How To Improve Cardiovascular Fitness

Cardiovascular training: classic training technique for this discipline that's been proven. It's 30 seconds as hard as you can, 30 seconds rest. But when I say 30 seconds as hard as you can, it's a constant 30 seconds, so you can maintain it for the next interval and the interval after that and the interval after that.

So, to give you a typical example, if you're on a static training bicycle, you might have a computer rigged up to the rear wheel. So when you get to the end of your first 30 seconds, you're averaging about, sort of, 35 miles per hour. Then you have a rest.

The aim is to do 35 miles per hour for the next interval and so on and so on. There's no point in doing 40 miles an hour, you can't maintain it; then you're doing 30, then 35, then 31, 32.the idea is to keep it constant. That's when you get maximum benefit in this kind of training.

So warm up thoroughly, 15-20 minutes, getting maximum heart rate up to about 80%-85%, then hard as you can for 30 seconds, but maintain it at that level. 30 seconds rest, slow pedalling, low gears, and then 30 seconds hard again. You might want to start off with say half a dozen of these.

Cardiovascular training has been proven that it really does improve your speed, and you get bigger bang for your buck so to speak at this kind of training, whether it's cycling or indeed running or even swimming if they've proven it. But most importantly is that you warm up well, don't have anything to eat about 1 to 2 hours beforehand, and have a good warm down afterwards as well. .