Running on Empty: How I Rebuild Energy With Cardio

I want to talk through how to rebuild your energy through cardio training, specifically if you're feeling in a hole and burnout feels ever-present.

Logically, I'll assume you already know the importance of building regular exercise back in.

Not only do our social media feeds educate us on this daily, but you also know it deep down.

I call this your "Inside View", your "Knowing". Our bodies are constantly communicating what they need from us. If we can get better at interpreting those signals, we can put ourselves back in the driving seat on the road to feeling like our best selves again.

The problem is, we either ignore the signals or we're pretty crap at knowing what to do with them.

Take your hope to build exercise back in.

You'll probably reflect on when you used to train, when the context of your life was very different.

And you'll try to follow that same plan again. A plan that didn't actually work, because here you are.

Or maybe you'll look to the internet and decide you need to run a marathon.

The problem is, running a marathon directly opposes the goal of getting yourself out of a hole.

It's a lot of stress and requires a lot of energy, which you're currently low on.

So let's put that idea on the shelf for now.

Let's talk cardio training for fried bodies and how I programme the first 30 days for my clients.

I'll get to strength another time.

I call this type of training "engine building", and here are the tools I use to build my clients' engines:

Walking. Hiking. Rucking (walking with weight on your back). Running. Biking (indoor or outdoor). Rowing. Lifting weights with lower recovery demands and prescribed intensity. Personalised breathing protocols.

And any other machine in the gym or random piece of equipment currently being used as a clothes horse in someone's basement.

The link between all of these is simple.

They're tools we can use to get the body working at a desired effort.

This raises heart rate to exactly where we want it, not red lining, and over time builds the capacity to move through life with the energy you've been searching for at the back of the cupboards.

That's the tools. Now let's look at how I think about programming.

Quick note before I do.

There's no single way up the mountain when it comes to getting a training effect.

My job is to work with people running on empty, not Olympians.

After a decade, this approach works because we keep it simple.

When someone feels broken, simplicity supports consistency. Trying to sound smart does not.

I programme using effort, meaning how hard or easy a session feels, using a Green, Amber, Red system, or "RAG".

Each colour has a percentage of total training time in a week.

For example: 80% Green (easy) 15% Amber (moderate) 5% Red (hard)

Another important point.

The first 30 to 60 days of working with many clients is actually about learning what easy, moderate, and hard feel like, and developing the skill to put themselves into those states.

Take Rosie.

She's excelled for years as Head of Client Services through sheer hard work and max effort.

Rosie took the same approach to sport. Marathon training. Chasing numbers. Always pushing.

Rosie is A-type. A high-achieving force.

But Rosie only understands Red.

Ask her to train at Green and she gets pissed off with her heart rate monitor because it won't do what she tells it to.

People who are great with the accelerator often struggle with the brakes. The opposite is also true.

I work with clients who avoid pushing because effort makes them feel anxious or panicky.

What both groups struggle with most is the middle ground, Amber.

That's another skill we train through what I call wave training. More on that another day.

So how do we use the RAG system to rebuild energy?

First, honesty.

You need to be honest about your ability to maintain Green.

Back to Rosie, who's returning to running to rebuild energy.

Her "easy runs" aren't easy.

Yes, they're slower than her hard runs, but when I assess heart rate, breathing, and effort, it's clear her body is working harder than we need.

She's spending energy she doesn't have.

That "easy" run requires more recovery than it should.

So what should Green feel like?

Simple.

1. You can move at a conversational pace. This doesn't mean one or two sentences and then silence. It means a full conversation.

2. Effort sits between 2 and 4 out of 10.

3. Nasal breathing. Quick note on breathing. Don't force it straight away. That often creates frustration. Focus first on points one and two.

Back to Rosie.

"I can't do that."

"If I do that, I'm basically walking."

I hear this all the time.

You might already be thinking it.

Remember the goal.

Rebuild capacity. Restore energy. Enable consistency.

We need to find a pace the body wants to return to.

We also need to gently regulate a nervous system that's likely been running hot for a long time.

So if you're rebuilding cardio after stress or overwhelm, start by staying Green for the first 30 days.

But here's where I shift the percentages.

For the first 30 to 60 days: 95% Green 5% Red

No Amber yet.

This creates a clear gap between easy and hard, and helps you actually learn what both ends of the spectrum feel like.

There's plenty of time for the middle ground later.

So how do we programme Red?

For Rosie, that might look like a 50-metre stride for every mile she runs. At the start, end, or as a separate hill session.

For you, it might be: Bike intervals. Fast hill marches with a backpack. Tabata (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 8 rounds).

It always depends on your context. Your goals. Your equipment. Your skill level. And how much Red your body can handle based on your Green volume.