Cardio – What is it actually and what is endurance training good for?

Along with strength training, cardio is a common term in fitness. What cardio is, what cardio training is good for, how cardio can help you lose weight and which sports are included, you will learn in this article.

Cardio definition: what is cardio training?

Cardio comes from the medical term “cardiovascular” and refers to the heart and blood vessels. Cardio training therefore includes all endurance sports that increase the heart rate.

What are the benefits of cardio training?

Cardio training affects endurance as well as health, depending on the intensity and regularity. It is mainly used to build endurance and reduce body fat. At the same time, it has numerous other positive properties.

  • For example, regular cardio training makes the heart work more economically by decreasing the heart rate and increasing the stroke volume.
  • The respiratory volume of the lungs is increased and the body is better supplied with oxygen.
  • The blood cells can multiply so that more oxygen is transported.
  • Due to better blood circulation, organs and especially the brain are supplied with more oxygen, so that the ability to concentrate can be increased.
  • Cardio training also strengthens the immune system and protects against illness.

Cardio training can have a positive effect not only on physical health, but also on mental health. Endurance training reduces stress, ensures the release of happiness hormones and thus prevents depression and can prevent sleep disorders.

Cardio for weight loss

Cardio training can burn a lot of calories and stimulate fat burning, which means that cardio can help you lose weight. Unlike cardio training to increase endurance, low-intensity cardio training, i.e. a low heart rate over a longer period of time, is suitable for losing weight. You can find the best sports for losing weight here.

Cardio Training for Beginners

Beginners should start cardio training slowly to build up the basics. Not only must endurance be built up, but muscles, tendons and ligaments must also get used to the new load. If cardio training for beginners is started with too much intensity, there is a risk of injury. Beginners in particular will quickly achieve success with regular training. The duration and intensity of the training can then be increased after only a few weeks.

How much cardio should you do?

How much cardio you should do depends on your goals. If you want to use cardio to lose weight, you should include as much cardio training as possible in your training plan to boost fat burning and burn as much energy as possible. But beware: cardio for weight loss is useful as a support, but it is not the only factor.

Which cardio sports are available?

All sports that train the cardiovascular system belong to cardio sports. These include jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing and cross-training. Some ball sports and many Crossfit workouts also train the cardiovascular system and therefore count as endurance sports.

Related Post