How Much Cardio The Fitness Valley Recommend Per Week
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The goal of a cardio workout is to condition your heart and lungs for better endurance, but there are plenty of other perks, too.
Cardio can boost your mood, improve your skin thanks to increased circulation, help ward off memory loss and other brain-related health concerns, reduce joint pain, improve cholesterol — and also help you feel better overall. A good workout can give you an endorphin rush and a strong body will keep you feel energized throughout the day.
To land on the perfect cardio workout for you, consider your fitness level, what you enjoy, and what would be easiest to return to time and time again — it doesn’t just entail running.
Some other examples of cardio? Jumping rope, pedaling on a stationary bike, rowing, swimming, biking, dancing, and taking group fitness classes, like kickboxing. And running and walking, of course. As for how much you should be doing on a weekly basis? Here’s what experts say.
To get the most heart health benefits from cardio workouts, it’s recommended that you aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.
Ideally, you’d spread that out over multiple days, aiming for three to five aerobic workouts a week. Think a 30-minute jog on Tuesday, a 60-minute dance class on Thursday, and a 60-minute fast-paced walk on Saturday as an example.
To figure out if your workout falls into the “moderate” or “vigorous” category, look at your heart rate. The easiest way to track it is by wearing a smartwatch or heart rate monitor. Check with your doctor for your recommended target heart rate and ask how long you should maintain it, especially if you’re taking a medication for your heart. Heart rate zones can vary from person to person, but for most people who are working on overall fitness and aren’t too concerned with peak performance, the general zones based on age and biological gender will work fine.
The general guidelines according to the American Heart Association are 50-70% of maximum heart rate during moderate exercise and 70-85% for vigorous (subtract your age from 220 for your max heart rate).
You could also measure how intense your workouts are the old-school way by using RPE, or your rate of perceived exertion. This scale puts exercise intensity on a one to 10 rating scale with one being very light and 10 being your absolute limit.
To see where you stand, try to hold a conversation while exercising. If you’re out of breath but can complete sentences, your workout is likely moderate. If you’re too out of breath to speak, that would be vigorous. Your 150 minutes should live in the three to five and vigorous in the six to nine rating.
Here’s another thing to keep in mind: Doing some cardio is always better than doing none. Doing what you can with the time you have will still have great health benefits, so don’t be discouraged by these numbers and instead focus on building a habit of consistency.
If 30 minutes a day sounds like too much, try stepping out for three 10 minute walks a day and push your pace a touch more than usual. Also helpful? If you’re just starting out with a fitness regimen we recommends letting your workout level progress by slowly adding in more intensity — that way, you won’t burn out by going too hard too soon.
