strength ISN'T ENOUGH

Strength will always be core to our training at Axistence. Strong muscles protect joints, improve bone density, make daily life easier, and help prevent injury. Skeletal muscle is important for a healthy metabolism and even cognitive function. (links below) Strength is the foundation of long-term physical durability. You know these things.

But durability is only part of the equation.

When researchers look at the health and performance markers most strongly associated with a longer lifespan, time and again, they are looking at the ones developed through endurance training. Of these markers, one number shows up again and again: VO₂ max. In multiple studies (links below) an increased VO2 max directly correlates to longer lifespan. 

In simple terms, VO₂ max measures your body’s capacity to take in oxygen, deliver it to working muscles, and use it to produce energy. This capacity depends on several systems working together: your lungs bringing oxygen into the body, your heart and vascular system delivering oxygenated blood, and your muscles converting that oxygen into usable energy.

While the relationship isn’t perfectly causal, high VO₂ max is strongly associated with longer lifespan in two important ways. First, it acts as an indicator of overall health. People who train regularly, eat reasonably well, and maintain good habits tend to have higher VO₂ max values.
Second—and more relevant here—it reflects specific physiological adaptations produced by endurance training. These include increased cardiac stroke volume, lower resting heart rate, improved vascular function, and greater capillary density in muscle tissue.

Those adaptations matter. They improve how efficiently your body moves oxygen and nutrients around the system. And while strength training is incredibly valuable, lifting heavy things alone doesn’t create enough of these adaptations to move the needle. Durability alone isn’t enough if the engine underneath it is underdeveloped.

So you’re saying lifting heavy things isn’t enough?
Correct..
So you’re saying I’ve got to start running?
Not unless you want to..
Fine…so I need to start doing all that Zone 2 stuff everyone talks about?
Not necessarily.

Much of the current conversation around Zone 2 training comes from the world of professional endurance athletes. Those athletes might spend 20–30 hours per week riding, running, or skiing at relatively low intensity to build a massive aerobic base before layering speed and power on top.

Recreational athletes and their coaches understandably copy that model on a smaller scale.
But for people with limited time and normal lives, emerging research suggests the model is often backwards.

Instead of “earning your speed” through extended base work, most people benefit more from earning their Zone 2 by maximizing what interval training can do first.

And just so we’re all talking about the same thing, Zone 2 is the range between 65%-80% of your max heart rate. At the low end, it feels pretty easy, and at the high end, you’re breathing, but not dying. And no 220-minus-your-age is not a good way to determine your max HR, but even more accurate formulas can still be 10-12 bpm off in either direction. There are ways we can test it…none are enjoyable…but I digress…

Short, hard intervals—lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to about 5 minutes, repeated with incomplete recovery—are some of the most efficient ways to improve cardio-respiratory capacity. They stimulate large improvements in VO₂ max and aerobic power in far less time.
In other words, short, sharp work produces big adaptations.

That’s exactly what Axistence Conditioning is designed to do.These sessions look a little different from our typical group classes.

You’ll start with a brief warm-up (about 9 minutes) to wake up the energy systems and practice some movements. Then you’ll move into 35–40 minutes of structured conditioning built around time-tested interval frameworks like:

• 20/40s
• 2 minutes on / 1 minute off
• Sprint and hold
• Shovels
• 4x4’s

We’ll pair those structures with familiar movements from our regular classes—and occasionally introduce a few new ones to keep things interesting.

We’ll wrap up with some mobility and range-of-motion work before sending you back out into the world.

What does this actually do for you?If you like data and potentially living longer, you’ll likely see:

• Higher VO₂ max
• Lower resting heart rate
• Lower blood pressure
• An easier time maintaining a caloric deficit (if that’s a goal)

If you care more about what happens outside the gym and living a high octane life, you may notice:

• Greater time to exhaustion
• More energy at the end of long hikes or ski days
• A little extra punch when the day runs long

And if your primary goal is simply beating the other members in class, you’ll notice:

• Faster recovery between lifts
• More rounds during conditioning pieces
• Maybe even finishing Murph with something left in the tank

Strength will always be a cornerstone of what we do here—and it should be. Strong muscles, joints, and bones make you durable and capable for decades. But durability alone isn’t enough. A truly capable body also needs an engine that can deliver oxygen, move blood, and sustain effort when life—or a workout—demands it. Conditioning builds that engine. Strength and endurance together create a more complete athlete—and a healthier version of yourself.

Now…should we talk about those tight hips and shoulders?

Links
VO2 max and Longevity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30139444/
https://thelongevityindex.org/foundations/exercise?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfVBzpnU2BA&t=2s
https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2025/07/02/15/19/the-relationship-between-exercise-and-longevity?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Skeletal muscle and cognitive health
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41277875/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39286235/