The Reason Your Lifting Takes So Long

I used to take 2-3 hours to train every day when I was competitively lifting. A lot of my friends who are powerlifters are also known for taking that long to complete a single training session. After looking at it closely and asking questions, the reality is that most people's training takes forever due to a huge key factor:

They're out of shape.

I know what you're probably thinking. Doesn't lifting weights get you in shape? In a way, yes. But lifting primarily uses one energy system, and so the long-term adaptation from solely focusing on it is actually a key downfall of itself. Here's some background on this and how to fix it.

First, if you're a strength enthusiast like me (including weightlifting, bodybuilding, and powerlifting here), you probably know you need to do cardiovascular work. But let's face it, a lot of us struggle with getting it done due to time constraints. Working up to heavier weights, hitting multiple high-weight sets, or hitting a high-volume training session can take a long time. Especially when you start lifting heavy, you notice your heart rate elevates super quickly and you're out of breath by the end of the set. This then takes more time to fully recover, which then makes the workout longer. It's a trap in a way, and there's a reason it happens.

When you recruit larger muscle fibers to move more mass as a whole (both weight or reps), they'll start to rely on glycolysis and the phosphocreatine energy systems to create energy for the muscle fibers to do their job. These energy systems make energy really quickly, but they're really inefficient at doing so. In this process, called the Krebs cycle, the muscle uses glucose (from glycogen stores) to produce energy. The problem is, lactate (or what people think is lactic acid) builds up as a byproduct. Now, lactate can actually get reabsorbed and used in energy production, but your mitochondria have to be efficient at processing it and using it for energy. This is where most lifters end up getting trapped.

For lifters, prioritizing low-impact, low intensity conditioning work is key to longevity.

When you skip doing your low-level cardio, or by its training definition what we call "conditioning," you have to take longer to recover from rep to rep, and set to set. The larger the weight, the more lactate our mitochondria have to clear. The more lactate that needs to be cleared, the longer an inefficient system takes to clear it. In the end, as you lift heavier weights with an inefficient recovery system, you start to drag workouts out longer. So how do you fix this?

You already know the answer. You need to do more low level conditioning.

When you do low-level conditioning, your body starts to build mitochondria within the muscle cells that are not only more numerous but also more efficient. You're able to process the lactate that is a byproduct of the glycolytic and phosphocreatine systems and do it firing on all cylinders. What you'll notice over time is how you'll start to recover a little faster between sets. You catch your breath faster, and you'll feel ready to go sooner. Your body is conditioned to process everything faster.

Now, this does mean upfront that you have to commit some time to doing the conditioning work, but as you gain better conditioning, you'll realize it saves you time by dropping your rest times between main sets.

If you want some extra insight, keep reading to get a quick glimpse of how this can be applied.

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The best part about everything you just read? You don't have to use a treadmill or pick up jogging if you don't want to. A lot of times we think in simple ways, and when we think of "cardio" we think of people walking on inclined treadmills or slaving away on ellipticals. The truth is, you can actually get away with some really simple circuits that focus on low level plyometrics, bodyweight movements, and low impact weighted movements that don't take away from your strength. For example, below is one of the circuits we've used extensively with the Powerlifters from Littauer Strength with great success:

For 20min, perform the following in a continuous circuit at a steady pace:

-40 Low box step overs (15-20in height)

-60 feet of bear crawling (I find 30feet forward and 30 feet backward is nice variety)

-80ft of a Farmer's Carry at 65-75% of your bodyweight

If you focus on maintaining a pace you can talk at, or breath through your nose, you'll realize you can pretty easily build up some conditioning that will aid you for the long run in your lifting.