Cardiovascular Endurance & System

Cardiovascular Endurance

• It involves the cardiovascular system.

Cardiovascular System

• Composed of the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
• Responsible for transporting blood, supplying oxygen to muscles during rest and exercise, providing nutrients to cells, and removing waste.

Heart - Right Atrium

• Receives blood low in oxygen.
• Empties blood into the right ventricle.

Heart - Left Atrium

• Receives oxygenated blood from the lungs.
• Empties blood into the left ventricle.

Heart - Right Ventricle

• Receives blood from the right atrium.
• Circulates blood to the lungs where it is oxygenated.

Heart - Left Ventricle

• Receives blood from the left atrium.
• Delivers blood to the body’s organs and tissues.

At Rest

• Approximately 5L of blood are pumped per minute.
• Inspiration and exhalation process 6-8L of air.
• VO2max is approximately 3.5mL/kg/min.

During Exercise

• Blood pumped per minute can increase up to 40L.
• Inspiration and exhalation process 130-200L of air.
• VO2max increases to approximately 27-60mL/kg/min.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Definition

• The ability to perform large muscle, dynamic, moderate to vigorous intensity exercise for prolonged periods.

How Exercise Affects the Cardiorespiratory System

• During exercise, muscles' oxygen demand increases.
• Blood flow must be adjusted: Cardiac output increases, blood flow is redistributed, and muscle blood flow is regulated, increasing heart rate and stroke volume while reducing flow to inactive muscles.

Maximal Oxygen Uptake (VO2max)

• The amount of oxygen taken into and utilized by the body per minute.
• Is measured using open circuit spirometry
• You can calculate it using HR and submax testing.

Heart Rate (HR)

• The amount of times the heart beats per minute (bpm).
• Values are gathered at rest, during, and post exercise.
• Maximum HR can be predicted using the formula 208 – (0.7 X age).

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

• The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale ranges from 6 (no exertion at all) to 20 (maximal exertion).

Exercise Testing Benefits

• Provides a true test of an individual’s health and can evaluate a variety of medical conditions.

Health-Related Exercise Tests

• Ideal ones are reliable, valid, relatively inexpensive, and easy to administer.

Maximal Tests

• Require clients to exercise to the point of volitional fatigue.

Submaximal Tests

• Determine the heart rate response to one or more submaximal work rates and use results to predict VO2.

Maximal vs Submaximal Testing

• Depends on the reason for the tests, risk level of the client, and availability of equipment and personnel.

Field Tests

• Involve walking or running in a predetermined time or distance.
  • Easy to administer to large numbers of individuals.
  • Little equipment is required.
  • Motivation level can impact test results.
  • "All-out" run tests may not be appropriate for sedentary individuals or those with increased health risk.

Cycle Ergometer

• Cycle ergometer tests are viable for submaximal or maximal testing.

Cycle Ergometer ADVANTAGES

• Lower equipment expense, transportable, ease to gain BP measurements and it is a Non-weight bearing modality

Cycle Ergometer DISADVANTAGES

• Results in underestimation of VO2 and some electrical fitness cycles cannot be calibrated and should not be used for testing

Treadmill Tests

• Treadmill tests can be both submaximal and maximal.
• Often used for diagnostic testing.

Treadmill Tests ADVANTAGES

• Provide a familiar form of exercise and can accommodate all fitness levels and walking/running speeds.

Treadmill Tests DISADVANTAGES

• Measurements like BP are more difficult to obtain when running
• Expensive equipment and not easily transportable

Step Tests

• The measures HR response to stepping at a fixed rate or step height by measuring post-exercise recovery HR.

Step Tests ADVANTAGES

• They require little to no equipment and little skill and HR decreases with improved CRF
• Results are easy to explain to participants.

Step Tests DISADVANTAGES

• Special precautions for individuals with balance problems or those extremely deconditioned.
• Some tests may exceed the maximal capacity of the participant
• Excessive fatigue in the lead limb may diminish the value of the step test.

FITT-VP Principle

• Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type, Volume, Progression

FITT-VP - Frequency

• 5 or more days per week of moderate exercise, or 3 or more days of vigorous exercise, or a combination.

FITT-VP - Intensity

• Moderate/vigorous intensity for most adults.
• Light to moderate may be beneficial in deconditioned individuals.

FITT-VP - Time

• 30-60 minutes per day of purposeful moderate exercise.
• 20-60 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a combination.

FITT-VP - Type

• Regular, purposeful exercise that involves major muscle groups and is continuous and rhythmic.

Cardiorespiratory Exercise - Intensity

• Intensity is expressed as %HRmax, %VO2max, RPE (Borg Scale), and METS.

FITT-VP for Aerobic Exercise

• Target volume of 500-1000 MET-min per week.
• Progression: Adjust exercise duration, frequency, and/or intensity.

Components of an Exercise Training Program

• Warm-up: Includes at least 5-10 minutes of light-moderate intensity cardiorespiratory and muscular endurance activities.
• Conditioning: Includes at least 20-60 minutes of aerobic, resistance, neuromotor, and/or sports activities.
• Cool-down: At least 5-10 minutes of light-moderate intensity cardiorespiratory and muscular endurance activities.
• Stretching: At least 10 minutes of stretching exercises performed after the warm-up or cool-down phase.

Level of Fitness

• Those older, less fit, less healthy, and less active generally have more problems when beginning an exercise program.
• Sedentary and less fit individuals benefit more from working at low to moderate intensities for longer durations.
• Well-trained athletes can (and should) train regularly at higher percentages of their maximum.

Response to Training

• Some individuals have less and some have more difficulty adapting to a training program.
• Program progress can be slower or faster based on individual response.

Periodic Evaluation

• Modify exercise prescription and motivate participants to continue
• Check for small signs that suggest the need for re-evaluation and modification.
• How often: Depends on the need for precise prescription. Athletes and patients may need re-evaluation more often. As the needs, interests, and goals of the individual change.

This Week’s Tutorial

• Components of a warm-up, completing cardiovascular exercise testing, gathering heart rate, assessing exercise testing suitability for individual clients