Stop Redlining Every Workout: The Case for Aerobic Training

Why “Going Hard” Isn’t Always Smart Training

For many people, fitness means pushing to the max - breathless, red-faced, and gasping for air. This style of effort, often called threshold training, feels productive because it’s uncomfortable. But while those workouts can be useful in small doses, relying on them as your main approach often leads to plateaus, fatigue, and even burnout.

If your goal is long-term fitness performance, better health, and sustainable results, the smarter path is to prioritise aerobic capacity training.

What Is Aerobic Capacity (and Why Does It Matter)?

Aerobic capacity is your body’s ability to use oxygen to produce energy during exercise. Think of it as your fitness engine. The stronger that engine is, the more efficiently your body:

• Delivers oxygen to muscles
• Burns fat as a fuel source
• Recovers between sets and sessions
• Handles harder workouts without breaking down

Without a strong aerobic base, threshold training is like revving a car engine without upgrading its cooling system - it overheats quickly, and performance stalls.

Aerobic Capacity vs Threshold Training

Here’s the key difference:

• Threshold training – High-intensity, uncomfortable, pushes you near your max effort. Great for sharpening performance in short bursts but very taxing.
• Aerobic capacity training – Lower-intensity, steady, and sustainable. It strengthens your cardiovascular system, improves endurance, and supports recovery.

Both are valuable, but aerobic training is the foundation. Without it, threshold sessions just drain energy without building resilience.

The Benefits of Aerobic Training

Focusing on aerobic work improves more than just your cardio. Benefits include:

1. Faster recovery – Between sets, between workouts, and even between busy days at work.
2. Improved endurance – You can train harder and longer without hitting a wall.
3. Better performance in strength training – A bigger aerobic base means better oxygen delivery and recovery, which boosts lifting capacity.
4. Health gains beyond the gym – Lower blood pressure, improved circulation, reduced stress, and better sleep.

It’s the quiet, steady work that makes every other type of training more effective.

How to Build Aerobic Capacity

The good news? Aerobic training doesn’t mean endless, boring cardio. Smart ways to improve your aerobic base include:

• Zone 2 cardio – Training at a pace where you can still hold a conversation. This could be cycling, rowing, or running at a steady effort.
• Long walks or hikes – Underrated but effective, especially for busy lifestyles.
• Low-intensity conditioning circuits – Moving continuously with light weights or bodyweight at a sustainable pace.

These sessions should feel manageable, not crushing. Over time, they build the engine that makes threshold training - and life - easier.

Why This Approach Fits Real Life

Most of our members aren’t professional athletes. They’re busy people balancing work, kids, and everything in between. Prioritising aerobic capacity training means:

• More energy throughout the day
• Less risk of overtraining and injury
• Progress that lasts months and years, not just weeks
• Fitness that supports life outside the gym, not just a stopwatch

The Bottom Line

Threshold training has its place, but it shouldn’t be the bulk of your fitness. Aerobic capacity training is the foundation that helps you recover faster, perform better, and build fitness that lasts.

So next time you think a workout only “counts” if you’re on the floor exhausted, remember this: sometimes the smartest way forward is training at a pace that feels sustainable, because that’s where the real, long-term results are built.

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