Ninety.
Six.
Days.

That’s how long this meathead—yours truly—has been doing cardio.
Not by accident. Not occasionally. Not when the weather was nice.
​Every darn day. In a row. Like some lunatic on a mission to find his VO2 max soul.

The streak started on Feb 8, mid-sunburn in Mexico.
Three weeks of tacos, tequila, and Zone 2 sweat.
Even with spicy food, trying to evacuate my colon like it owed someone money…

Cardio. Got. Done.

Then we were yeeted back to the frosty armpit of Minnesota.

Did I fold?

Hell no.

Fast forward to Vegas—land of lights, lies, and liver damage.

I’m at conferences all day, dodging overpriced coffees and PowerPoint purgatory.

Still dragged myself to the gym like a greased-up warthog chasing VO2 salvation.

Barely home for 36 hours before flying to Massachusetts for the NSCA keynote and jetlagged, undercaffeinated, half-human—still punched the cardio clock.

Two days later, I’m grinding out 1,656 miles of open-road madness driving to South Padre.

And after getting body-slammed by the ocean trying to land backrolls like a caffeinated sea otter…

I still pulled my salty carcass with crack in my sand into the gym—sometimes at 8:30 pm

Or a short beach run at 7 AM before kiteboarding

Why?

Because I said I would.
Because the streak mattered.
Because doing it when it’s inconvenient is where the magic lives.

No secret supplements.

No monk-level mindset hacks.

Just violent clockwork consistency—and a refusal to negotiate with weakness.
​
And I kept it going until I had to take 4 days off for some more ink.

And you know what?

I felt AMAZING.

• My HRV went up.
• My resting heart rate dropped.
• Sleep got deeper.
• Recovery got faster

And I’m not alone—my M3 1-1 clients are seeing the same thing.

Here’s the truth:

There are two kinds of recovery:

• Passive recovery = you do jack squat. You lay there, marinating in your own metabolic sludge.
• Active recovery = low-intensity aerobic work that turns your whole system into a Ferrari-engine cyborg.

Active recovery doesn’t just help you bounce back.

It builds the very thing that lets you train harder, longer, and more often.

It’s like putting a bigger gas tank and better cooling system in your performance machine.

More aerobic capacity =
• More stress tolerance
• More training volume
• More gainZ
• More health
• More you

It’s like snorting recovery through a straw made of mitochondria.

And THAT is why I created the Flexible Meathead Cardio Course.

This isn’t cardio for gerbils.

This is cardio for people who love lifting heavy things, flipping tires, and making PRs cry mercy.

Inside the course:

• Full breakdown of aerobic training from nerdy science to real-world grit
• Protocols I’ve tested on everyone from shredded savages to desk-dwelling dads
• How to sneak cardio into your training without sacrificing an ounce of muscle
• Ready-to-rock templates so you don’t waste a single second in program purgatory

Enrollment closes TONIGHT, Monday, at midnight PST.

Here’s the link to grab your spot and join the dark side of oxygen-fueled domination:

👉https://miket.me/cardio​

Train smarter
Recover harder
Lift heavier
​Live more

Apply your knowledge with violent consistency.

Send it.

Much love,
Dr. Mike

​https://miket.me/cardio​​

​

_____________________

Mike T Nelson CISSN, CSCS, MSME, PhD
Associate Professor, Carrick Institute
Owner, Extreme Human Performance, LLC
Editorial Board Member, STRONG Fitness Mag

Mike T Nelson is a PhD and not a physician or registered dietitian. The contents of this email should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.

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