Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise and Training Programs

What is Aerobic Exercise?

The American College of Sports Medicine defines aerobic exercise, also referred to as cardiovascular exercise or cardio exercise, as "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." As opposed to strength training, which primarily utilizes the phosphagen energy system to provide energy, cardiovascular exercise primarily utilizes the aerobic energy system (oxidative energy system).

Examples of cardiovascular exercise include walking, jogging, swimming, rowing, cycling, jump roping, etc. In this article, I will concentrate on a few types of aerobic endurance training programs you can incorporate into your exercise regimen, including long, slow distance aerobic endurance training; pace/tempo aerobic endurance training; aerobic endurance interval training; aerobic endurance repetition training; and Fartlek training. I will also explain what VO2 max is and some benefits of aerobic endurance exercise.

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise has many health benefits and should not be excluded from an exercise routine. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommends partaking in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise 3- 5 days per week.

Benefits cardiovascular exercise includes:

Decreased resting heart rateIncreased resting and maximal stroke volume (amount of blood ejected by the heart each beat)Increased resting and maximal cardiac output (amount of blood pumped by the heart in liters per minute)Decreased blood pressureIncreased maximal oxygen uptakeDecreased body fat percentageIncrease in capillary densityReduction in bad cholesterol and increase in good cholesterol

VO2 Max

VO2 max, also known as maximal oxygen uptake, is the greatest amount of oxygen that can be consumed by the body (Baechle & Earle, 2008). VO2 max is extremely important for athletes participating in aerobic endurance sports, such as marathon runners, cyclists, swimmers, rowers, etc. In fact VO2 max is one of the most popular measure of cardiorespiratory fitness. The athlete that is able to last the longest during the race or event, who can ultimately consume a greater amount of oxygen, will end probably end up on top!

Aside from competitive athletes, casual exercisers can still greatly benefit from an increase in VO2 max. An increase in VO2 max ultimately allows the respiratory and circulatory system to function much more efficiently. The heart will be better able to transport oxygen and increase the body's ability to utilize it (Baechle & Earle, 2008).

Long, Slow Distance Endurance Training

Long, slow distance training (LSD) is performed exactly as it sounds. This type of cardiovascular exercise is what you typically see most people doing if you walk into a gym. Examples of LSD training include low intensity walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, jump roping, stair stepping, etc. at slow speeds for an extended period of time.

LSD training should be performed one to two times per week, although professional athletes typically train more frequentlythan that. Athletes competing in long distance marathons lasting 30-120 minutes benefit most from this type of training. Studies show LSD training should be performed at 70% of VO2 max (or 80% of maximum heart rate)(Baechle & Earle, 2008).

To determine maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, a 25-year-old male's maximum heart rate is around 195. Then to determine target heart rate to train at for LSD training, multiply max heart rate by 0.80, which in this example would be 156. The 25-year-old male would then want to keep his heart rate around 156 when engaging in LSD training.

Since heart rate is the most frequently used method for determining exercise intensity, it is crucial to know what your individual heart rate is. Additionally, to accurately train at your prescribed heart rate, purchasing a heart rate monitor is highly recommended.

Pace/Tempo Training

Pace/tempo aerobic endurance training, also known as threshold training, is typically used by athletes competing in marathons, however, can also be employed by the casual exerciser looking to reap the benefits of cardiovascular exercise. Pace/tempo endurance training consists of exercising at an intensity that is equal or greater than lactate threshold. Since the concept of lactate threshold is quite complex, I will explain it like this: train at a pace equal to or slightly faster than competition pace for those who compete in races and for those who do not compete in races train at a higher intensity than normal. In both cases, train for a duration of 20 to 30 minutes. Additionally, there are two types of pace/tempo endurance training: steady and intermittent (Baechle & Earle, 2008).

Steady pace/tempo aerobic endurance training is continuous training performed at an intensity level equal to the lactate threshold for 20 to 30 minute durations (Baechle & Earle, 2008). In other words, a runner training for a LSD marathon would train equal to or slightly faster than race pace during pace/tempo endurance training.

Intermittent pace/tempo aerobic endurance training consists of training at the same intensity level as steady pace/tempo endurance training, however, includes a series of shorter intervals with brief recovery periods (Baechle & Earle, 2008). For example, a runner utilizing intermittent pace/tempo aerobic endurance training might run for one minute at a pace equal to competition interspersed with short intervals of slightly faster than competition bouts.

Interval Training

Interval training, unlike LSD and pace/tempo aerobic endurance training, involves exercising at or near VO2 max. However, like the name states, training is conducted by interspersing intervals of rest periods and work, which are known as work to rest ratios. Interval training can be used for nearly all types of cardiovascular activities.

For example, if a person wanted to conduct interval training for running, he would first determine the work to rest ratio. In this case, let's say the work to rest ratio is 1:2. So, for every interval of work, the rest would be twice as long right? Hence the 2 in the ratio. The runner could choose to run at maximum intensity for 30 seconds and rest for 60 seconds or run at maximum intensity for 45 seconds andrest for 90 seconds.

By the way, the "rest" portion of interval training does not mean to stop the activity completely; it simply means to continue the activity for the prescribed rest period at a lower intensity. Got it? Check out my article on interval training if you want to learn more about it!

The good thing about interval training is that it can be used to train the energy system that is taxed for a specific sport. For example, football games consist of brief periods of plays followed by rest periods (huddles, timeouts, injuries, etc.). A typical play in football lasts approximately 6 to 7 seconds and the rest interval before the next play takes place is approximately 25 seconds. A coach then might develop an interval training aerobic endurance regimen consisting of a 1:4 work to rest ratio. Let's say that running was chosen for the aerobic endurance interval training exercise. A 1:4 work to rest ratio could consist of 6 seconds of maximal effort followed by 24 seconds of rest period or 10 seconds of maximal effort followed by 40 seconds of rest period. Understand?

Repetition Training

Repetition training, unlike interval training, is conducted at intensities greater than VO2 max (Baechle & Earle, 2008). Repetition training is, however, similar to interval training in that it utilizes work intervals and rest periods, although longer rest periods are required due to the high dependency on the anaerobic system (Baechle & Earle, 2008). Typically, rest periods are 4 to 6 times as long as the work intervals (Baechle & Earle, 2008). So, for example, possible work to rest ratios that could be used are 1:4, 1:6, or 1:5.

Fartlek Training

Fartlek training is simply a combination of all types of aerobic endurance training methods previously mentioned. Although it is typically used for running, Fartlek training can be used for cycling or swimming as well. A sample Fartlek training run involves LSD running interspersed with periods of incline running followed by shorts intervals of maximal effort running.

Final Note

Wow. We have covered a tremendous amount of material! Let's recap what we went over:

Definition of aerobic endurance exerciseBenefits of aerobic endurance exerciseVO2 max and how to calculate maximum heart rateLSD trainingPace/tempo trainingInterval trainingRepetition trainingFartlek training

If you take nothing else out of this article, remember that cardiovascular exercise is extremely important to include in an exercise routine or regimen. It is great for the heart and significantly enhances the respiratory and circulatory system. Additionally, if followed with a sound nutrition program, cardiovascular exercise can help with fat loss, although strength training should be performed in conjunction with cardio exercise if you want to achieve maximum results. As always, consult your physician before you start any type of exercise regimen.

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