Shepherd University

Background Information

What is it:

Cardiovascular fitness is your body's ability to supply oxygen to your blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles while performing physical activity. Generally, the more oxygen your body is able to take in and use efficiently, the more "fit" you may be. We measure cardiovascular fitness through sub max VO2 testing; VO2 max is the amount of oxygen that your body is utilizing during aerobic activity, usually tested on a clinical treadmill or stationary bicycle. 

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Importance: 

Training cardiovascular endurance is important for people of all ages and sizes; cardiovascular fitness will help in decreasing blood pressure and resting pulse rate, improving cholesterol, decreasing abdominal fat, and increasing VO2 max. 

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ACSM Recommendations:

According to the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, adults should be getting 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise. This may be broken up into 3-5 day increments throughout each week. 

Examples:

Running/Jogging, Biking, Stair Climbing, Burpees, Jump Roping, Kick Boxing, Zumba, Group Exercise Classes, High Knees, Jumping Jacks, Box Jumps, Jump Squats/Lunges, Swimming, Hiking