Let’s find out ‘How To Perform A Cardio Workout For Aerobic Fitness’ The term cardiovascular, abbreviated as “cardio,” refers to the heart. Exercise that increases your heart rate and maintains it there for an extended amount of time is known as cardiovascular exercise. It is also known as aerobic exercise.
Exercise activities like running, brisk walking, and swimming that don’t involve breaks are related with cardiovascular exercises. Although Pilates may be performed in a cardiac fashion and is undoubtedly a terrific addition to cardio workouts, exercises that place an emphasis on flexibility and strength, like Pilates, are typically not regarded as cardio exercise.
The Benefits Of Cardio Workouts
Cardio exercise has a long list of advantages for your health. Here are some of the best arguments for include cardio in your exercise program:
- It strengthens the heart1
- It strengthens the lungs and increases lung capacity2
- It boosts the metabolism, burns calories, andĀ helps you lose weight1
- It helpsĀ reduce stress3
- It increases energy4
- It promotes restful sleep5
Since you now fully understand the advantages of cardio exercise, you may be asking how high your heart rate has to be and how long you need maintain it. We’ll look at those issues and learn how to determine a target heart rate.
Talking while doing cardiac activity is recommended. Your pulse rate is definitely too high and you need to calm down if you are too winded to speak comfortably.
How High Should My Heart Rate Be?
Finding out your maximal heart rate (in beats per minute) may help you make the most of an aerobic workout. Subtract your age from 226 for women or 220 for males to do that. 6
You don’t want to exercise at your highest heart rate right now. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that for moderate-intensity activity, your goal heart rate zone be between 50% and 70% of your maximal heart rate for healthy persons. 7 If you are just starting to become in shape, you should calculate more near 50%, and if you are in excellent form, more toward 70%. The AHA recommends exercising at 70% to 85% of your maximal heart rate. 7
Sample HR Calculation
For a 40-year-old woman just getting started in cardio workouts:
226 – 40 (her age) = 186 maximum heart rate (beats per minute)
180 x .50 = 93 heartbeats per minute target heart rate
Your goal heart rate divided by six will give you the amount of beats you need every 10 seconds. In this example, 93 divided by 6 equals 15.5. For her target heart rate, she has to count 15 beats in 10 seconds. Online, there are a ton of target heart rate calculators available.
Count Your Heart Beats Per Minute
Place two fingers at the back of your lower jaw, then go down about an inch until you feel your pulse via the carotid artery in your neck to determine how many times your heart beats in a minute. To calculate beats per minute, multiply the number of beats in 10 seconds by 6.
As you develop your cardio routines, a heart rate monitor may be a very helpful tool. They reduce the amount of time needed to calculate and count pulses.
How Long Should I Keep My Heart Rate Up?
Your level of fitness and your goals will determine how long your cardio workouts should last. The American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine advise engaging in at least 20 minutes of intense activity three days a week, or at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity five days a week. 89 These are the minimums, but if your aerobic fitness improves, you might still need to work your way up to these levels. The most crucial thing is to start a program.