Conditioning should not be a random thing you do whenever you feel guilty about cardio. Like your lifting, it works best when it is planned and changes across your training year. Periodizing your conditioning means matching it to the phase you are in, so it builds you up when you have room and gets out of the way when strength is everything.
Off-Season: Build the Engine
The off-season, far from a meet, is when you can carry the most conditioning. Strength is still the priority, but you have room to build a bigger aerobic base and improve work capacity. This is the time for slightly more steady cardio and the occasional harder interval session. A bigger engine built now pays off in better recovery through your whole next training cycle.
Pre-Competition: Hold and Maintain
As you move into a meet prep and the lifting gets heavier, dial the conditioning back to maintenance. You are not building your engine now, just keeping it. A couple of easy sessions a week holds your base without stealing the recovery your heavy strength work demands. Hard conditioning has no place here.
Peak Week and Recovery: Back Off
In the final week before a meet, cut conditioning to almost nothing so every bit of recovery feeds your peak. After the meet, take a real break, then ease conditioning back in during your recovery phase as you transition back toward the off-season. Then the cycle begins again.
Build your engine in the off-season, maintain it during prep, and back off as you peak. Conditioning that follows your training calendar supports your strength all year instead of fighting it.