CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS

The final area to be included, and by no means the least, when discussing the basics for any conditioning program is; cardiovascular fitness. Or, what some health related professionals refer to as, cardiorespiratory endurance.

Cardiovascular fitness is a special form of muscular endurance. It is the efficiency of the heart, lungs, and vascular system in delivering oxygen to the working muscle tissues so that prolonged physical work can be maintained. A person’s ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles is affected by many physiological parameters, including heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and maximal oxygen consumption.

Understanding the relationship between cardiorespiratory endurance training and other categories of conditioning requires a review of changes that occur with increased aerobic, or anaerobic capacity. As aerobic/anaerobic capacity increases, general metabolism rises, muscle metabolism is enhanced, hemoglobin rises, buffers in the bloodstream increase, venous return is improved stroke volume is improved, and the blood bed becomes more able to adapt readily to varying demands. Each of these results of cardiovascular fitness/cardiorespiratory conditioning will have a direct positive effect on muscular endurance, and an indirect effect on strength and flexibility. (This discussion on the physiological effects of cardiovascular fitness has been very brief. For further, or a more complete explanation, please turn to the literature related to exercise physiology).

To facilitate how a person does deliver oxygen to their working muscles, they need to train, or participate in activities that will build up the energy stores needed for their sport. This is referred to as metabloic training. Metabolic training is generally divided into two types: aerobic and anaerobic.