Everyone knows that having a healthy cardiovascular system is important but lots of folks just don’t like doing aerobic exercises. Somehow that endorphin high experience just doesn’t happen for them.
Even so, it’s been shown conclusively that your ability to build additional muscle is limited by the health of your cardiovascular system and your cardiovascular density.
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Definitions:
Cardiovascular system- A complex system consisting of the heart and blood vessels; transports nutrients, oxygen, and enzymes throughout the body and regulates temperature, water levels of cells, and acidity levels of body components.
Cardiovascular density - The size and number or blood vessels and capillaries capable of transporting oxygen to cells and removing waste from cells.
The bottom line is that the more blood vessels you have, and the bigger they are, the longer and more intense your workouts can be and the greater potential for building bigger and stronger muscle.
The above said running on a treadmill for 60 minutes a day isn’t the only way to get in your cardio workout. Designing a weight resistance training program that includes high reps, lower weights, and little or no rest between sets can provide a very potent cardio workout.
Couple that with doing at least 20 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) at the end of your workout and you’ve got a winning combination of both a muscle/strength building and cardiovascular workout.
HIIT is a simple way to maximize your cardio workout. Just jump on a treadmill, step machine, or elliptical trainer and alternate your intensity with 1 minute of moderate exertion and 30 seconds of high intensity (all out) effort. Just go back and forth from moderate to high intensity for the entire 20 minutes. There is no need to spend 45-60 minutes doing cardio to ensure the health of your cardio vascular system.
For more info: Contact Gordon at bodyarchitectsf@aol.com for information on this or previous articles or call 415.307.0439 to schedule a complementary one hour workout. Also please visit Gordon's website. Clients are encouraged to visit the Body Architect Yelp page and submit a recommendation for Gordon.
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