, and oxidative systems are not
mutually exclusive; they often work simultaneously to provide
energy. While each system is dominant at different times
based on the intensity and duration of activity, they overlap
and support each other continuously.
When an activity starts, the body doesn't wait to decide which
system to use. All three systems kick in, but the proportion of
energy from each varies depending on the duration and
intensity of the activity.
For example, during a 200m sprint, the ATP-PC system
provides initial power, while the glycolytic system produces
ATP within seconds to sustain the effort. Meanwhile, the
oxidative system works in the background, even if it isn't the
primary energy source.
In a high-intensity workout like CrossFit, the ATP-PC system
powers the first few reps, the glycolytic system takes over for
sustained work in the middle of a set, and the oxidative
system helps with recovery between sets.
During a long-distance run, the oxidative system is the
primary source, but the ATP-PC and glycolytic systems still
contribute during bursts of speed or when tackling a hill.
Training across all three systems enhances overall energy
capacity. For instance, while the ATP-PC system might
primarily drive a short sprint, improved aerobic conditioning
(oxidative system) helps replenish phosphocreatine faster,
boosting performance in repeated sprints. This is why low-
intensity steady state that builds your aerobic base can be
extremely valuable for functional fitness activities.
Similarly, the glycolytic system can support brief anaerobic
bursts during more extended efforts, while the oxidative
system aids in clearing lactate buildup, preventing premature
fatigue.
In short, fitness athletes must develop all three energy
systems to maximize their performance in metcons.
Energy Systems Thresholds
Now that we understand the energy systems, we need to
understand two important thresholds.
The first is our Anaerobic Threshold, which is the exercise
intensity at which your body starts accumulating lactate in
the blood faster than it can be cleared. It's the tipping point
where aerobic metabolism shifts more toward anaerobic
metabolism and exercise intensity cannot be maintained
continually.
Image riding slowly on an exercise bike. Start at a pace you
know you can do for an hour. But every few minutes, you
increase the pace. Eventually, you will hit this anaerobic
threshold where fatigue starts accumulating, and you realize
you won't be able to continue that pace much longer. This
represents your anaerobic threshold.
Improving your anaerobic threshold you to maintain a higher
intensity for a longer duration without fatiguing.
The second threshold appreciate is your VO₂ Max, which is
the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during
intense exercise. It measures your aerobic capacity,
reflecting the maximum rate of oxygen consumption during
physical exertion.
A higher VO2 max enables athletes to perform at a high
intensity for more extended periods without fatiguing as
quickly.
With a higher VO2 max, the body becomes more efficient at
delivering oxygen to muscles, aiding quicker recovery
between exercises and intervals. This recovery is crucial in
CrossFit, where rapid transitions between exercises are
common.
A higher VO2 max allows a CrossFit athlete to perform better
in mixed-modality workouts, as it supports aerobic efforts
that can delay the onset of anaerobic fatigue.
CrossFit relies on powerful, explosive movements that often
require a mix of aerobic and anaerobic systems. A higher
VO2 max allows for more efficient oxygen use, so athletes
can produce greater power output for longer durations.
One of the best workouts to target your VO2 Max comes
from OG CrossFit coaching legend Kenny Kane, and it's:
Part A.
Row 500m as fast as you can. Record the time. Rest 2:1. So
if the row took your 1:30, rest 3:00.
Part B.
After the rest, row as many meters as possible in the time
that the 500m effort took you. Ideally, you are rowing 500m.
Rest 2:1 again.
Part C.
Finish the effort by rowing however many meters you got in
Part B for time. Ideally, you will be able to do 500m again.
Part II – Training Strategies to
Build Your Engine
Now that we understand the body's energy systems and their
function let's dive into how to train to improve our
performance.
Throughout this section we will refer to heart rate zones as
we discuss training intensities. Refer to this chart for a visual
of the zones we reference.
Strategy 1: Aerobic Pace Building
Zone 2 cardio, or low-intensity steady-state cardio, is the area
most fitness athletes spend the least time training. This is
relatively easy work that can be sustained for an extended
period of time but has a few significant benefits:
An increase in the density of mitochondria in the muscle
cell, which is the part of the cell that makes energy.
Increases heart efficiency by enlarging the left ventricle
of the heart. This allows the heart to pump more blood
with each heartbeat.
Programming Zone 2 work:
Once or twice weekly workouts lasting 30-90 minutes
Start lower on the time domain and increase by 10-
20% per session.
Exercise at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate
There are many calculators online, but a simple
formula is:
(220 – age) x 60%-70% = your Zone 2 heart rate
Using your heart rate to track requires the use of a
heart rate monitor strap such as this Polar monitor.
You can also perform Zone 2 cardio by following the "talk
test." For the talk test, keep your intensity at a level that
would allow you to talk to another athlete while
performing, although you will still sound a little breathy
during your exercise.
Aerobic Pace Example workout:
AMRAP 40 (while controlling intensity to stay in the
above-mentioned heart rate zone):
400m Row
200m Run
100m Farmers Carry 53/35s
Tempo Zone
This zone is where CrossFit athletes should, and probably
already do, spend most of their time. This is the higher end of
the Zone 3 heart rate, and athletes will be able to consistently
do a lot of work for an extended period of time without
blowing up.
If you are doing regular CrossFit-style metcons, you are
already getting a lot of training in this 80-85% maximal heart
rate, so you may not need accessory Tempo Zone work.
Example WOD "Kelly":
Five rounds for time of
400m Run
30 Box Jumps
30 Wall Balls
Threshold Work (AET)
Now, we are training at 85-88% of maximal effort, just below
our lactate threshold. This is also known as speed endurance
and is the maximum amount of work that can be done while
still in the oxidative energy system.
It's also the theoretical metabolic balance point of fuel
utilization between fat & carbohydrate. At AET, you're at the
highest power you can sustain while burning equal parts fat
& carbohydrate fuel sources. In other words, you're
maximizing your power while still utilizing at least 50% fat for
fuel. Go beyond this threshold, and you begin to burn more
sugars than fat; go below this threshold, and fat utilization
goes up, and carbohydrate utilization goes down. This zone
is the area right below your VO2 max. You can sustain work
here for roughly 20 minutes.
We train this by finding your threshold and working out just
below it. We then build up work periods over time.
To determine your threshold, perform a 20-minute max effort
bike and record your average watts. Then multiply that
number by .95 for your threshold power (FTP).
Then, we will train just below that threshold.
For example:
Two rounds of 10 minutes at 100% percentage of your
threshold power (FTP).
Rest for 5 minutes between rounds
Each week, increase the time duration by 10-20%.
Zone 5
We are training at 90% or greater of your maximum heart
rate. This intensity is where we'll see Vo2max adaptations –
maximizing the amount of oxygen your body can utilize
during intense exercise.
Initially, athletes will need to start with short work intervals
with a relatively longer rest period.
Example WOD:
On the Echo Bike
4x 1:00 All out, 1:00 rest
Progression: Each week for 3 weeks add 1:00 to the work
duration and 1:00 to the rest duration. Keep increasing until
you are at 4:00 of work at 100% of your power output and
4:00 of rest for four rounds. Then re-test your VO2 Max.
If you’re ready to put this knowledge into action and make serious
gains, it's time to level up with our Build Your Engine programs.
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You choose the modality, and we’ve got a specific program to help
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Build Your Engine: Running Edition
Develop the perfect blend of speed and endurance for running,
designed to improve your work capacity and race performance.
Or bundle all 3 programs together for big savings!
Whether you’re a beginner looking to build your base or an
experienced athlete aiming for PRs, these programs will help you
break plateaus and build the engine you need to excel in CrossFit.
Are you ready to go beyond the basics and crush your conditioning
goals?
Check out all of our conditioning programs at
PerformancePlusProgramming.com
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