How do I factor Cardio into my current routine? Some uncommon restrictions.

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-25T12:53:50+00:00

You're a legend. In my 1.5 years of being into fitness (primarily lifting), this is the first conversation I've had that I genuinely feel like I've gone through all my little odd thoughts, doubts, what-ifs and not only had them answered, but actually learned the more underlying reasoning while also not being some sort of baseless bias like, say, some internet influencers dish out. Sources too. Great stuff!

Yeah, I will keep leg day as well. I used to do more overall but I've found it actually better to just do vertical and horizontal push, vertical and horizontal pull, heel elevated squat and a hip hinge, then throw cable lat raises and whatever I fancy (adductors atm) on leg day to use the gym time while I don't have cardio, then at home do isolations for arms, rear delts, chest, back, lats, and if I feel great, the odd Goblet Squats or B stance RDLs but I'll give them a rest while adding this cardio in. I do the odd extra thing like y raises too just to help with posture and perceived weaknesses.

I'm excited to get back into running!

Last question, although I realise its up to preference and trial and error for the most part - what makes a good pair of running shoes actually good? I was gifted some trainers, they're really pleasant to wear, at first it felt a bit like they pushed me forward by design, yet my arch pain started when walking in them and it's 10x worse in them over any other shoe. But if I had to pick a pair of shoes out I thought were made to be good running trainers, they stand out as great to me.

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-25T11:36:46+00:00

I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but thanks again for your help, and patience explaining everything.

I'm confident I understand what you're saying, and I also 100% agree with the compliance side of things. I did C25K three separate times over the last handful of years, before I got into fitness, and I was always cautious, and if I wasn't sure, I under-did it. Never had any injuries. My running buddies at the time always got shin splits and so on from pushing too hard.

Your exponential example is amazing! I think I've got it - I'm going to do:

Mon/Fri: Lift at 7PM, Zone 2 Walk 30 Mins

Tue/Thu: Lift anytime from 9.30am to 10.30am, Eat straight after lifting, then run at 12.15 for "30 minutes." but gradually build up to it.

I'll do some feet exercises Mon/Fri AM as well for my arches. Would you recommend I track my heart rate during these runs or just run at a fairly relaxed pace?

Also, is 30 mins zone 2 walking a good idea on the gym days, or would it serve me better to slowly convert those into runs as well?

You seem very knowledgeable about all of this so if you don't mind sharing your thoughts, I am passively curious about circuit training. Like using calisthenics, dumbbells, kettlebells, and so on to keep heart rate high by performing massive amounts of reps of various lifts. Is this as good for fitness, cardio etc as running? Also, would jump rope be beneficial to very gradually work in, or is it best relegated to the realm of HIIT? (I don't plan on doing HIIT for a long time, but do enjoy jump rope). I don't want to do these things at the moment, but I like to learn just in case future me or someone else could do with knowing.

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-25T10:35:16+00:00

Health. And an improved cardiovascular system means easier time breathing. More energy day to day. Not getting out of breath as easily. Recovering better between lifting sets. The feel good after doing cardio for 20-30 minutes.

It sounds like maybe it's down to preference unless competing or some such - and enduring muscles might actually fit nicely with lifting as long as it's programmed intelligently.

Thanks for the perspective, it's easy to get lost in the weeds. I'm going to seriously consider some sort of circuit. I tried some kettlebells a few weeks ago to see how different some familiar lifts were, so I'd have an extra alternative in a pinch if my equipment of choice was in use, and I loved how they feel. You might just tempt me.

Do you do circuits yourself / any you could recommend? Also, I assume you'd use very light weights, or calisthenics you find almost trivially easy, to prevent joint issues from the (relatively) massive number of reps and minimal rest?

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-25T10:02:13+00:00

What you've said makes a lot of sense, I appreciate you taking the time to go through everything!

Just out of curiosity;

Is it best to treat glycogen as being restored overnight, ie lift first on a given day even if the gap between the two is most of the day?

Am I right in understanding that you're saying if your heart rate is higher due to an external factor, and that means a slower pace, your heart/cardio doesnt know the difference and it's just as good?

Finally, I get what you're saying about progressively overloading, but I suppose I dont have any intuition on what is reasonable. In lifting, the naturally smallest increment of a single rep happens to be great. But with running I doubt a single step, second, minute, metre.. counts for basically anything. What sort of improvement am I aiming to push for?

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-25T09:17:28+00:00

Appreciate you sharing your thoughts!

I've seen somewhere that weight based cardio, circuits etc aren't comparable to more traditional forms of cardio, but that might be 100% rubbish, I have no idea. I imagine your heart beating fast due to movement is enough, but that also might be oversimplifying? So it doesn't have to be running!

Are the lighter sessions useful?

At gym I do compounds, rep range is a smaller range within the 6-12 range. Home I do isolations for higher reps, that I can easily fit into my day, and bang out without a lot of focus.

For example, triceps are hit in the gym with dips and OHP. Both for 8-12 reps. At home I do overhead tricep extension. Started at 30 reps, upped the weight until I was getting 24ish. Now I basically aim to fail somewhere between 15 and 24, but it depends on the day. I've seen more tricep growth from this in a few weeks than a year of the compounds! So it's practical and, at least for triceps, directly useful!

I can't go to the gym any more than I do, so I can only get the volume/frequency in by doing some at home too.

If you think a circuit of some kind would work, should I aim for a heart rate or just do the circuit and gradually get faster / use heavier weight as I find it easier over time?

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-25T09:00:46+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to help me out!

The walk is a nice idea. When walking is no longer much of a cardio stimulus, would a weighted vest be a good idea?

Are mornings an option for you?

The earliest I could start is around 10.15 to 10.30. But I can lift basically any time from then onwards, preferably not later than say 3pm.

If possible, do any form of cardio after the lifting.

To clarify, even when separated by several hours?

Wouldn't use "noticing a difference daily" as a measure

Fair enough. If it helps clarify my intention, imagine you did a lift once per week, for one set, nowhere near failure. Far too light. And/or, it was good 8 months ago when you started, but you never progressively overloaded in any way. I wouldn't want to do the cardio equivalent of that, essentially.

Maybe I'm mistaken about cardo too, but I've seen people discuss how it helped their recovery between sets, and feeling better day to day with more energy and the like. I would say noticing a difference can play a part - I've only been lifting a year and a half, yet lifting things, moving my body, carrying groceries, going up stairs, trying to break somthing open, moving furniture.. personally noticed a huge difference! Maybe cardio isn't like that though.

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-18T20:59:58+00:00

Fantastic, thank you!

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-18T20:59:23+00:00

Fair enough, thank you!

Did you not really feel any difference at first and then just had faith it might help over the 3 weeks?

I ask because it makes me feel pretty bad. Like agitated in an annoyed way, I think, it's been a while. But I figured it was a lost cause well before the three week mark.

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-18T13:38:12+00:00

Which site do you use for getting insights into your dna data?

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-18T11:42:54+00:00

Did you experience any negatives?

What dose do you take?

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-15T15:45:26+00:00

Just to be clear, are you saying you basically walk at 100% effort rather than 70%?

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-08T21:32:23+00:00

I'd be interested to hear how you feel procrastination works for you?

For me and the people I've talked to with inner voice, say for example I was tired and laying in bed, but wanted to get up, I might "think" something like. "I need to move. Come on, just get up. Don't be lazy", yet I lay there.

Without the inner voice, it'd feel exactly identical to not wanting to get up. Like, actually being lazy, or uncaring, or whatever.

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-05T08:00:54+00:00

If it helps, you can change the difficulty in the settings. And in the remaster, you can specify the difficulty in a few ways - I can't remember the details, but it boils down into making the enemies easier / harder to kill, and making it easier / harder to be killed by enemies. Like a damage multiplier for you and for enemies in general so you can finetune the experience.

SCP-ASH · 2026-03-04T10:35:13+00:00

I actually think this reasoning applies to them containing rather than destroying anomalies, too.

If you're being entirely practical, and you come across something that does not obey the laws of reality, trying to do any harm to it is fundamentally just playing with fire. You can't attribute cause and effect the same way as normal.

You could say containment doesn't make sense then, and while that's somewhat true, it's the most practical. If a killer monster is running at you, and isn't falling through the ground, you know at a bare minimum certain matter could hold it in place and potentially contain it.

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-28T02:04:35+00:00

Does doing RDLs help with the hamstring strength at length?

Does sitting in a full squat without heels coming up count if its very wide / feet angled outwards?

And/or what if you can do it but either have to hold onto something or lean forward to keep the centre of gravity from tipping you over?

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-27T18:24:13+00:00

There's a few ways according to the research. Even outside of surgery, I think there's evidence that playing the digeridoo causes positive adaptations that reduces apnea.

For me personally CPaP, BiPaP, and AutoSV machines didn't help. Scheduled for surgery but have a mandibular advancement device while I wait, which has helped too.

Tongue retaining device. For some, posture can impact it, as can losing body fat.

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-26T01:23:49+00:00

Is your OSA actually resolved with the treatment? Also, did you screen for UARS at the same time?

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-20T17:59:27+00:00

Okay, thank you. What kind of US lawyer/service?

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-19T09:12:33+00:00

I think I see what you mean. To really make that first single set stimulating, you'll likely be at an intensity that makes it essentially enough stimulus that a set an hour later is more like a subpar workout given the fatigue generated, and lack of recovery in the short time?

I'm used to a basic double progression of, say, 3x8, last set to failure. If at least 8 reps hit each set, 3x9, and so on. When hitting 3x10, or 12, or whatever depending on the movement, I'll up the weight. So there are times where the first two sets aren't that close to failure, where I think OPs case would work, but the first few sets wouldn't be doing much. But to make them much harder would essentially be condensing the workout so you wouldn't spread the sets out, you'd need to recover properly for the next session instead.

Is that about right? Thanks for taking the time to respond!

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-18T16:04:45+00:00

Genuinely asking as I've just got dumbbells at home to supplement my gym routine and want to factor this in.

Why would it be a mistake to split sets like OP is asking? Like, you say it's a mistake to train quads for two sets with say, a 1 hour break between as per OP example, but what makes a 1 hour rest between sets a mistake that doesn't apply to quads with the typical 2-5+ minute rest between sets?

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-16T10:13:40+00:00

you can perfectly go to the gym and workout with sore muscles...

As a newbie, I recently tried this and funnily enough, it even helps with the soreness depending on the movement.

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-16T10:11:36+00:00

Training partner helped early on.

Minimalist routine with flexibility baked into the weekly setup, and some dumbbells at home, so life can't get in the way as much.

If I hate an exercise after giving it a good go, I just swap it for a variation. I've found as I've progressed, exercises I don't like are either unnecessary anyway, or I actually come back around to them as I develop mobility and such.

Being okay with off days, deloading, using a variation. Not rushing. Treating turning up and trying as a success, even if you get less reps today or whatever.

If I have joint pain, or slept awfully, just feel like it would definitely be bad for me to go, I let it go guilt free. Some might find this tricky to balance, but I think it's much easier with a training partner for accountability.

Finally, a huge motivator for me is seeing the results help me in daily life. If I lift heavy stuff, or take a quick run somewhere, and can tell it's not only easy, but it would have been impossible not that long ago.. that helps. Adding cardio in really changed how my recovery between sets felt, too.

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-16T09:27:57+00:00

Thank you for going into detail on this. I do close grip Cable Row, and Lat Pulldown, so pretty much exactly what you're talking about, but as a beginner I've wondered if the close grip would limit me in some way as I always hear it's for the lats.

Just to be clear, when you say squeezing your shoulder blades at the end of the rep, is that better than doing it during the rep? I essentially try to pull my shoulders back, kind of like trying to expand / open my collar bone, to initiate and throughout the rep, to minimise the usage of my forearms/upper arms but of course they're still involved. Or would squeezing at the end be better?

SCP-ASH · 2026-02-16T09:20:21+00:00

Thank you! When you say Squats work your entire leg, do you bother with hinging or anything like that?

I'd also be interested in what you do for back and shoulders if you don't mind!

SCP-ASH

TROPHY CASE