Are you wondering whether you should stick to weight training or cardiovascular exercise? The truth is a good mix of strength training, cardio and flexibility workouts are recommended, as every type of exercise has different benefits, and all of them are needed for a healthy and fully functional body.
In this post we talk about everything you need to know about cardiovascular exercise. Add it into your weekly workout plan, knowing exactly what, when, and why to do it!
Why you should do cardiovascular exercise regularly
To understand why cardiovascular exercise is important and to motivate you to do it more often, these are some of the main benefits of cardiovascular exercise:
- Weight management/ weight loss
- Reduced risk of chronic health conditions, for example, heart disease
- It can help with mental health, improves emotional wellbeing and increased self esteem
- Improved focus, good for brain health
- Reduced stress
- Improves cholesterol levels
- Improves the efficiency of heart
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The different cardiovascular training methods and the pros and cons of various intensities:
Continuous training, low to moderate intensity
This can be jogging, fast walking, cycling or dancing. It involves training at the same intensity for a sustained period of time.
This type of training focuses on using the aerobic energy system, the intensity you should aim for, when doing this type of exercise is 50-70% of your maximum heart rate.
Getting a smart watch is great to keep your heart rate and training intensity under control during your workouts. I use a Garmin, which tells me at what intensity I am training so I don’t have to remember my training zone numbers.
The benefits of training at low to moderate steady intensity (aerobic):
- It is suited for deconditioned clients
- It is great for those training for long distance races
- Improves capacity of your body to turn nutrients and oxygen into energy
- We use aerobic energy for most daily activities, improving your aerobic capacity will make you feel less fatigued throughout the day
- Decreased resting and working heart rate, which enhances your ability to relax and de stress ( compared to high intensity workouts that temporarily stress your body)
Good to know : It is not as efficient if you don’t match it with weight training as it does not burn a big amount of body fat, and does not strengthen your muscles which leads to an improved metabolism.
Interval training:
This type of training involves periods of work and active recovery, usually the working intervals are at a higher intensity.
This can be aerobic, or anaerobic, depending on the intensity of the intervals and your fitness levels.
The benefits of high intensity intensity interval training (anaerobic):
- If you are looking to burn fat this is a more efficient workout than slow cardio, as it improves your metabolic flexibility of using fat for energy in your resting periods and carbohydrates for energy during your workout
- You will burn more calories
- Adrenaline kick
Good to know: HIIT can be stressful for our bodies and nervous system, if your resting heart rate is high, and you feel stressed, opt for slow cardio instead. High intensity workout can lead to anxiety and restlessness if overdone.
Conclusion: You can mix both moderate and high intensity workouts, based on your current lifestyle and needs. Even though high intensity training might burn more fat, my personal experience is that a mix of moderate cardio and strength training (I do weights and Pilates as strength training) are better for my mental, and physical state.
Fartlek training:
This is a continuous exercise that involves unstructured periods of vetting intensities and durations.
It’s great to challenge your body, so it’s not used to 1 intensity level, this can be aerobic or anaerobic.
How much cardiovascular exercise should I do x week?
The department of health and human services recommends to do at least 150 minutes of low to moderate intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise x week, or an equivalent mix of both.
If you are new to exercising aim to do 3 sessions a week, then build up to 5 -7 a week. This can be just a fast paced walk in the morning or after dinner on certain days!
How to plan your weekly workout routine
You can add 20-30 minutes of cardio after your strength training, or alternate days between strength and cardio workouts if you have time to workout daily, and prefer shorter workout sessions at the time.
If you want a workout that works both your muscular and cardiovascular system in one you could try the following classes:
- strength and conditioning (Try orange theory fitness or F45 studios)
- boxing classes (Try Kobox or Virgin Active’s boxing bag work classes, where you alternate between weights and boxing intervals)
What time of the day should I train?
Many people love to start their day with a cardio sessions as it’s a great mood booster, to start the day well and stress free. It is also great to clear the mind, and can help focus on getting through other tasks later on in the day when done in the morning. Starting your day with cardio can also set the tone for the day, and motivate you to keep doing healthy choices throughout the day.
Personally I prefer light strength training, Pilates or yoga in the morning or lunch time, as it relaxes the nervous system and keeps my energy levels more stable throughout the day.
A cardio session in the evening helps releasing any stress or worries from the day, giving you a few more hours of energy if you are doing it in the late afternoon after work. Which is great so you can have some quality time with friends and family or by yourself in the evening. It also personally helps with sleeping (if I do it about 3 hours before my ideal bed time).
Find out what your needs are, based on your current lifestyle. If you are unsure, try both to see what works best for you. Every body is different, and our bodies have different needs and clocks.
What exercises you can do + the best cardio group classes
The answer to this question is to find the cardiovascular exercise routine you enjoy, so it will be easy to stick to it in the long term. Switching it up is also a great idea, so your body does not get used to 1 type of exercise and you will keep seeing results.
Here’s some cardio workouts you can do outdoors or at the gym if you like to train independently:
- Running/ jogging (I love the Nike run app for personalized runs and weekly running plans)
- Cycling
- Rowing
- Boxing
- Interval training and circuits
- Stair master (my favorite+ it tones your glutes, legs and calves)
Remember to warm up with some mobility exercises and dynamic stretches before your workout, and stretch your body after your cardio session!
Whether you join a health club or use class pass, there are lots of fun group classes you can join for a great cardiovascular workout, and they usually come with a great mood boosting playlist. Here’s some of my favorites:
- Cycle classes
- HIIT classes
- Boxing classes
- Zumba
- Body attack
