This is not a blog on my high school football career, which did not have that much of highlight anyway. But the reason why I brought it up today is because the way I used to work out for the sport has affected the way I design my cardiorespiratory routines now. When I was playing high school football, out of my desperation to impress the coaches, I used to “man up” and squat nearly 400 lbs. ( and no needles were involved ). As I constantly put tremendous amount of pressure on my knees from squatting, I developed tendonitis and other joint problems that have prevented me from running for prolonged period of time. To this day, I would still feel uncomfortable or even pain sometimes if I jog or sprint in my work out. To ensure a sufficient cardiorespiratory workout, I have started swimming at least once every other day and implemented cross training. I highly recommend swimming because not only do you increase your respiratory capacity from proper breathing technique, but you also increase your functional capacity of your joints without putting extra pressure on them from body weight. I also like cross training because I can rotate from treadmill, to stationary bike, then finally to elliptical machine. Cross training helps me train different part of leg muscles without constantly putting pressure on my knee joints from doing the same motion, such as jogging, over and over. For instance, stationary bike requires me using my hamstring to pull pedals up rather than using my quadriceps consistently in long distance running. By adding cross training into your routine, you grain strength in different part of your lower body, and you also add some “spice” into your workout that can keep you motivated. Because of my ignorance of the side effect from squating heavly, I have injured my knees permanently and forced myself to design my cardiorespiratory routines with care. Although I rather not have developed knee problems in such young age, I have learned to workout without hurting myself from high school football experience. My advice above is not only for the people who have knee problems like myself, but also for those who is interested in making their tedious cardio routines more interesting and exciting. By the way, if you happen to know any high school football player who is killing himself in the squat cage, tell him to take it easy. Squating nearly 400 lbs. will get him only a round of applause in the gym, but does not guarantee a starting spot on the field. Don’t be young and stupid!