Tip 2 Forms of Cardio That Build Muscle Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip 2 Forms of Cardio That Build Muscle Here are two ways to get your metcon on that' ll also help with muscle gains Coach Bruno and Kate Upton show you how it' s done by Ben Bruno November 7, 2016February 4, 2022 Tags Bodybuilding, Metabolic Conditioning, Metcon, Tips, Training Sled Work When it comes to cardio I'm partial to pushing and pulling sleds every which way you can imagine: forward pushes, reverse drags, rows, presses, rope pulls. You name it, we do it. This is one of those simple "why didn't I think of this sooner?" modifications that makes a big difference and drastically increases glute recruitment. The glutes have to work extra hard to keep the knees from caving in. Translation: These will fry your butt. Start with your butt a little lower than normal and your feet a little wider than normal and then maintain that position as you walk backwards, fighting the urge to stand up tall or narrow your stance. Beware, these burn like crazy and are much harder than Kate makes them look (she's a badass). In addition to being a great glute exercise, this could also be a great exercise for people with knee problems, or even just for knee injury prevention. Cardio Complexes Of course, lifting weights can be "cardio" too. Use circuits and complexes (basically a circuit where you only use one implement) comprised of 3-4 exercises at the end of workouts, or on days when you're short on time. A sample complex might look something like this: Landmine Press: 8 reps per arm Landmine Squat: 8 reps Landmine Row: 8 reps per arm Here's another variation: the landmine box squat, which can help you gauge depth. Landmine Box Squat Top Landmine Box Squat Bottom You have a lot of leeway as far as exercise selection, but with weight circuits or complexes, a few rules apply: Pick "self-limiting" exercises. This means choosing exercises you won't screw up when you're fatigued. Remember that self-limiting exercises are personal. So for an advanced lifter, a front squat or goblet squat may be an acceptable choice in a circuit, but for someone with iffy squat mechanics, it's a poor choice. Pick the weight according to your weakest exercise. This is important if you're doing a complex with one implement like a single bar. Try to choose exercises where the weights you'd use are somewhat close to each other so one exercise doesn't suffer for the sake of the others. You can also modify the reps to make each exercise challenging. Put the hardest exercises first. Arrange it so that easier exercises come when you're most fatigued. "Hard" can either mean heaviest or the most technically demanding. You don't want to be doing technically demanding exercises at the end of a circuit when you're smoked. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Unconventional Workout - Triceps Give your triceps training a much-needed shake-up and start hammering out some horseshoes! Arms, Training Nick Tumminello February 10 Training The 4 Toughest Push-Up and Pull-Up Workouts These aren't just workouts, they're also strength and stamina tests. Grab your best friend or your worst enemy and see who comes out on top. Challenge Training, Metabolic Conditioning, Metcon, Pull-Up, Training Eric Bach August 3 Training Tip Master the Death Press Add this exercise to your arsenal to build strong and stable shoulders. Kettlebell Training, Shoulders, Tips, Training Tom Morrison August 26 Workouts The Regular Guy Off-Season Strength Program This off-season program typically puts 20 pounds of muscle on athletes. Sound good? Check it out. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Eric Cressey September 7