BEGINNER'S AEROBIC BASE BUILDING PROGRAM
- Coach C
- Aug 16
- 4 min read
What is Aerobic Base Building?
This is the stage in your training where you increase your aerobic fitness through low to moderate intensity cardiovascular training. The purpose of this block is to build up your endurance by gradually increasing your mileage and or duration of exercise.
For those who are new to cardio training, this should be done with caution. There is a propensity to go too hard too soon, which may lead to injury, and at best stalled progress. Training at slower or lower intensities can feel boring but yields a massive impact on work capacity for those who discipline themselves to develop it effectively.
Properly building your aerobic base is accomplished through time and by increasing the efficiency of your oxidative energy system. This increased efficiency of the body utilizing fat and oxygen to fuel your muscles equates to a powerful aerobic engine. There are no short cuts here. You have to discipline yourself to put in the work (at the appropriate intensity level) and spend the time needed to create this awesome adaptation in aerobic fitness.
Benefits of Aerobic Base Building
The A+ answer to a comprehensive fitness program is both resistance training AND cardiovascular conditioning through single mode exercises like running, spinning/ biking, swimming, rowing, or any other form of cardio. The aerobic energy system is responsible for recovery. The more robust your aerobic fitness, the faster you will recover from stress.
Resistance training is stress on the body, and increasing your aerobic fitness will enable you to recover faster between sets leading to more work done in the gym during a specific session. A strong aerobic system will also assist in your ability to recover between sessions. This increase in work capacity leads to more gains over time. This is a simple concept but takes time and consistent effort to develop.
The Program
My professional recommendation is for an individual to gradually increase their endurance to accumulating 120 minutes of Zone 2 training time each week for 6-8 weeks prior to integrating medium to high intensity interval training into their routine. I won’t dive into what interval training is specifically in this post. But for now, I want to strictly focus on Zone 2 aerobic work to build an effective base.
Zone 2 training is working at a heart rate of 60-70% of your maximum heart rate (220-age multiply by .60 and .70 for a rough estimate).
Effective sessions should last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, even longer depending upon an individual’s goals. I’m not a fan of monitoring my heart rate during training so I usually go off of a RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion scale. This scale is usually out of 10 with 10 being the hardest you can push for a given period of time. For Zone 2 work, a 5 or a 6 is ideal. However, beginner’s do not know their body that well and may need to monitor their heart rate for best results.
Another effective tool is to use the talk test. Simply perform your cardio at an effort that allows you to hold a conversation in single sentences before being out of breath and struggling to speak.
Follow the following 8-week protocol to drastically improve your aerobic base.
Each week will consist of 3 separate sessions at varying durations. The optimal approach is to engage in Resistance Training on one day and then Zone 2 Aerobic Base Training the following day.
Warm-Up - 5 Minutes
WEEK 1
Session 1:
20 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
20 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
20 minutes @ Zone 2
WEEK 2
Session 1:
20 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
20 minutes @ Zone 2
WEEK 3
Session 1:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
20 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
WEEK 4
Session 1:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
WEEK 5
Session 1:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
WEEK 6
Session 1:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
30 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
WEEK 7
Session 1:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
WEEK 8
Session 1:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 2:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
Session 3:
40 minutes @ Zone 2
Stay consistent through this program an experience the results of a greater aerobic base and a more powerful aerobic engine. Stick with a single mode of cardio throughout the duration for maximum adaptations for a specific cardio exercise.
For example, if your goal is to get better at running, choose to run for the prescribed sessions throughout the duration of the program. If you want to get better at spinning, spin, etc. You may also choose to mix up the mode of cardio if your primary goal is aerobic fitness.
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