Cardiovascular Training

In the local gym, Cardiovascular exercise is made out to be a lot more simple than it really is.  Every gym in America is loaded with people doing "cardio."  But how many of those people truly know what they are doing?

The answer is a resounding NO.  The average person in the gym expects to get results just for getting on a cardio machine for an hour.  "I burned 800 Calories in an hour on the elliptical machine!"  It is much more complicated than that.  Just as all resistance training programs should be based on the scientific principles, so should your cardio exercise.  The SAID principle basically says it all, Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands

Best

Jump Rope

• Can burn up to 1300 Calories an hour

• Takes up very little space

• Easily transported

• Builds coordination

MOST UNDERRATED

Versa Climber

• Vertically oriented to burn more Calories

• Great for high intensity interval training

• Works upper & lower body

• Works opposing actions (push/pull)

• Takes up minimal space in a gym

Rest...

Stationary Recumbent Bike

• Lacks any core activation whatsoever

• Many people perform improperly

MOST OVERRATED

Elliptical Trainer

• The elliptical machine itself may not be overrated but the way the majority of people use them is what makes them overrated

• Non-impact exercise could be detrimental to people who are capable and lack impact exercise for bone mass

Cardiovascular training, or cardio, which is any training that uses primarily the aerobic pathways which stress the heart and blood vessels, is generally performed for 3 reasons

1. To increase the performance of the cardiovascular system

   • True cardio is working the most important muscle in the body, which is the heart of course

     • It performed in various settings such your local gym, Olympic training centers, your children's baseball or football practice, in cardiac rehab centers, and many more

   • It can be performed to increase the efficiency of the heart or stroke volume which has many applications in the realm of sports, especially long distance running

2. To burn fat and lose weight

   • Usually (for different reasons from person to person) performed at lower intensities than true cardiovascular training.  A lot of times this can actually lead overstressing the body into losing muscle mass as well as fat

   • Low intensity exercise was theorized to burn fat better than high intensity exercise but that is a fitness myth that you can read more about

     • During a low intensity exercise session, primarily fat is burned, but over a 24 hour period, more fat is burned if high intensity aerobic exercise session was performed

3. To have fun

   • Believe it or not most activities we perform for fun are burning fat.  Anything from hiking, fishing, slow pitch softball and even watching TV are cardiovascular activities, even though the amount of Calories burned varies tremendously

   • To burn more fat during leisure and pastime activities it makes a tremendous difference to have a faster metabolism which can accomplished by carrying more muscle mass, which is where weight training comes in

• Cardio machines in most gyms include:

  • Recumbant bikes

  • Stair Steppers

  • Upright Bikes

  • Stairmills

  • Elliptical Trainers

  • Treadmills

  • Versa Climbers

  • Rowing Machines

  • Hand ergometers

Intensity and duration are things you have to pay attention to when you are performing cardiovascular training.  The intensity of cardio is determined by finding the percentage of your maximum heart rate you are working at. 

Your target heart rate is a certain percentage of your maximum heart rate in which you are supposed to work at.  There is a generic formula (220- age) to determine your maximum heart rate.  After you determine your maximum heart rate you can take your exercise heart rate simply by taking your pulse for 10 or 15 or 60 seconds, etc.

If your heart beat 20 times in 15 seconds you would multiply it by 4 to get your beats per minute (80 BPM in this example).  Duration is how long you perform the activity.  Obviously the higher the intensity the shorter the duration.  To achieve your goals, you have to have your intensity and duration at optimal levels. 

This is why hiring a personal trainer is ensuring your success.  Remember, if run a mile in 7 minutes and you want to run it in 6 minutes, you wouldn't go to practice and run 8 minute miles, you would work at a faster pace than 7 minutes so you can reduce your time.  Everything takes practice. 

So don't quit when you realize that you just exercised at the wrong intensity in the past, you have to use trial and error to figure out the right intensity and duration that will help you achieve the goals you have set.

The most important thing about performing cardio is to have fun.  Cardio, especially to avid weight trainers is usually a last resort to when they "get fat" in their minds.  Cardio should be performed at least 3 times a week for 20-60 minutes regardless of your physical state (disregarding sickness, disease or major condition of course,

SEE YOUR DOCTOR IF THERE IS ANY QUESTION ABOUT YOUR ABILITY TO EXERCISE

 Every major organization varies slightly in their recommendations for performing cardio.  There is a limit to the amount of cardio or any type of exercise for that matter you can perform in a week, depending on your health and diet.  If you train too much you could overstress your body which leads to overreaching which could develop into overtraining.

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