What is Cardiovascular (CV) Fitness?

Published by Amy Hurst
22 July 2024

Your CV fitness (also known as called cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), CV endurance or aerobic fitness) provides a good indication of your health and the potential for health outcomes. It measures how well your body takes in oxygen and delivers it to your muscles and organs during prolonged periods of exercise at a medium-high intensity.
CV fitness can be measured using a variety of ‘vital signs’ which can include your resting heart rate, heart index, blood pressure, respiratory rate and heart rate variability. Equally, it can be gauged based on exercise tests such as shuttle runs, static bike pedalling or walking on a treadmill
Typically, better CV fitness levels are associated with a reduced risk of developing CV disease, lowered likelihood of heart failure, more optimal outcomes post-surgical intervention and lower mortality rates (American Heart Association)

Resting Heart Rate

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Generally, a lower heart rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.
You can monitor this using a smart watch such as apple or whoop, or manually by placing your fingers on you wrist/neck and counting how many times your heart beats in 1 minute
It’s important to remember that many variables can influence your resting heart rate other than CV fitness such as age, caffeine, smoking, body position standing/sitting), stress, body size and medications

You can improve your cardiovascular endurance by doing activities that increase the amount of oxygen you breathe in. You can start with 10 to 15 minutes of cardiovascular endurance exercises a day. Then you can challenge your body a little at a time by adding a few minutes each day.
At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week is recommended for adults. Try to spread the exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day.

Follow Joe Wicks’ YouTube Channel for easy, quick workouts that can fit into your daily routine!
At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week is recommended. Spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day.

5 minute warm up at brisk pace
Increase the resistance to a level where sprinting is comfortable. Sprint at a hard pace for 30 seconds, at a medium pace for 30 seconds, and at an easy pace for 60 seconds. Repeat this interval cycle 3 times.
With the same resistance, sprint as fast as possible for 40 seconds, then at an easy pace for 20 seconds. Repeat this 4 times.
Finish up with a 5-minute cooldown at a lowered resistance.

Monitors ‘strain’ during your workouts: Based on the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion, WHOOP Strain is measured on a 0 to 21 scale. The more time you spend in your elevated heart rate zones, the higher your Strain will be. Strain does not operate on a linear scale; the higher your Strain, the harder you will have to work to accrue additional Strain
The Borg Scale is effective for monitoring exercise intensity on a relative scale applied specifically to you. To measure your training progress, use the Borg Scale to gauge how much effort it takes to perform a certain workout or activity. As your fitness improves, your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) for that activity will decrease, a sign you can make your workout more challenging.

A study shows that a little as 4,000 steps a day was enough to start reducing the risk of dying prematurely of any cause (BBC news). Every extra 1,000 steps beyond the 4,000 reduced the risk of dying early by 15% up to 20,000 steps, with the biggest benefits seen amongst the under-60s
However, a 2020 study found that participants who took 8,000 steps per day had a 51% lower risk of dying by any cause compared with those who took 4,000 per day, and 65% less risk is they took 12,00 steps.
According to World Health Organisation data, insufficient physical activity is responsible for 3.2 million deaths each year – the 4th most frequent cause worldwide.

Always take the stairs instead of the lift
Park up 10 minutes away from your final destination and enjoy the last bit of your journey in the fresh air
Listen to a podcast each day whilst on your walk to pass the time
Increase your walking pace between lampposts to vary between a brisker walk and more leisurely

For your next weekend plan why not try one of these new walking routes… National trust walking routes around cheshire and Greater Manchester
Join a walking group – Parks and Pathways Nordic Walking meet several times a week around Manchester and Salford with the aim of fitness, fun, friendship and fresh air!