How We Program Conditioning at FitLab — Mixed‑Modal Conditioning for the Real World
At FitLab we believe conditioning should do more than just make you sweat. It should build durability, movement competency, work-capacity and the kind of fitness that actually transfers to real life — carrying groceries, chasing kids, or finishing a long day without feeling flat.
Cardio training often gets a bad wrap, and let’s face it, it can be boring.
The thing is that cardiovascular training is VERY important for your health, and ignoring it is definitely risky. There are certain adaptations that cardiovascular training does that strength training cannot compete with – ventricular hypertrophy, fat oxidation, parasympathetic drive, and lower resting heart rate.
So we know that it’s important, so how can be make something that you cannot wait to do.
Enter Mixed Modal conditioning.
At FitLab, we train our cardio system by including mixed modal, obstacle style conditioning: varied movements, skill elements under fatigue, lower impact exercises, longer time domains with little challenges along the way.
Below is the thinking behind our approach, what it develops, and what it doesn’t develop. Though this approach is fun, it still doesn’t tick all of the boxes that traditional conditioning methods do (e.g. steady state mono structural and interval style training).
The purpose of conditioning at FitLab
Conditioning isn’t one thing. Depending on your goal it can be:
- Aerobic base — the slow, steady work that improves recovery and metabolic efficiency.
- Anaerobic capacity/power — shorter, high intensity work that raises your top-end and repeat-sprint ability.
- Work capacity & robustness — the ability to string together different movements under fatigue without breaking down.
- Skill + grit — performing technical movements when you’re tired (gymnastics movements like rope climbs, box get-overs, gymnastics holds).
Our mixed‑modal conditioning deliberately targets the last two while still contributing to the first two. It prepares people for the messy, unpredictable physical demands of everyday life and sport. After all, we aim to get you better at life, not just better at CrossFit.
Why mixed‑modal (obstacle‑course) conditioning works
- Real‑world transfer — Life rarely hands you clean, single‑mode efforts. For example you don’t need to row for 60 minutes to stay alive. Whereas lifting, running, climbing, carrying — often in sequence is something that mimics the outdoors AND what we’re designed to do.
- Actually fun — Variety keeps you training consistently. Fun and novelty increase adherence, which is the single biggest factor in long‑term progress. You can have the most effective training program in the world, but it’s only as effective if you can adhere to it.
- Skill endurance — Practicing bodyweight movements like rope climbs, high‑box get‑overs, bear crawls, toes to bar under fatigue builds competence and confidence. This is a great way to tap into our other CrossFit movements without tapping into too much fatigue.
- Low impact options — The movements that we program here are all very low impact. For example, rowing, ski, sled, step ups, and biking are things that we can all do, and things that do not load our joints. Therefore we can do multiple contractions without the excess fatigue.
- Holistic development — These sessions develop cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, grip, coordination, and mental toughness simultaneously.
The trade‑offs — what mixed‑modal won’t do as well
Be honest: it’s not a silver bullet. Mixed‑modal sessions often:
- Are less precise for targeting and measuring a single energy system.
- Can be skill‑limited (e.g., rope climbs) so the metabolic stimulus diminishes when technique or grip fails.
- Make progressive overload harder to quantify unless you track clear metrics (time, rounds, transitions, scaled loads).
That’s fine — as long as you accept the trade‑off and program intelligently around it.
How we blend the best of both worlds
We borrow principles from structured conditioning systems. Someone who I refer to a lot with conditioning program is Joel Jamieson. He has a more structured view of conditioning, with a targeted outcome, and it works very well. This, combined with mixed Modal sessions is how we believe conditioning can be fun and effective.
Programming rules we use:
- Two‑tier approach. 1–2 sessions per week are structured (intervals or long steady‑state). 1 session is mixed‑modal / obstacle style. 1 session can be a light recovery aerobic day (eg. zone 2 work).
- Progression without complication. Increase density (work : rest), rounds, or reduce time to complete a repeated mixed‑modal workout. Track one metric each week (time to complete, rounds, or successful reps on a technical element).
- Skill priority. Put technical elements early in a session or break them into small sets so the skill isn’t always failing the conditioning stimulus.
- Fun, Effective, Safe: These are the three elements that we need to tick before programming it.
A sample mixed‑modal workout
For Time
- 5 rounds for time of:
Run 200m
10 Box Jump Overs
Row 250m
Then:
1 Round of:
800m Run
20 Box Get Overs
1000m/800m Row
* Timecap: 30 minutes
Will this optimise left ventricular hypertrophy and stroke volume? No. But, it does a pretty good job in meeting the cardiovascular demands, and is something that you’ll be more likely to show up to. And when it comes down to it, showing up is the most important thing for your long term health and fitness.
Final thought
Mixed‑modal conditioning is more than novelty — it’s purposeful. Done right, it builds the fitness that matters in the real world: adaptable, durable, and resilient. We pair it with foundational steady‑state and interval work so members don’t miss out on measurable, progressive aerobic development.
Coach Steve.