Pre-Season Conditioning Tests: Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Cardio Talk

In this “Cardio Talk” edition of the Decoding Excellence Show , I’m diving into pre-season basketball conditioning tests—and why different coaches lean on very different approaches. Some favor more aerobic-based tests like the mile run or 3-minute baseline touches, while others prefer anaerobic measures like side-line touches or the 300-yard shuttle. Both approaches have their place, but which one actually prepares athletes best? In this episode, I break down: The pros and cons of aerobic vs. anaerobic conditioning tests What we’re using here at Colorado this pre-season Why building a strong aerobic base is critical for October’s 20-hour practice weeks How these tests tie into bigger decisions on readiness, recovery, and performance Whether you’re a coach, athlete, or sport scientist, this Walk & Talk pulls back the curtain on how we evaluate and prepare our teams for the grind ahead. If you’re serious about training design, athlete monitoring, or building durable and explosive players, this one’s loaded with practical takeaways you can apply immediately. 🎯 Additionally, I share details about the Former Athlete Society —my private community built exclusively for former college athletes who want to level up their fitness, training, and recovery. Inside, you'll get: ✅ A community discussion board to connect & share wins ✅ A full classroom with education modules on training & performance ✅ A leaderboard to reward engagement & consistency ✅ A calendar for live coaching calls & Q&A sessions 🔥 Join the Former Athlete Society here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📬 If you haven't already, head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AdamRingler.com/Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ and sign up for my weekly newsletter. It’s a weekly drop for the curious—packed with the best articles I’ve read, the things I’m exploring, and ideas I’m chewing on. Think of it as your curated dose of performance, mindset, and experimentation. 💬 Let’s connect! If anything in this episode resonated with you, reach out and engage with me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRingler⁠⁠⁠ on social. 🔒 Learn More About Memberships Lastly, what you just listened to was only a fraction of what I share with The Blueprint and The Masterplan tiers. If you want the FULL conversation, it's is waiting at my website. If you’re not inside, you’re already behind the ones who are. Check out the Membership Tiers Here 🎧 Thanks again for listening to the Decoding Excellence Show ! If you’ve taken anything away from today’s episode, please take a minute to leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on iTunes or wherever you tune in. It helps more than you know and supports this growing Sport Science and High-Performance Coaching resource.

You can listen to Pre-Season Conditioning Tests: Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Cardio Talk online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Pre-Season Conditioning Tests: Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Cardio Talk is an episode from Decoding Excellence by Adam Ringler.

This episode is 00:33:29 long.

This episode was published on Aug 29, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Decoding Excellence when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.