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Cardiovascular training
What is cardiovascular training?
Cardiovascular training, also known as cardio or aerobic exercise, refers to physical activities that increase the heart rate and breathing rate for a sustained period of time. The primary goal of cardiovascular training is to improve the efficiency of the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
Cardiovascular training benefits
Cardiovascular training has several benefits, including:
- Improved heart health: Regular cardio exercise helps strengthen the heart and improve its function, which can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Increased endurance: Cardiovascular training helps increase endurance and stamina, allowing you to perform physical activities for longer periods of time.
- Weight management: Cardio exercise is an effective way to burn calories and lose weight.
- Better mental health: Cardiovascular exercise has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and improve overall mood.
- Improved lung function: Cardiovascular training strengthens the lungs, increasing their capacity to absorb oxygen and improve overall respiratory health.
- Better sleep: Regular cardio exercise can improve sleep quality and help regulate sleep patterns.
- Increased flexibility and balance: Cardiovascular exercise can also improve flexibility and balance, reducing the risk of injury and falls.
Training systems
There are several training systems used for cardiovascular training. The following are the three most popular for gym-based exercise programmes:
- Interval Training: Alternates periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of rest or low-intensity exercise.
- Steady-State Training: Involves sustained exercise at a moderate intensity for an extended period of time.
- Fartlek Training: A form of interval training that involves varying the intensity and duration of exercise.
It’s essential to choose a training system that meets your client’s fitness goals and to vary their routine to avoid boredom and plateaus.
Interval training
Interval Training is a type of cardiovascular training that alternates periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. The purpose of interval training is to improve cardiovascular endurance and increase aerobic capacity. It can also help burn more calories and improve overall fitness in a shorter time compared to steady-state training.
An example interval program for a rowing machine:
Warm-Up: 5 minutes at a moderate intensity.
Intervals:
- 30 seconds at a high-intensity
- 30 seconds of low intensity
- Repeat this pattern for 8 to 12 cycles
Cool-Down: 5 minutes at a moderate intensity.
It’s important to start your client with fewer cycles and gradually increase as their fitness improves.
Fartlek training
Fartlek (Swedish for Speedplay) is a type of cardiovascular training that involves randomly mixing up the client’s running pace.
Although typically a running method, it can still be used with others forms of cardiovascular exercise by sporadically adjusting the intensity of exercise through the duration of the workout.
Fartlek training aims to improve cardiovascular endurance and increase aerobic capacity but can also help to prevent boredom and keep workouts interesting.
Steady-state
Steady-State Training is a type of cardiovascular training involving sustained exercise at a moderate intensity for an extended period.
Steady-state training aims to improve cardiovascular endurance, increase aerobic capacity, and burn calories.
An example steady-state program could be a 20-minute cycle at a moderate pace.
It’s essential to choose an intensity that your client can sustain for the entire steady-state session and to increase the duration as their fitness gradually improves.
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