To maximize the effectiveness of your cardiovascular workouts, you must monitor and vary:

·        exercise intensity

·        exercise choice

The most effective method of monitoring cardiovascular intensity is by your heart rate.   However, to accurately determine at what heart rate you should be exercising requires laboratory testing or testing conducted by a Heart Zones Training® professional. 

In lieu of monitoring your heart rate, you may opt for a more do-it-yourself method of assessing exercise intensity: perceived exertion or simply ask yourself “how hard does this feel?”   Click here to view the chart.

By using this chart, you will be able to exercise at an appropriate intensity to achieve the results you are striving toward during your cardiovascular training.

   How Hard Should I Exercise? 

To achieve all the benefits of cardiovascular training, it’s important to train at all intensities; however, here are a few guidelines to achieve specific results (the numbers listed below correspond to an exercise intensity, described on the “how hard does it feel?” chart):

To achieve health benefits (i.e. decreased blood pressure, decreased risk of heart disease and diabetes, etc.), perform the majority of your cardiovascular exercise feeling like a “1” or “2”.

To attain overall fitness, divide the time you dedicate to cardiovascular exercise in the following manner:

            10%     Feeling like a “1” to “2”

            40%     Feeling like a “3” to “4”

50%     Feeling like a “5” to “6”

 To maximize cardiovascular fitness, divide the time you dedicate to cardiovascular exercise in the following manner. 

            10%     Feeling like a “1” to “2”

            10%     Feeling like a “3” to “4”

            65%     Feeling like a “5” to “6”

            10%     Feeling like a “7” to “8”

            5%       Feeling like a “9” to “10”

Finally, no matter what results you are striving toward, varying your choice of cardiovascular exercise mode (i.e. walking, swimming, biking, etc.) maximizes your results.  Perform at least 2 different mode of exercise per week.

 By monitoring and varying cardiovascular exercise intensity and choice of exercise mode, you can ensure that you will achieve the results you striving toward.

For FREE cardio workouts, click here.

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