Cardiovascular Training & Heart Rate

Cardiovascular health is an important aspect of fitness for both athletes and non athletes. For athletes, cardiovascular endurance allows you to complete for longer periods of time. Non athletes receive benefits as well, which include improved physical appearance and avoiding health problems such as diabetes. You heart rate is also affected by your cardio fitness. Developing your stamina will help improve various aspects of your heart rate.

  1. Cardiovascular Health

    • You can use a number of exercises to develop your cardiovascular health. Your muscles need oxygen to perform daily tasks and participate in sports. Oxygen reaches your muscles by traveling through the blood in your veins. As your cardio endurance improves, you body will be able to use more of the oxygen it brings in. Training for improved cardio also provides other improvements to your body. For example, you will burn calories during training and you can fight off health issues such as heart disease, the chances of which can be augmented due to a lack of activity.

    Heart Rate

    • Your heart rate is the number of times that your heart beats during a minute. Your heart rate displays how hard your heart must work to pump blood throughout your body. This number is measured at times of rest and during intense activities such as exercising. For non athletes a normal resting heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. Athletes have lower heart rates that average around 40 to 60 beats per minute. Other factors such as medication, body position and emotions can affect your heart rate. Improving your cardiovascular health can lower your heart rate.

    Measuring Heart Rate

    • Before you can improve your heart rate, you must know your current levels. Measure your current resting and active heart rates. You can test your heart rate alone or with a partner. With your hand on your pulse in your neck or arm, count the number of times your heart beats during a minute. Then run on a treadmill for 3 to 5 minutes at a moderate pace. Once done, recount the number of times your heart beats in a minute. These two numbers represent your resting and active heart rates.

    Cardiovascular Exercises

    • Cardiovascular training will improve your heart rate. Interval training is a type of workout plan that can help lower your rate. This form of training requires you to exercise at low and high intensity levels mixed together. For example, you can run on a treadmill for 5 minutes at a high intensity and speed, then slow down and jog for 3 minutes to catch your breath and prepare for the next intense interval. You can also use exercises such as swimming, biking and high repetition weight lifting to impact both your cardiovascular health and heart rate.

    Other Information

    • Before you begin working out to improve your cardiovascular health, first consult a physician. The doctor can conduct a physical examination that can help you understand how your body will respond to the rigors of training. You can also consult personal trainers that can help you create a workout program that fits your needs.