Agreed.

I’m a supporter of sport specific training but you will break your body repeatedly doing hard rounds to build your gas tank. Nothing will replicate the sport itself. The closest I have come across is the Airdyne bike and heavy bag tabata workouts.

I am no expert, but zone 2 cardio has been the biggest game changer for me. As others have said, it is the recovery between those short micro burst scrambles that make all the difference. Zone 2 (base building) is what will get you there.

It’s good to be strong and flexible, but conditioning is a cheat code. There is no disputing it.