Our cardiovascular system consists of several organs and circuits. The main organs are the heart and lungs. The cardiovascular system also includes the entire body circulation, as well as the blood and blood pressure. The heart is the control center of blood circulation. This beats approx. 50-90 times a minute, you depend on how high your resting heart rate is! All of the blood only takes about 60 seconds to pass through the entire body once.
We do not want to deal with the exact course of the body’s circulation in more detail at this point, as it is pervasive, and this knowledge is hardly relevant for a practical application of the training! However, you must have your blood pressure measured regularly. A standard guideline here is usually 120/130 to 70/80!
The Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular training should serve to keep the entire circulatory system fit and to stabilize it. Often this also lowers the resting heart rate over time. The blood pressure of some athletes also improves, and they don’t get out of breath as quickly in everyday life. In general, optimized cardiovascular training can have a supportive effect to prevent diseases in this area. Cardiovascular training should always be seen as supportive.
It is not prevention for cardiovascular diseases and should not be seen as a substitute for a doctor’s visit or prevention! Diseases of the cardiovascular system can be very complex. Optimal training and a healthy diet are therefore no guarantee that you will no longer have to visit a doctor in the future!
One needs a correct activity and the correct dosage of effort in terms of load time and intensity for optimal cardiovascular training! To speak of cardiovascular training, at least 20% of your muscles should be under constant stress to appropriately challenge the entire cardiovascular system! This is the case, for example, with cycling, jogging, and rowing! We will deal with the stress intensity separately below, as it has to be subjected to a more detailed examination!
The exercise time should be increased gradually. ALWAYS your feelings come first. Even if we write that you should hold out for 10 minutes, you should stop after 5 minutes if you notice that your entire system is dead. Then the next time, it will be 1-2 minutes more. In the truest sense of the word, nothing will run away from you here! The exercise time should be increased gradually. We recommend that you start with 5 minutes and gradually increase the exercise time to 30-45 minutes as you feel.
Cardiovascular training should be carried out 2-3 times a week for optimal results. It can be used as a supplement to other bodybuilding or trained in isolation! The intensity of exercise during cardiovascular training. There are different intensities and objectives in cardiovascular training. Each area has different advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on your goal but also your physical condition. The more strenuous the intensity range, the longer you should be in training and have already gained much experience with endurance training.
The extreme intensity ranges are only suitable for absolutely healthy athletes who have obtained the OK from their doctor! Most of the training should take place in the GA1 and GA2 areas. The regeneration run can be used after intense competitions or during breaks in training. The threshold run is particularly interesting for preparing for competitions to produce even better results!
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The Different Intensity Ranges For Cardiovascular Training
Regeneration Run
Load area: very easy
Objectives: regeneration and warm-up, promoting blood circulation, breaking down lactate in the muscles, supplying nutrients to the muscle cells, calming the central nervous system, reducing the stress level.
Execution: Endurance run for 30-60 minutes at 60% of the maximum heart rate
Extensive Endurance Run
Load area: Pleasant load area
Objective: This is the run par excellence. This area is where the leading running training takes place to increase endurance and to prepare for competitions! The training improves fat burning and increases aerobic capacity. It is below the anaerobic threshold, so hardly any lactate is formed.
Implementation: Endurance run, at least 60 minutes at 60-70% of the maximum heart rate
Intensive Endurance Run
Load range: Medium, slightly heavier than GA1
Objective: An enhanced form of GA1! Here it is sometimes more difficult! The GA2 run is moderately strenuous without burning you out at the same time. It is the ideal complement to the GA1. The run increases the aerobic capacity. Together with the GA1, it forms the cornerstone of endurance training. The barrel is still below the anaerobic threshold.
Execution: e.g., continuous run of 60 minutes, whereby the intensity range changes constantly depending on the feeling. Run in GA2 mode until you realize that you need to curb your speed. Lower the load in the GA1 area until you are recovered and can switch to the GA2 area. The GA2 load range is approx. 70-80% of the maximum heart rate!
Threshold Training
Load area: Extremely exhausting!
Objective: Increase endurance through training on the anaerobic threshold. This training is efficient for advanced athletes !!!
Implementation: The training is very strenuous. It will burn you out very quickly, so it should only be done with caution. It should also only be used in preparation for a competition if you have excellent endurance. In the worst case, it can harm endurance more than good if it is done too intensely. Training at the anaerobic threshold is performed at 88-90% of the maximum heart rate. The training only takes 5-15 minutes here because it is incredibly intense!
Determining The Maximum Heart Rate
The maximum heart rate indicates how high your pulse should be or maybe. You should not exceed this value. The intensity of the training is measured as a percentage of the maximum heart rate! For example, we choose 70-80% of the maximum heart rate for our training!
Calculating The Maximum Heart Rate
The calculation is carried out very easily and quickly using a rule of thumb! Determine your maximum heart rate using the formula.
Men: 220 minus age,
women: 226 minus age
A 25-year-old man would have a maximum heart rate of 195! He first chooses 75% for the load! So he should run with an average heart rate of 146! For a more precise calculation, please use our heart rate calculator.
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The Subjective Intensity Of Exercise
Over time, we have found a so-called personal, subjective exercise intensity, which is sometimes more important than the average heart rate that we have just calculated! So we go one step further at this point. After you have calculated your average heart rate, you should start your first workout. In the beginning, it is always very hard, so the personal stress intensity counts a little less here than later. After a few units, however, the personal exercise intensity should be added as an additional training marker!
To determine the personal stress intensity, you have to express your stress in a number, where 0 should represent the absolute calm and 100 the absolute hell of the stress, so compare with a sprint that will rarely end! Settling into a personal stress intensity range of 40-60, depending on how hard you want to train and how high your other stress or other training is. A bodybuilder who focuses on building up should perhaps stay in the personal exercise intensity range of 40, while the pure endurance athlete can go up to 60 permanently!
The personal exercise intensity range should always take precedence. It does not help you if you have calculated your pulse using the formula, but the perceived load reaches a value of 80. Here it would help to run more slowly until the intensity reaches the desired value of 40-60. Now you can note this heart rate range and walk-in this range at the beginning. Later the whole thing will adapt itself as if by itself. Suppose you run too long and too often in the high personal stress intensity range. In that case, you risk overtraining quickly, and progressive successes are almost impossible due to the high stress and the little regeneration!
Summary
- Before doing any cardiovascular exercise, consult your doctor beforehand
- After you have your doctor’s OK, determine your maximum heart rate
- Calculate your average heart rate, whereby you should choose 70% at the beginning
- Depending on how fit you are, start with 5-20 minutes of endurance training
- You can choose whether you want to use the treadmill, the bike, jogging or rowing
- After a few units, determine your exercise intensity and see whether you need to adjust the heart rate range
- Gradually increase your workout to a maximum of 45 minutes (some can increase to 60 minutes by feel)
- Gradually settle down to a personal exercise intensity of 40-60
- After 8-12 weeks of training, take a 10-day break
- A heart rate monitor is highly recommended for checking