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The Seven Basic Components of a Cardiovascular Program

Warm up.
Intensity.
Frequency.
Duration.
Safety.
Variation.
Persistence.

Warm up.

A warm up should be introduced gradually, such as walking to the gym, walking on a treadmill, or riding a bike and maintaining a low level of aerobic exercise for 5 to 10 minutes.

Intensity

When you start an exercise program, you should find out what intensity level will be most appropriate and effective for you. Exercise intensity is defined as the speed or workload applied to any activity. Intensity is considered the most important and complicated component for determining your successful cardiovascular program. And today, very often it is applied incorrectly throughout the world. If you are exercising at a lower intensity, such as 60% of your heart rate, that is a safe place to start. If you want to decrease your body fat, you should start exercise at a low intensity. The next goal is to reach a higher level of cardiovascular intensity, such as 65% to 85%. As we know, more intense cardiorespiratory exercise can burn more calories and get rid of more fat in less time.

Frequency

To improve your cardiovascular fitness level and keep your body fat at a healthy level, you should do cardiovascular exercise 3 to 5 times per week. And you need to rest about 24 hours between every cardio session to promote recovery and avoid overtraining.

Duration

To derive more benefit from cardiovascular exercise, you should warm up and cool down. It should be done between 25 and 60 minutes per session, combined with intensity and duration for each session. As soon as your body becomes more familiar with your routine, both intensity and duration can be higher.

A beginner’s duration should be between 15 to 25 minutes. An intermediate person’s duration should be between 25 and 35 minutes. An advanced person’s duration should be between 35 and 60 minutes.

Safety

In order to exercise safely and effectively, you must know when to refrain from exercise. It is good to become familiar with some health factors such as:

Orthopedic conditions.
Humid exercise areas.
Eat an hour and a half before exercising. If you are hungry before exercise, you may have a piece of fruit.
Stop exercising if you have dizziness, a light headache, or any pain.

Variation
Your body has a tendency to adapt to your level of exercise and diet. Therefore, it is crucial to make reasonable, small changes in your routine periodically. For example, once you notice a plateau in your progress, you may change any of the above components individually or in combination. This depends upon your fitness level and goals.

Persistence

To ensure injury-free progress, you must remain persistent with all of the above components and avoid seasonal breaks. In any activity, progress should be determined by:

Health.
Age.
Fitness Level.
Cardio response to the activity.
Goals.

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