Stop Dreading the Treadmill: Sustainable Cardio Tips for Strength Athletes
By Tessa — Lifting heavy and lifting you up. Strength is the whole personality. ·
Cardio: The Necessary Evil or Just Misunderstood?
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know my heart belongs to the barbell. There is nothing—and I mean nothing—that beats the feeling of a heavy squat PR. But here in Denver, where half the population seems to be training for an ultra-marathon while drinking artisanal coffee, I get asked about cardio constantly. Usually, the question comes from a place of dread: “Tessa, do I have to do cardio? Because I hate it.”
Look, I get it. I used to think cardio was just a way to lose gains or a punishment for eating an extra slice of pizza. But after I started incorporating intentional heart-rate work into my powerlifting prep, my recovery time plummeted and my training sessions felt less like death-marches. Turns out, your heart is a muscle, too. If you want to move heavy weight, you need a pump that can keep up.
Rethinking Your Relationship with Heart Rate
Most people approach cardio like it’s a chore. They hop on a treadmill, set it to a speed that makes them want to cry, and stare at the wall for thirty minutes. No wonder you hate it! If you approach your lifting that way—just mindless reps until your soul leaves your body—you wouldn’t love lifting either.
Cardio isn’t just long-distance running. For us strength athletes, it’s about 'General Physical Preparedness' (GPP). You want to be able to finish a set of heavy deadlifts without feeling like you need a nap for three business days. That’s where smart cardio comes in.
1. The 'Barbell' Rule: Make It Functional
My golden retriever, Barbell, doesn’t go for “cardio.” He goes for walks, he chases tennis balls, and he wrestles with his giant stuffed sloth. He moves because it’s fun. You need to find movement that doesn’t feel like a prison sentence.
If you hate the treadmill, get off it. Seriously. Try a heavy sled push, battle ropes, or even just incline walking while listening to a podcast you actually enjoy. The goal is to elevate your heart rate to a zone where you can still hold a conversation but you’re definitely sweating. If you’re gasping for air and seeing spots, you’re training your metabolic system, sure, but you’re also spiking your cortisol levels, which is the last thing we need when we’re trying to build strength.
2. Keep It Brief and Intense (Or Long and Chill)
I’m a fan of two types of cardio: the 'Get It Done' and the 'Active Recovery.'
For 'Get It Done,' think 10 to 15 minutes of intervals at the end of your lifting session. Use an Assault Bike or a rower. Go hard for 30 seconds, recover for 60. Do that ten times, and you’re done. It builds that explosive capacity without eating into your recovery time for your next squat day.
For 'Active Recovery,' think of low-intensity steady-state (LISS) work. Go for a hike in the foothills, take a brisk walk with your dog, or find a bike trail. This should be so easy that you could talk on the phone if you wanted to. This helps flush out metabolic waste and gets blood flowing to those sore muscles without adding extra strain on your central nervous system.
3. Stop Trying to 'Out-Train' a Bad Diet
This is the part where I get real with you. A lot of people use cardio as a way to burn calories so they can indulge later. I’ve been there—I’ve definitely tried to justify a giant burrito with an extra hour on the stair climber. It never works. It just leads to burnout and, eventually, an injury because you’re tired and your form starts to suffer.
Use your cardio to improve your performance, not to balance a spreadsheet of calories. When your goal is to be a better athlete, your relationship with movement shifts from 'punishment' to 'investment.' You’re investing in your heart health so you can keep lifting heavy well into your 40s, 50s, and beyond.
4. Don’t Let Cardio Steal Your Gains
Timing matters. If you go for a five-mile run right before you’re supposed to hit a heavy squat session, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Your CNS will be fried, and your legs will be shaky.
Try to separate your cardio and your lifting by at least a few hours, or better yet, do your cardio on your off days. If you only have time on lifting days, do your heavy compound movements first, then save the heart-rate work for the end. Your priority is the iron; everything else is just support.
Final Thoughts: Be Kind to Yourself
Listen, if you miss a cardio session, the world isn’t going to end. You aren’t going to lose all your muscle mass overnight. I’ve missed plenty of sessions because I was too busy training clients or Barbell decided he needed an extra-long sniff-session at the park.
Find a rhythm that works for your life, not your Instagram feed. If you’re consistently hitting the gym and moving your body in a way that makes you feel capable, you’re winning. That’s the whole personality, right? Being strong, being resilient, and knowing when to push and when to recover.
How do you guys fit cardio into your routine without losing your mind? Are you a 'get it over with fast' person or a 'long walk with a podcast' person? Hit me up in the comments or shoot me a DM—I’d love to hear what’s working for you right now.