| Guidelines for Cardiovascular Fitness |
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By Khanh Vy, SHAPE Conditioning Specialist
In order to exercise for cardiovascular benefits, there are 5 parameters you should consider, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM):
The mode of exercise refers to what is being performed. The mode of exercise can be grouped into three categories: group 1, group 2, and group 3. Group 1 activities involve maintaining a constant intensity, and are not highly dependent on skill level. Examples of Group 1 activities are elliptical training, jogging, running and rowing. Group 2 activities are different from Group 1 in that the rate of energy expenditure is dependent on the person’s skill level. Examples of Group 2 activities are aerobic dancing, swimming, skipping rope, and in-line skating. Group 3 activities are activities that are highly variable in terms of exercise intensity and skill level. Examples of Group 3 activities are hockey, basketball and volleyball. For cardiovascular benefits, choose activities that are rhythmical in nature, and can be maintained continuously while involving large muscle groups. This would vary depending on your level of fitness. Those with higher fitness levels often choose Group 3 activities, while those with lower fitness levels choose Group 1 activities. Intensity: Exercise intensity refers to how hard the exercise is making you work and is correlated with how high your heart rate is. As exercise becomes harder, the heart rate becomes higher. For optimal cardiovascular benefits, the intensity should be between 60-90% of your maximal heart rate or between 50-85% of your heart rate reserve. To determine how high your heart should be using the maximal heart rate method, you must subtract your age from 220, which will give you your maximal heart rate. The corresponding percentage depending on the intensity then becomes your target heart rate.
Using the Heart Rate reserve method, you must first determine your resting heart rate. After determining your resting heart rate, determine your max heart rate using 220 – age. Then subtract your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate. Multiply the result by the set % intensity and then add your resting heart rate.
Frequency of Exercise: Depending on your preferences, time constraints, and health and fitness goals you should aim for 3 days of scheduled physical activity per week in order to maximize health benefits. As your fitness level increases, the frequency should also be increased to 5 days a week for continued improvements. Duration of Exercise: The duration of the exercise is dependent on the intensity of the exercise. Exercise intensity and exercise duration are inversely related. This means that as exercise intensity increases, exercise duration must decrease and vice versa. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 20-60 minutes of continuous physical activity per exercise session for cardiovascular benefits. An alternative method to estimate the duration of the exercise is to use caloric expenditure. To achieve health benefits, ACSM recommends a minimal caloric expenditure of 1000 kcal/week from physical activity. Rate of Progression: For cardiovascular improvements, the cardiovascular system should be overloaded through adjustments in intensity and duration of exercise. The level of change is dependent on the age, health status and fitness level of the person. For the average healthy individual, there are 3 stages of progression: Initial Conditioning, Improvement, and Maintenance Stages. The initial conditioning stage lasts for about 4 weeks and consists of stretching, light calisthenics and moderate-level aerobic activity. The ACSM recommends working from an intensity of 40-60% of your HRR for 15-30 minutes, 3 times a week, for 4 weeks. Active individuals should skip this stage and start at the Improvement stage. The improvement stage lasts between 16-20 weeks. The rate of progression through intensity, duration and frequency should be more rapid than the initial stage. The exercise intensity should be increased every 2 weeks from moderate intensity (65%) to vigorous intensity (85%) of HRR. In addition, the frequency should be increased from 3 days to 5 days per week. The duration of the exercise should be increased every 2 weeks when you are able to sustain moderate to vigorous exercise intensity for 20 to 30 minutes. The maintenance stage usually begins 6 months after the start of training and continues on a regular basis there after. In this stage incorporating Group 3 activities is important to counteract boredom and keep the interest level high. For example, instead of running 5 times a week, you can enjoy hockey 3 times a week and basketball 2 times a week. At Shape, we incorporate all of these principles into our High Performance Personal Training program to ensure that you are progressed safely and promptly. If you have any questions, or would like to book your session, please contact one of our Client Relations Associates. |
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Incredible results today Sender. Thank you. The elbow is so much better. It’s amazing.
You are the best.
