How to Improve Your Cardiovascular Endurance
If you’ve ever gone out for a steep hike, run, swim, or some other activity where you felt like you couldn’t catch your breath and your heart rate was elevated, you’ve experienced what it’s like to challenge your cardiovascular system. The ability to sustain this increased amount of work on the heart and lungs during exercise is called cardiovascular endurance.
Cardiovascular endurance involves the heart and lungs taking in oxygen and transporting it around the body so it can be sent to various tissues — primarily the working muscles — where it’s used to produce more energy to sustain physical activity.
When it comes to exercises that involve cardiovascular endurance, these are movements that are rhythmic in nature and performed at a submaximal intensity.
Here are a few examples:
Jogging/running
Swimming
Rowing
Cycling
Circuit training
Brisk walking (aka power walking)
Stair climber machine
Incline Treadmill Walking
VersaClimber
Jump rope
Aerobic activity has been recognized for its health benefits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends performing some type of aerobic activity on a regular basis for improved health. More specifically, they recommend either 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week.
Cardiovascular exercise has also become more popular as recreational endurance sports have grown in popularity over the years. Whether you’ve grown interested in this to improve your health or to take up a new activity, let’s discuss how to get started.
How to Begin
Low impact cardiovascular options are a great way to dip your toes in the water. My favorite options for newer clients include the air bike, incline walking, or the classic stationary bike.
These have minimal technique requirements which makes them easy to learn.
Once you’ve chosen an option, hop on and go at a steady pace where you can feel your breathing and heart rate begin to elevate but you can still speak in full sentences. Hold this pace for as long as is comfortable.
I typically have new clients start with a 5–10-minute ride or incline walk at their sustainable pace.
Finding your sustainable pace can take some tinkering, so feel free to adjust based on how your body feels.
Once you’ve established this pace, focus on gradually increasing the length of time you spend at it. This could mean starting with a 5–10-minute session 1–2x per week for the first 3–4 weeks before deciding to go for 10–15 minutes or more.
Avoiding Pitfalls
Many people get excited when first jumping into a new exercise routine and end up doing far more than what they are used to.
With cardiovascular training, this might mean showing up for what was supposed to be an easy run or bike ride and then training at maximal intensity — or by increasing the total time or distance by more than 20% all at once (example: jumping from 5–10 minutes to 30 minutes in a single session).
I’ve seen people do this thinking it will “speed up” their progress. Unfortunately, it won’t. With exercise, we’re trying to work with your body and allow it to adapt – and that takes time, along with a good balance of training stress, rest, and adequate nutrition to recover.
As your body adapts and your workouts begin to feel easier, small, consistent increases over time are your best bet for continued progress — such as increasing distance by 10% or exercising for 5–10 minutes to your session.
Overall, my recommendation is to start easier than you think you need to. Most people who tell me they don’t enjoy cardio often say they dislike it for one of two reasons: 1. It’s boring or 2. It makes them feel like they’re dying.
Tips to avoid boredom:
Listen to your favorite music or podcast. Personally, I prefer podcasts on easy runs. However, if I’m doing sprints or a high intensity circuit, I jam out to some metalcore or EDM.
Train with a friend. If the goal is an easy pace, go at the highest pace that both of you can speak in full sentences without struggling.
Break the session into smaller chunks (e.g., 5-minute bike ride, 5-minute ski erg, 5-minute rest x 3 rounds).
Train outside – a dynamic environment with scenery and obstacles to navigate can make the time pass faster.
Tips to avoid feeling like you’re dying:
Slow down and experiment with your pacing.
Ask yourself “how long can I keep this up?” If the answer is “not long” or your only thought is “I hate this”, ease back on the intensity.
Reflect on your nutrition and sleep: are you getting enough? Running on empty will tank your performance and make your workout feel harder than it should.
Example Workouts
Beginner:
Pick one type of cardio listed earlier (e.g., air bike) and go for 5-10 minutes at a sustained, comfortable pace.
Intermediate:
Mixed Cyclical Circuit
3 rounds:
5-minute air bike
5-minute rower
5-minute walking rest
Advanced:
Triathlon race prep (late phase before race week)
60-minute bike @ zone 2 heart rate
4 x 1 mile run @ 13.1 mile run pace w/ 2–3-minute rest in between.
Ultimately, cardiovascular endurance is important for both health and performance. Be sure to include some aerobic conditioning in your fitness routine and spread this work out across the week. If cardio isn’t something you’re used to, start easy, make it enjoyable, and prioritize consistency first. Use a cardio modality that you like, start with a manageable dose, and gradually increase over time.
If you’re struggling to get started with aerobic endurance training or you have questions about your current training, feel free to reach out here.