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Other/Mixed Questions about LISS & Strength Training

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Julian Gilles

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Hello,

I have been wanting to develop my cardiovascular function for a while now. I feel that my cardiovascular system really isn't that great right now. Additionally, having an excellent cardiovascular system has been has always goal of mine.
To my current knowledge, LISS at MAF target HR is the best way to develop the cardiovascular system. Doing this also leads to the development of the Aerobic Base/Slow Twitch Muscle Fibre Aerobic Capacity.
I have heard that LISS training interferes with resistance training adaptations. My questions is this: Is it the only parallel development of strength/power/hypertrophy via resistance training at the same time as Slow Twitch Aerobic Function & Cardiovascular Function via LISS which is problematic due to interference, or is the mere fact of just having higher Slow twitch Aerobic Function & Cardiovascular function problematic for strength training?
Long story short, is LISS training what interferes with strength training, or are the adaptations from LISS what interfere with strength training?
I am considering doing a meso cylce of LISS with all my other training in maintenance mode. After this cycle I would put LISS into maintenance mode until the next LISS meso cycle.
Also, does anyone know how much volume at MAF target HR is required to maintain LISS adaptations?

Thank you kindly!
Julian Gilles
 
First, welcome!
I feel that my cardiovascular system really isn't that great right now. Additionally, having an excellent cardiovascular system has been has always goal of mine.
What makes you feel that? And what do you consider as a goal for an "excellent" system?
Long story short, is LISS training what interferes with strength training, or are the adaptations from LISS what interfere with strength training?
Interference is largely overblown at recreational/introductory levels. If you have a few minutes, reading the article "The Interference Effect Is Getting Less Scary By the Day." Basically, in a recent meta-analsysis "They found that concurrent training did not lead to significantly smaller strength gains than resistance training alone, nor did it lead to significantly less hypertrophy. However, concurrent training did lead to significantly smaller improvements in explosive strength than resistance training alone."

If you really want to dive in, I recommend Alex Viada's book "The Hybrid Athlete," as it really focuses on how to combine lifting + cardio at a high level.

I am considering doing a meso cylce of LISS with all my other training in maintenance mode.
What other training have you been doing, and what does maintenance mode entail? I would suggest that the easiest way to get into LISS is gradually, and often this can be done with minimal effect on lifting, particularly if you are going by Zone 2 HR, the Talk Test/Ventilatory Threshold, or even Maffetone's HR recommendations. LISS is generally quite easy, particularly if you are using low impact modalities and start small (10-20 minutes) and gradually add time (as desired).
 
is LISS training what interferes with strength training, or are the adaptations from LISS what interfere with strength training?
Great questions. Practically thinking, I think a little of both. But I wouldn't let it stop you. I still do a bike ride once a week even though I think (an my coach thinks) I'd be better off with my weightlifting if I didn't. For me, I think when I do a long or hard bike ride that requires recovery, that takes away recovery resources from my other training. And to some degree, the adaptations for maintaining good aerobic/endurance function have a cost of adaptation that may reduce strength. Great article on the Cost of Adaptation by Pavel below.

 
Also, does anyone know how much volume at MAF target HR is required to maintain LISS adaptations?
Generally speaking it takes around half of the volume to keep adaptations.
Also depends on what kind of lifting are you thinking of doing. A+A tends to feed endurance…
You could toy with a template like this:
1) 6 days training one day rest
2) alternate several months of 4 LISS days + 2 strength power/ days with several months 2 days LISS + 4 strength/ power days
Or just do 3+3 let it ebb & flow…
 
Generally speaking it takes around half of the volume to keep adaptations.
Also depends on what kind of lifting are you thinking of doing. A+A tends to feed endurance…
You could toy with a template like this:
1) 6 days training one day rest
2) alternate several months of 4 LISS days + 2 strength power/ days with several months 2 days LISS + 4 strength/ power days
Or just do 3+3 let it ebb & flow…
I would follow something like Tactical Barbell
3 days lifting and 3 days of ‘cardio’.
 
Cardio killing gains has definitely been something the industry as a whole has moved on from. Even CrossFit has been taken over by LISS cardio after the training methodologies for the top athletes showed how beneficial a long slow run was to something like Grace.

This video from Bromley is more running than general LISS but I think it’s a great message (beyond that nespresso is everything that’s wrong with coffee)



The idea that having cardio allows you to apply your strength more consistently for longer periods of time is what drives home the value of cardio for strength training.

There is this fantastic Reddit post, with citations, that also goes into how cardio can positively impact kettlebelling specifically. The author is for sure RKCII but I believe also SFG? He plugs cardio into DFW as a sample program.

 
I really like set replacement as a means of step cycle progression. I think ability to absorb future training stress is really important. A similar way to shift schedules is replacing easy (LISS) days with hard (strength) days over the course of a macrocycle. Each mesocycle would look like.
  1. E, E, E, E, E, E, off
  2. E, H, E, E, E, E, off
  3. E, H, E, E, H, E, off
  4. H, E, H, E, H, E, off
  5. H, E, H, H, E, H, off
  6. Repeat
 
Great questions. Practically thinking, I think a little of both. But I wouldn't let it stop you. I still do a bike ride once a week even though I think (an my coach thinks) I'd be better off with my weightlifting if I didn't. For me, I think when I do a long or hard bike ride that requires recovery, that takes away recovery resources from my other training. And to some degree, the adaptations for maintaining good aerobic/endurance function have a cost of adaptation that may reduce strength. Great article on the Cost of Adaptation by Pavel below.


I think a lot depends on whether the LISS in question is requiring new adaptations / recovery or not.

(which is kind of 'duh', I know)

Example:

I do rowing racing season after weightlifting season because it's intense enough cardio training to eat into weightlifting, so I put weightlifting into maitenance mode.

Rowing Season: Adaptation mode
Weightlifting: Maintenance mode

And then when the seasons flip, I can coast on aerobic gains, intentionally letting them plateau / decline bit, to get:

Weightlifting Season: Adaptation mode
Rowing Season: Maintenance mode

Because at this point I'm already adapted to rowing, and not trying to stay in race condition, it's not a huge recovery drag.

And, despite what energy theory would say (why should aerobic conditioning help weightlifting), I do find the conditioning helpful for completing my competition prep weightlifting cycle by allowing me to rest a little bit less / complete all the programmed training in less time.

Plus.... if you get winded loading plates, that's just a bad look.
 
is LISS training what interferes with strength training, or are the adaptations from LISS what interfere with strength training?
Its more the specific LISS training that can interfere.

First thing to realize is the interference effect is a lot smaller than most people believe.

Second is jogging and running seems to be the interference with strength training.


Obviously up to a point... You will know it when you get there.

If you want specific programming for combining them, Tactical Barbell 2: Conditioning is a fantastic place to start. Other systems have come along since then, but I can't speak to them specifically since I've never used them. What I've seen is that they all kinda look similar.
 
I would say that the interference effect is only going to be meaningful in the outliers, ie elite strength athletes and elite endurance athletes. Virtually everyone else will like benefit in multiple ways from a strategic mix of modalities.
 
1) 6 days training one day rest
2) alternate several months of 4 LISS days + 2 strength power/ days with several months 2 days LISS + 4 strength/ power days
Or just do 3+3 let it ebb & flow…
This has worked well for me. Start very easy on the cardio. Use an HR monitor, nose breathing, or the talk test to keep us easy. Stop well before you’re fatigued on the cardio days and treat them as active recovery. If you need to, replace running/jogging with a lower impact exercise like cycling - it will make recovery from it easier. Very conservatively and gradually increase the duration of your cardio days.
 
I think a lot depends on whether the LISS in question is requiring new adaptations / recovery or not.
Totally agree! I was thinking after I posted I should have added that point.

But it sounds like OP wants to stimulate new adaptations: "I have been wanting to develop my cardiovascular function for a while now. I feel that my cardiovascular system really isn't that great right now. Additionally, having an excellent cardiovascular system has been has always goal of mine."
 
Second is jogging and running seems to be the interference with strength training.

My bro science hypothesis is that high-impact cardio causes the most interference because your body really wants to get lighter to optimize distance running.

And that the impact on the joints sends some kind of adaptive signal.

(totally just inventing mechanisms out of thin air here)

Whereas lower impact cardio (cycling, rowing, swimming, pickleball, cross country skiing, etc.) doesn't end up with endurance athletes who look like marathoners.
 
Hello,

Fergus Crawley is an impressive "hybrid athlete", who mixes lifting and running / swimming / biking. He has great content on YT, including on nutrition and programming.

That's similar to A. Viada already mentioned earlier

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
But it sounds like OP wants to stimulate new adaptations: "I have been wanting to develop my cardiovascular function for a while now. I feel that my cardiovascular system really isn't that great right now. Additionally, having an excellent cardiovascular system has been has always goal of mine."
True… but rather vague
 
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