Cardiovascular
Endurance
What is Cardio-Aerobic
Endurance and Performance?
The first basic component
of physical fitness, aerobic
or cardio-vascular
endurance is the body's ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to
tissues (in order to power the muscles), and to remove wastes, over sustained
periods of time and during sustained physical activity. Extended running,
cycling or swimming
workouts are among the methods employed to measure cardio-respiratory
fitness.
Cardio Endurance:
Vital Component of Physical Fitness
Cardiovascular endurance should be a central
part of your overall fitness program. To improve your cardio-aerobic endurance,
try exercise activities that keep your heart rate elevated at a safe level
for a sustained length of time. As well as running, cycling or swimming,
use a treadmill, elliptical
trainer or stepper/stairclimber.
The exercise does not have to be strenuous to raise your cardiorespiratory
endurance. So for optimum health
benefits, start slowly with an aerobic
workout you enjoy, and gradually work up to a more intense pace.
VO2 Max Bicycle/Treadmill Test and Recovery
Index
Used to test cardio-aerobic performance and
physiological performance, the VO2 max test measures the maximum volume
of oxygen which a person can ingest over a set period of time. The oxygen,
carbon dioxide and total volume of air breathed in are measured throughout
the test and VO2 max is expressed in liters of oxygen consumed per minute,
or when adjusted for body mass, as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram
of body mass per minute. A less technical cardio-aerobic fitness test
is the Recovery Index. Usually performed (eg) on a bicycle ergometer,
or treadmill, this measures the heart recovery rate after exercise.
Sources include:
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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