Fitness & Games
Fall 2009
Mr. Nickelson
CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS
Cardiovascular fitness is the most important aspect of any fitness program. Cardiovascular fitness
should be the mainstay of any fitness program. This section is designed to explain the definition
of cardiovascular fitness, the benefits of cardiovascular fitness program, warm up and cool down
aspects of cardiovascular fitness, the different modes of cardiovascular fitness, the criteria of
cardiovascular fitness, explain how to monitor cardiovascular intensity levels, the factors of
improving cardiovascular fitness, and the methods of cardiovascular training.
Cardiovascular Fitness: A Definition
Cardiovascular fitness also called cardiorespitory fitness is the ability of the lungs to provide
oxygen to the blood and the heart to transport the oxygenated blood to the cells of the body. It is
also the ability of the body to sustain an activity for an extended period of time.
Benefits of a Cardiovascular Fitness Program
lower blood pressure
decrease stress reactions and anxiety
increase HDL cholesterol
reduce glucose-stimulated insulin
decrease total cholesterol
increase oxygen output to body
decrease body fat due to utilizing fat as
energy
decrease resting heart rate
increase cardiac output
increase heart function and its ability to
pump more blood
increase aerobic work capacity
Now that we know the benefits of a cardiovascular program lets examine the components of a proper
program.
Warm up
The warm-up should increase the heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, dilate the blood
vessels, increase elasticity of the active muscles, and increase the heat produced by the muscle groups to
be used during exercise. The warm-up phase should last anywhere from 5 - 10 minutes. For most
activities 5 minutes may be good enough.
A proper warm-up consists of two phases:
1) A graduated aerobic warm-up activity - This is a warm-up to get the blood flowing into the muscles.
This also heats up the muscles making them less prone to injury. Any aerobic activity done at very low
intensity can serve to warm-up the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
2) Stretching or Flexibility - This is to be performed on the muscle groups you will be exercising during
your cardiovascular activity. An example would be a quadriceps stretch before bicycling.
Stretching should always follow the low intensity aerobic warm-up activity as it is easier to stretch the
muscle groups when they are warm. An example of a good warm-up would be 5 minutes of walking
followed by 3 minutes of light stretching. Try to hold your stretch for at least 20 seconds during the
warm-up
Cool Down
The purpose of a cool down is to slowly decrease the cardiovascular work and overall metabolism that
were elevated during the cardiovascular activity. A cool down consists of slowing down the intensity
level of the cardiovascular activity you are performing slowly. Stopping exercise suddenly can be
dangerous. A cool down keeps the body circulating blood and keeps blood from pooling in the veins. A
cool down is extremely important for people who are in the beginning stages of an exercise program.
A proper cool down should last about 5 -10 minutes for each thirty minutes of exercise. If the
cardiovascular activity is performed for longer periods or is of higher intensity the cool down phase
should last longer.
Cardiovascular Exercise Mode
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines exercise mode as any exercise that utilizes
the large muscle groups and can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmical and cardiovascular in
nature. The ACSM classifies cardiorespitory fitness in three groups.
Group A - These are physical activities in which the intensity level is easily maintained with little
variable in heart rate. Interval training is included in group A exercises. Beginners should start their
cardiovascular training using group A exercises because this group gives a more precise measure of
intensity levels.
Group B - This is the group that relates to those exercises in which a certain skill level is needed to
complete the exercise efficiently.
Group C - These are exercises which vary quite a bit in exercise intensity level. Exercise where heart
rate is not maintained at a certain level for any length or time.
Criteria for Cardiovascular Exercise
For criteria we will get acquainted with the word FIT.
Frequency
Intensity
Time
Frequency - This refers to the number of times per week you perform cardiovascular exercise. To
improve cardiovascular fitness levels a minimum of three days a week is recommended. The American
Council of Exercise Guidelines recommend 3 -5 days per week. When starting a program for the first
time a person should perform Group A exercises such as brisk walking at least every other day with two
days in a row thrown in during the week. For some people it may be of benefit to exercise every day and
for some people doing two cardiovascular exercises a day may be of benefit. Remember that a person
should not try to overdo it to soon but progress slowly and efficiently.
Intensity - Intensity level is a very important part of any exercise program. Exercising at correct levels
can make a big difference in the effectiveness of a program. Intensity can be defined as speed or
workload of an activity. Many people, such as walkers, do not exercise at the correct intensity level for
cardiovascular and fat burning enhancement. On the other hand some people can actually exercise at too
high an intensity level. Exercising at a high intensity level can increase a persons chance of injury. There
are also people who may not get maximum fat burning potential and cardiovascular improvement because
they do not keep their intensity level sustained for a long enough period of time. Tennis is a good
example. Knowing intensity level is very important in getting the desired results from a program.
Intensity is important for a person who wants to build a base of fitness, a person who wants to burn fat, or
a person who just want to increase performance levels for athletic competition.
The Guidelines for intensity levels from the American College of Sports Medicine are 60 -90 % of
maximal heart rate. This range is approximately 50 to 85% of maximal oxygen consumption (functional
capacity or VO2 max) and 50 - 85% of heart rate maximum reserve. We will discuss monitoring intensity
in the next section. A person who is beginning a program should start at 50 - 60% of their maximum
oxygen consumption although some beginners need to start at levels of 40 - 50%. For fitter people
exercising at 75 - 85% is probably more appropriate. Overall for most healthier adults it is good to be at
60 - 70%. The key to all of this is knowing where he/she is at as far in their cardiovascular fitness level is
concerned and starting slowly, progressing as cardiovascular fitness levels increase. Starting a program
too fast is not good, but not doing enough is not good either. A comfortable balance which progresses to
higher levels over time is recommended.
Time - This refers to the duration of an exercise session or the length of time to complete an exercise.
For many the duration of an exercise depends upon the intensity of an exercise. In general the
cardiovascular exercise should last a minimum of 20 minutes with the best results coming after a longer
period of time. A person can get good cardiovascular fitness and body fat burning utilization at 20 - 30
minutes of cardiovascular exercise. People who are just beginning a program should start slowly and
progress over time. A person who rarely has ever exercised should start at 10 -12 minutes including a 5
minute warm-up and increase this by about 2 minutes per week until they are above 20 minutes. The key
is to spend some time doing some cardiovascular activity every day if possible.
Monitoring Intensity
There are many ways to monitor cardiovascular exercise intensity levels. Measuring exercise heart rate
level can be tricky because everyone is different. Not everyone has the same resting heart rates and not
everyone has the same maximum heart rate and therefore not the same exercising heart rate. To get a true
reading on max heart rate and exercise heart rate an EKG stress test from a physician or sports medicine
exercise laboratory can be performed. An EKG stress test can give a true indication of overall
cardiovascular fitness levels and make the exercise intensity levels more accurate. Remember the
following formula may not be exactly accurate and you need to be aware of this and adjust accordingly.
Remember it is better to be on the safe side to prevent injury.
Percentage of Maximal Heart Rate
This method is the most popular used formula today. This formula can have a variability of + or - 10 to
12 beats per minutes (Dursitne, 1988). This method is measured as follows.
Training Heart Rate Range = Maximal predicted heart rate x % of intensity range x 1.15.
For Example:
A 50 year old man for whom a 60% to 70% maximal heart rate is desired.
220 - 50 = 170 x .60 = 102 x 1.15 = 117.3 (60% lower limit exercise rate)
220 - 50 = 170 x .70 = 119 x 1.15 = 136.9 (70% higher limit exercise rate)
This person would exercise at between 117 - 136 bpm.
Remember that a person who is just starting a program should not push it to fast. A person starting a
program would be advised to exercise at 50% - 60% of max heart rate to get acclimated to aerobic type
exercise.
Reference:
http://www.fitzones.com/
Cardiovascular Fitness Assignment
30 points
Fitness & Games
Fall 2009
Mr. Nickelson
1. Give two examples of each group of the Cardiovascular Exercise Mode.
Group A
Group B
Group C
2. Write out three cardiovascular exercises of your own that you would do over the course of a
week. Remember to add a “Warm – Up” and “Cool Down” to your exercise and include the
intensity and time to your workout. We have already established the frequency.