Download Cardiovascular Fitness

Cardiovascular Fitness
Why is Cardiovascular Fitness Important
Cardiovascular fitness is said to be the most important of all
physical fitness components. No matter how strong you are,
if you’re circulatory and respiratory systems cannot meet
your muscles’ demand for oxygen, you cannot sustain an
activity for a long period of time.
Exercising to improve cardiovascular fitness will increase
your energy level, making it possible for you to exercise
longer without getting tired and still allowing you to feel
good.
Cardiovascular fitness is the body’s ability to provide oxygen continuously to muscles as work is performed over an
extended time. This component of fitness includes the circulatory system (heart, blood and blood vessels) and the
respiratory system ( lungs and air passage).
Research has shown that body functions improve with use
and decline with disuse. In other words the heart, lungs and
muscles become stronger and more efficient in their utilization of oxygen as they are used more.
Monitoring the Heart
How fast must your
heart beat to pump
blood? Your heart rate
varies with changing
needs of your body.
When you are lying
down, your heart rate is
less than when you are
standing up. Running
produces a higher heart
rate than doing a less
vigorous activity such
as walking. Your size
also has an effect on
your heart rate. The
average heart rate can
vary from 60 - 100 beats per minute. It is important to
know your heart rate at rest and during an activity.
Key Terms to Understand
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Pulse
Resting Heart Rate
Maximum Heart Rate
Target Heart Rate
Recovery Heart Rate
Arteries
Aerobic
Anaerobic
Veins
Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
People often take
oxygen for granted
and do not think of
it as fuel for the
body. The fact is,
the more oxygen
that muscles receive, the more
energy they can
produce. The circulatory and respiratory systems work
together to provide
muscles with necessary oxygen. As air
is breathed in, the
blood picks up the
oxygen from the
lungs and carries it to the heart.
The heart is a remarkable muscle that serves as two pumps.
The ventricle (o the left side of the heart) forces blood containing oxygen throughout the body through elastic blood
vessels called arteries. Arteries carry blood away from the
heart.
As arteries branch out in the body, they gradually decrease
in size until they form tiny capillaries. This is where food
and oxygen are delivered from the cells to cells throughout
the body. It is the capillaries who serve as a bridge between
the arteries and veins. It is the veins that carry the blood
toward the heart.
Just as ashes are left after a fire, waste materials remain
when cells use up oxygen. These waste products are picked
up by the blood in the capillaries and are transported back to
the heart by the veins. Blood is forced through the veins by
contracting muscles. Blood in the veins can only move toward the heart, because one-way valves
keep the blood from
flowing backwards
when the muscle relaxes. The right ventricle of the heart
pumps the remaining
blood to the lungs
where the waste are
exchanged for oxygen, and then the
process repeats itself.
Therefore blood must continue to circulate throughout the
body to supply all body cells continuously with oxygen and
nutrients and to also remove waste. This is why the heart,
blood vessels, and blood are called the circulatory system.
The race is not always won by the swift,
but rather to those who keep trying!
Cardiovascular Fitness
Heart Rate (Pulse)
Your heart rate or pulse is caused by pressure of the blood on the artery wall, and it
corresponds to how fast your heart is beating. Several factors may cause your pulse
(or heart rate) to vary. One of the primary
reasons for your heart rate to increase is
through exercise. The higher the intensity,
the higher the heart rate. The two primary
ways of measuring your heart rate is by
using a Heart Rate Monitor or by tracking your heart rate at
the carotid artery in your neck.
Resting Heart Rate
Since the heart is a muscle, it becomes stronger when exercised. By keeping a record of your resting heart rate you
can measure the progress gained in your cardiovascular
fitness program. An active person has a lower resting heart
rate than an inactive person. This is so because the heart of
an active person pumps more blood with each beat, thus
working more efficiently.
To measure your resting heart rate, take your pulse just
after waking in the morning. Your
pulse should be taken while you are
in a reclining position. The average
resting heart rate can range from 50
- 100 beats per minute.
Maximum Heart Rate
Calculating an exact maximum heart rate can be a difficult
and expensive process. The equipment needed to attain
this measure are usually found with specialists. However,
a more generic means of finding your maximum heart rate
that will provide you with an approximation is to subtract
your current age from 220. Thus your MHR is:
220 - your age = Your Maximum Heart Rate
Recovery Heart Rate
To determine whether it is safe to progress in your training
program, you should check your pulse after you exercise
to determine your recovery heart rate. The normal heart
rate decrease after exercising is :
5 minutes after exercise = 120 bpm
10 minutes after exercise = 100 bpm
If your pulse does not drop to this rate you should decrease the intensity of your workout. If your heart drops
quicker after five minutes you might want to increase the
exercise intensity.
Target Heart Rate Zone
Target Heart Rate Training is a systematic method of improving your cardiovascular fitness.
 The body's organs and muscles change in response to the
demands placed on it.
 By exercising at sufficiently intense levels, you can
overload your cardiovascular system.
 During rest, your body adapts to strengthen the cardiovascular system.
 Over time, your heart becomes more efficient at delivering the oxygen and fuel required by the muscles to maintain this higher level of performance.
Calculating Your Target Heart Rate Zone
Your target heart rate zone is a critical element in exercise.
Checking your heart rate during exercise is one of the primary indicators in understanding the intensity level at which
you and your heart is working. There are many websites that
can help you determine your Target Heart Rate Zone (THZ)
Also, much of the new aerobic equipment allows you to
enter your personal information. To simply calculate your
THZ you would subtract your RHR from your MHR. 60% of
this figure would be the low end of your THZ while 80% of
this figure would be the high end of your THZ
Aerobic Exercise
The word aerobic literally means "with oxygen" or "in the
presence of oxygen." Aerobic activity trains the heart, lungs
and cardiovascular system to process and deliver oxygen
more quickly and efficiently to every part of the body.
As the heart muscle becomes stronger and more efficient, a
larger amount of blood can be pumped with each heartbeat.
As a result, a fit individual can work longer, more vigorously
and achieve a quicker recovery at the end of the aerobic
session.
Anaerobic Exercise
The term "anaerobic" means "without air" or "without oxygen." Anaerobic exercise uses muscles at high intensity and
a high rate of work for a short period of time. Anaerobic
exercise helps us increase our muscle strength and stay
ready for quick bursts of speed.
Examples of anaerobic exercise include heavy weight lifting, sprinting, or any rapid burst of hard exercise. These
anaerobic exercises cannot last long because oxygen is not
used for energy and a by-product, called lactic acid, is produced.
Lactic acid contributes to muscle fatigue and
must be burned up by the body during a
recovery period before another anaerobic
bout of exercise can be attempted. The recovery period also allows the muscles to use
oxygen to replenish the energy used during
the high intensity exercise.