To improve cardiovascular endurance, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends spending 20 to 60 minutes on cardio training three to five days per week. In order to get effective cardiovascular results, you may want to consider implementing variety into your workouts. Doing the same workouts all the time can quickly lead to plateaus. Cross-training--doing different types of cardio workouts--can lead to consistent, progressive results. Another way to add variety is to vary your intensity level. Interval workouts are an effective way to vary your intensity level. Intervals can be utilized on treadmills, ellipticals, stair steppers and bikes.
Cycling Workouts
Cardio training on a bicycle is a low-impact way to increase your endurance levels. To vary the intensity on a bike you may want to use the Ratings of Perceived Exertion, or RPE, scale. An RPE of 1 to 2 can be considered very easy and an RPE of 9 to 10 can be considered very, very difficult. A sample 30-minute workout might include:
Minutes 5-10: RPE of 3-4
Minutes 11-13: RPE of 6
Minute 14: RPE of 4
Minutes 15-17: RPE of 7
Minute 18: RPE of 5
Minutes 19-20: RPE of 8
Minutes 21-30: RPE of 2-3
Stretch all the major muscle groups.
Treadmill Workouts
Treadmills are a very versatile piece of equipment when it comes to cardio endurance training. Intensity can be varied by changing your speed or incline. Use the RPE scale to determine the appropriate speed throughout your workout. A sample workout might include:
Minutes 5-10: RPE of 3-4, 0% incline
Minutes 11-13: RPE of 7, 2% incline
Minute 14: RPE of 5, 2% incline
Minutes 15-17: RPE of 8, 4% incline
Minute 18: RPE of 5, 2% incline
Minutes 19-20: RPE of 6, 7% incline
Minutes 21-30: RPE of 2-3, 0% incline
Stretch all the major muscle groups.
Elliptical Workouts
Elliptical machines are a beneficial way to improve cardiovascular endurance while keeping the impact to your joints minimal. To add variety to your elliptical workout, you may consider varying your resistance and incline. Use the RPE scale to determine the appropriate resistance throughout your workout. A sample 30-minute workout might include:
Minutes 5-10: RPE of 3-4, level 0 incline
Minutes 11-13: RPE of 8, level 3 incline
Minute 14: RPE of 6, level 2 incline
Minutes 15-17: RPE of 7, level 4 incline
Minute 18: RPE of 5, level 3 incline
Minutes 19-20: RPE of 9, level 2 incline
Minutes 21-30: RPE of 2-3, level 0 incline
Stretch all the major muscle groups.
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