Cardio & Conditioning

VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, and it's a key measure of cardiovascular fitness and endurance.

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) alternates short bursts of hard, near-maximal effort with periods of low-intensity recovery.

LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State) is sustained cardio at a low, comfortable intensity, such as walking or easy cycling, held for a longer duration.

Steady-state cardio is cardiovascular exercise held at a constant, moderate intensity for the duration of the session.

Heart rate zones are intensity ranges based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate, used to guide and structure cardio training.

NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is the calories you burn through everyday movement outside of formal exercise, such as walking, fidgeting, and chores.

Maximum heart rate is the highest number of beats per minute your heart can reach during all-out effort, used to set training zones.

Resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute at complete rest, a simple indicator of cardiovascular fitness and recovery.

Heart rate reserve is the difference between your maximum and resting heart rate, used to calculate training zones more accurately for your fitness level.

Zone 2 cardio is low-intensity aerobic training at roughly 60–70% of your maximum heart rate, done to build an efficient aerobic base.

Lactate threshold is the exercise intensity at which lactate builds up in the blood faster than the body can clear it, marking the edge of sustainable effort.

The anaerobic threshold is the intensity at which the body shifts to relying mainly on anaerobic energy, closely related to the lactate threshold.

Fasted cardio is doing cardiovascular exercise before eating, typically first thing in the morning, often promoted as a way to burn more fat.

EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption), or the 'afterburn effect', is the extra calories your body burns recovering after intense exercise.

Aerobic capacity is your body's ability to take in, transport, and use oxygen to sustain endurance exercise over time.