If you told me in high school that one day I would run a marathonI would have called you crazy. me Dear to believe it, but my cardio endurance was poor. A few not-so-fast miles on the treadmill it felt tiring enough. He was very impressed by anyone who could run distances (looking at you long-distance athletes!).
I started running more consistently in college, logging longer and longer distances. Me too made cross the finish line of a marathon. So what changed?
Much. On the one hand, the improvement of cardiovascular resistance came into play. Cardiovascular endurance allows you to maintain a particular pace or workload without overloading your heart, according to Stacey SimsPhD, female athlete performance physiologist and member of the women’s health Advisory Board. (Think: He starts out being able to run at a certain pace for only a few minutes at a time, and after a few weeks he can run several miles.)
Meet the expert: Stacey SimsPhD, is an athlete performance physiologist, nutrition scientist, member of the WH Advisory Council and author of Next level.
Cardiovascular endurance is an important part of overall wellness and goes way beyond the racetrack. In fact, you can think of it as the bottom of the fitness pyramid, according to Sims. And solid cardiovascular endurance also comes with a long list of potential benefits, from making daily life a little easier to preventing disease.
intrigued? She already imagined it. Here’s everything you need to know about cardio endurance from the experts, including the best ways to increase yours, how to measure it, and the amazing benefits you’ll feel in and out of the gym.
What is cardiovascular endurance?
First, you need to understand exactly what the term means. Cardiovascular endurance (or your cardiorespiratory fitness) is what allows you to maintain a particular pace or workload without overloading your heart. Basically, it depends on how quickly you can get oxygen into circulation, Sims explains.
To break it down even further, consider what happens in the body when you exercise. As you start to exercise, Sims explains, your heart rate increases so you can get blood. far of the digestive system and non-essential organs and a the right places, namely the working muscles and skin (to discharge the heat produced by the muscles). That blood flow does a few things for your muscles, he adds; removes waste and provides oxygen to be used for aerobic energy creation.
Eventually, you get to a point where you have to stop and recover. But, over time, you can keep up your pace for longer before that happens. Why? One reason is that you’ve improved your cardiovascular endurance: Your heart has gotten stronger and your vascularity (more blood vessels) has improved, according to Sims. In other words, your heart can pump blood more efficiently, and that blood can get where it needs to go more efficiently.
What are the benefits of cardio endurance?
First, it bears repeating: building your cardiovascular endurance helps you exercise longer (imagine doing back-to-back Peloton classes or running through an entire rec league game or leading the pack on a long walk). But, this performance benefit is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some more advantages of cardio endurance:
- Better sleep. The fitter you are, the better you will be sleep patternsSims says. A to study published in 2010 evaluated the link between sleep quality and cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescent girls. Those classified as “fit” were more likely to report better Zzz.
- Less sickness. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is also associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure, according to a 2018 study revision. Plus, when you sleep better, Sims notes, it helps your immune system. In fact, according to an article in Mayo Clinic, people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick after exposure to a virus. Therefore, a strengthened immune system is an indirect benefit of having good cardiovascular fitness.
- Update of daily life. Finally, Sims points out that better cardiovascular fitness can help you with seemingly simple daily tasks like lugging heavy groceries, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, keeping up with your kids, and much more.
What exercises increase cardiovascular endurance?
Think running is the only path to cardiovascular prowess? In fact, cross-country skiing and rowing are the gold standards for building cardiovascular endurance, according to Sims. running, cycling and swimming are also good options.
“The more muscles involved in the movement, the greater the stress on the body,” explains Sims. “So the more blood it requires, the quicker the stamina aspect comes into play.” When you row, for example, your body has to push blood into your upper body muscles, your lower body muscles, Y core muscles, she says.
Preferred exercise modalities to increase cardiovascular endurance:
- Cross country ski
- Rowing
- Run
- Cycling
- Swimming
- high intensity interval training
Take note: You don’t have to stick to long, slow sessions to see a boost. “There is a lot of research coming out [says] Short, intense, high-intensity work helps build cardiovascular health and endurance better than [something] like a 30-minute run,” says Sims.
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For example, low volume HIIT may result in similar, or even greater, improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and heart function (among other things) compared to high-volume HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training, according to a revision published in 2021 in The Journal of Physiology. High stress requires the body to adapt quickly, says Sims.
Pro tip: It’s a great idea for beginners to work with a trainer to improve cardiovascular endurance and learn how the body moves and how to recharge, says Sims. And, people who tend to overreact may also want a professional for accountability and to help push back when needed.
Varying your running paces during training also helps you reach your endurance goals. Sims suggests slowing down long runs so they’re fun, not hard. Then speed up for a shorter track session or pace run at a pace faster than your race day goal. It trains your body to work more efficiently at a faster rate. “Then when you get to your marathon pace, everything is much easier,” she says.
How can you measure your cardiovascular endurance?
There are a variety of different ways you can monitor your cardio endurance at home. Sims recommends two DIY methods.
Do a time trial every month. This is a particularly good alternative if you don’t have the help of technology, says Sims. For example, you could run 5K every month on the same terrain, recording your pace and your rate of perceived exertion. As his cardiovascular endurance improves, he explains, he’ll see his time go down. Of course, his timing could be affected by a variety of factors, so it’s not a perfect measure, but it will at least give you an idea of where his stamina is trending.
Check your heart rate. You can also track a few different metrics, namely resting heart rate (RHR) and heart rate variability (HRV), according to Sims. When your cardiovascular endurance improves, your resting heart rate decreases. On the other hand, higher heart rate variability may indicate higher levels of cardiovascular fitness and resistance to stress, according to Harvard Health.
Both are a lot of statistics sports watches or health tracking apps can store for you. Or you can take your pulse manually to find out your resting heart rate. (Just place a finger on your pulse and use a timer first thing in the morning.) “I like to see a weekly or monthly trend,” Sims suggests. But remember: both RHR and HRV can be affected by where you are in your menstrual cycle, she says. So be aware of that limitation if you’re tracking those metrics.
How long does it take to improve cardiovascular endurance?
The exact timeline varies depending on your current fitness level. There is good news for beginners. “Around the end of the second week, you’ll find significant improvements if you’re consistent,” says Sims. For example, you might notice that you can keep running a little longer or that your heart rate isn’t as high while you’re running, she explains.
If you are more experienced, the timeline varies more. It could take a couple of months or so, he notes, because your body is already used to that stress. In that case, he recommends interval training alongside your long, slow sessions to increase the stress on your body and keep you motivated.
Do you have 20 minutes? Try this kettlebell cardio workout:
What happens to cardiovascular endurance if you get injured?
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to maintain your stamina. You can use alternative forms of exercise that are tailored to your injury and invoke cardiovascular stress to do so, according to Sims.
What she recommends is just two days of that alternate exercise each week, reaching her typical rate of perceived exertion. If she’s trying to build endurance after injury, she adds, then she’s looking for more than two days a week, but don’t build too quickly and risk another injury. Of course, she consults her doctor for clearance exercises and to confirm that alternatives are safe to try during recovery.
Bottom line: Cardiovascular endurance is an important aspect of fitness, no matter where you are on your fitness journey. There are many ways to create it and track your progress on your own or with a professional.
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