Cardio….cardio…
For something that is so fundamental to success in CrossFit (it is, after all, close to the base of the Theoretical Hierarchy of Development), it’s funny how much we all actually kind of hate it.
To be fair, I guess I can’t say that we all hate it, but…like…for example, an affiliate I used to go to stopped releasing workouts online the day/night before (like most gyms do) because nobody would show up if some cardio-heavy piece was programmed.
The thing is, we all know that strong guy who posts crazy lifts on Instagram who got, like, 164 reps in 25.1…and we know that ain’t good.
So…we gotta get our metabolic capacity up…and we may as well do it right.
Not do it so it feels “fun”. Not do it so it feels “easy”. Do it right.
Sentinel Training’s 200+ Machine Conditioning Workouts eBook is CrossFit cardio conditioning (specifically, as the name implies, machine (bikes, rowers, etc.) conditioning with some running sprinkled in) done right.
Taylor Self, the founder and head programmer of Sentinel Training, has one of the best engines in CrossFit. Even when it’s not enough to put him on top, his willingness to hurt more than just about anyone else keeps him in it, as evidenced at the end of this 2024 quarterfinals workout.
To be honest, I haven’t given that much effort to these workouts, but I have gotten solid results from honest effort. Let me tell you all about ’em.
Table of Contents
Why I Decided to Try 200+ Conditioning
Workouts
Truth be told, picking up this specific CrossFit cardio workouts eBook wasn’t a random decision. I have been following Self’s Sentinel Training program for over a year now and was quite familiar with him and, to an extent, these types of workouts, long before the eBook was on my radar…
…because these are the conditioning workouts we do every Thursday in our training.
In my experience, Thursdays are kind of unofficial “take it easy” days for most CrossFit training programs. In HWPO, Thursday was (is?) historically “Spin Bike Day” (which I can only assume that, like, 5 percent of subscribers actually get in on). In other programs it’s a straight-up rest day.
In Sentinel, Thursday’s conditioning workouts aren’t generally as intense as other days’ programming is nor are they as long…but they get results.
As you can probably expect, I can’t really isolate the results of these workouts relative to what other days’ trainings are doing for me, but let’s just say that those classic 15-to-20-minute CrossFit Open “tests” went a lot better for me this year than they have in years past.
Feeling good about this progress, my wife and I were interested in incorporating more of these workouts into our training rather than limiting our “pure” CrossFit conditioning workouts to Thursdays. Also, being “limited” on machine equipment (I’m actually pretty blessed to have a Rogue Echo Bike and a Concept2 Rower and Bike Erg as well as a decently flat 200-out/200-in street out front), I wanted more non-scaled options on days where a Ski Erg as programmed.
Of course, it’s pretty easy to find long lists of rowing WODs, Hero WODs, benchmark WODs, and other CrossFit cardio workouts online, but understanding that there was definite attention paid to developing each workout individually as well as in relation to the other workouts in the eBook (not to mention each workout’s brief training notes) allows me to get way more out of them than by doing something random.
Length/Layout
The Sentinel Training crew lives up to their word, including exactly 212 total machine workouts in the 70-page eBook. The layout is incredibly simple with a brief introduction before launching into the different categories of workouts:
- 94 mixed-machine workouts (which, as the name implies, include at least 2 cardio machines in each workout)
- 23 fan bike-only workouts
- 27 Concept2 rower-only workouts
- 22 Concept2 bike erg-only workouts
- 15 Concept2 ski erg-only workouts
- 31 running-only workouts
Each workout includes a couple of sentences discussing either general strategy or the intended stimulus.
Not too much to say here; it’s about as straightforward as it gets.
Equipment Substitutions
Depending on your gear situation, there is a pretty good chance that you’re going to have to substitute equipment at some point. Even better-equipped CrossFit affiliates usually have that category of cardio equipment that’s the, for lack of a better term, “neglected” item (ex. not having Bike Ergs at all, only having one Assault/Echo Bike, etc.).
In my experience, it’s still pretty easy (well, more like pretty simple) to get a good workout in with only 2 pieces of equipment, especially if you have access to CrossFit Mayhem’s trusty conversion chart (considered by many to be the gold standard in calorie and distance conversions for CrossFit cardio workouts).
However, I wanted to get some more clarification straight from the horse’s mouth on the topic. Here is a brief Q&A I had with Taylor Self regarding equipment needs and the 200+ Machine Conditioning eBook. The questions are hypothetical, but should cover the most common inquiries:
I only have a rower and an Assault Bike; will I be able to substitute enough of the bike erg and ski erg workouts to make it worth it?
The mixed machine workouts can all be adjusted to fit just the rower and the assault bike/Echo bike as needed, leaving athletes with limited equipment countless options for developing their engine using these workouts.
I’m assembling my home gym and WANT to participate in the CrossFit Open and/or online CrossFit competitions or qualifiers in the future. I also want to do the programming in the eBook. What should the order of priority be for acquiring these machines?
If you are looking to retrofit your home gym and purchase cardio machines, our recommended order of importance is as follows... Concept 2 rower or rogue echo rower first. Rogue echo bike or Assault fitness assault bike second. Concept 2 ski erg third and a concept 2 bike erg last.
I want to do these workouts, but I don’t have much interest in doing anything “officially” CrossFit. Can I get away with using non-Concept2 gear and other (cheaper) types of fan bikes or will the calories and distances be too screwed up?
For these workouts, you can use any calorie tracking cardio machine effectively, you'll just need to acquaint yourself with how they track and what numbers suit your current fitness levels. In other words you could use a stair stepper, treadmill, jacobs ladder or versa climber in any of these workouts, it would just take some understanding of your machine and your personal capacity.
Conclusion/My Take
An eBook on a bunch of machine (and some running, whether on a traditional treadmill or a curved one like the TrueForm Runner) CrossFit cardio workouts may not seem like the most exciting thing out there.
I know it sure as heck doesn’t seem that way to me!
Also, as you can imagine (and can probably tell from some of the screenshots posted), none of these workouts are “sexy”; each one is, in one way or another, the epitome of a “grind”.
However, I can’t deny that my cardiovascular capacity, particularly on workouts involving the Echo Bike, has gotten a lot better in the ~year that I have been doing these workouts on a weekly basis.
I’m satisfied with my progress and on days when I want to deviate from my regular programming (don’t out me, please!) it’s nice to know I have options that are a lot more intentional than something I’d get from a random list.
Being an all-star first baseman, Fred never really needed much cardio. Nevertheless, he has high praise for the eBook!
