Any exercise that raises your heart rate is called as cardiovascular exercise. The normal training zone for a good cardiovascular workout would be 60-80 percent of your maximum heart rate. The best weight loss occurs when you train at 60-70 percent of your maximum heart rate. However modern research shows that a high-intensity cardio vascular training is the best option for weight loss. It is always advisable to do these trainings under the supervision of a trained fitness instructor.

Following is the method used to measure your exercise heart rate:

Heart rate at 60 percent = (220– Age)*60 percent

So if your age is 20, then your exercise heart rate will be

(220-20 =200)

200*(60/100) =120 BPM (beats per minute)

Heart rate at 80 percent = 220-20 = 200*(80/100) = 160 BPM

Avoid training at a higher rate above 80 percent. Sticking to a maximum rate of 80 percent is safe and beneficial.

Some of the important points to be kept in mind while doing cardiovascular trainings are:

1. Adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
2. Exercise should be 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, 5 days a week or 20- 60 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise 3 days a week.
3. One continuous session and multiple shorter sessions of at least 10 minutes each are acceptable to get the desired amount of daily exercise.
4. A gradual progression of exercise time, frequency and intensity is recommended for best adherence and minimal injury.
5. You don’t need to fulfil the complete exercise regime, you can start slow and still reap the benefits of your exercise.

Guidelines for choosing the intensity of training

In order to achieve good benefits from cardiovascular exercise, you must work at an intensity of 60-90 percent of your maximum heart rate. The intensities for various fitness levels are as under:

Beginners: Train at 40-60 percent of maximum heart rate.

Average Fitness levels: Train at 60-70 percent of maximum heart rate.

High Fitness level: Train at 70-80 percent of maximum heart rate.

You should aim to burn at least 300 calories per training session.

Types of cardiovascular training

There are three main types of cardiovascular training.

Low Intensity

This sort of cardio training is good for beginners and is normally done between 40-60 percent of maximum heart rate. It is a continuous training method lasting approximately 40 minutes and can be done 3-4 times a week. It is a good way for beginners to start their way to fitness and is recommended for obese people.

Medium Intensity

Once you are comfortable doing the above, it is good idea to move up the intensity to a medium level which will normally last between 30-40 minutes at 60-70 percent of maximum heart rate. This starts the slightly heavy breathing phase and is good for fat loss.

High Intensity

This training is done at 80-90 percent of maximum heart rate. At this stage, you can hear your breathing but will not be gasping for air.It is a highly intensive and demanding workout. This should be done only after you are well versed with the medium intensity training and also should be done under the guidance of fitness instructor.

The above are some of the things to be kept in mind before doing cardiovascular exercises. These exercises are demanding and result in weight loss but have to be done under the supervision of a qualified fitness instructor.

To know more , please click here Cardiovascular information

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Tags: Cardio Vascular Exercise Tips, Heart rate, High fitness level, High intensity trainings