Cardiovascular (Cardio) exercise is defined as “physical exercise that increases the rate at which your heart works.”
Cardio Workouts
Benefits
- Strengthens and improves the condition of your heart.
- Increases your metabolism and the number of calories that are burned.
- Boosts hormone production, which can improve your mood, reduce stress, decrease depression, give you more energy and help with hormonal imbalances.
- Improves the quality of your sleep.
- Helps prevent and manage high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Reduces muscle pain and arthritis pain by stimulating blood flow through movement.
- Helps control your appetite.
Recommended Amount
Physical Activity Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity.
Determining your Cardiorespiratory Goals
| Aerobic-base Training | Aerobic-efficiency Training | Anaerobic-endurance Training | Anaerobic-power Training |
| – For someone just beginning a cardio routine -Focus on beginning a cardio routine -Steady state exercise in Zone 1 -RPE 3-4 -Gradually build up to 20-30 minutes of steady state cardio most days of the week. | -For someone looking to improve their cardio routine and take it to a new level. -Focus on increasing the duration and introduce intervals -Introduce intervals in Zone 2 -RPE 3-4 with intervals of 5-6 -May stay in this stage and progress by shortening the work to recovery intervals. | -For competitive and non-competitive athletes looking to improve their game. -Focus on endurance performing goals, (marathon running, etc.) -Intervals of Zone 2 and 3 but most of the time spent in Zone 1 -RPE 3-4 most of the time with intervals of 5-6 and 7-8 | -For highly competitive athletes focused on improving their performance. -Focus on improving anaerobic power ( high power sports, competitive athletes, etc.) -Intervals of Zone 1, 2 and 3 with very high intensity in Zone 3 RPE more time spent in 8-10 |
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