What Are The Benefits Of Cardiorespiratory Endurance?
Cardiorespiratory endurance is an indication of the overall physical health of any person. ‘Cardiorespiratory endurance’ tests monitor how well the heart, lungs, and muscles are, and they perform during ‘moderate to high-intensity exercise. Cardiorespiratory endurance also has many benefits for us.
Increasing cardiorespiratory endurance is important as it improves oxygen uptake in the lungs and heart and can help a person stay physically active for longer.
A person with high cardiorespiratory fitness can perform high-intensity activities for a prolonged period without becoming fatigued. Measuring this capacity involves analyzing how the body absorbs and uses oxygen.
During the course of our inhale process, the lungs fill with air, and some oxygen passes into the bloodstream. The ‘oxygen-rich’ blood goes to the heart. It circulates throughout the body to the tissues and organs that need it.
Hence the importance of oxygen during exercise is noteworthy. Muscles need a sufficient supply of oxygen and other nutrients to function properly during periods of ‘high-intensity or prolonged’ exercise. If the muscles do not get adequate nutrients, the waste products build up and cause fatigue.
Benefits Of Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Endurance or cardiorespiratory fitness indicates a person’s level of aerobic health and fitness. High cardiorespiratory endurance usually indicates that a person can perform the high-intensity exercise for a longer time.
In this sense, given the importance of aerobic exercise in losing weight, people who want to lose weight should focus on increasing their cardiorespiratory fitness and thus enhancing calorie burning.
In addition, improving cardiorespiratory endurance ability have other benefits. For example, research has found that increased cardiorespiratory endurance reduces the chances of developing high blood pressure. It also increases multitasking performance in older adults and decreases the risk of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality.
Improve Cardiorespiratory Endurance By Exercising
Exercising regularly helps improve cardiorespiratory endurance.
Resistance, circuit, and high-intensity interval training have been shown to be the most effective workouts.
According to one study, resistance training, endurance training, and high-intensity training could improve CRF and muscle strength among adults ages 40 to 65 and those who weren’t physically active.
Doing 4-6 medium-intensity workouts per week, lasting about an hour, was considered effective.
For higher-intensity workouts, 30-40 minutes would be a good idea (assuming you already have good cardiorespiratory endurance and are looking to improve it as a base).
Another study investigated the efficacy of a ’12-week’ ‘cross-circuit’ training program for obese and intellectually disabled students. It found that those who followed the training program in the study had better exercise endurance, body mass index, and muscle strength.
You can do various exercises to improve cardiorespiratory endurance and many other activities that some may not consider exercise at all.
We have to just keep in mind that the ideal cardiorespiratory exercise is the one that raises your heart rate and that makes you sweat.
How Is This Endurance Measured?
Metabolic equivalents (METs) examine training intensity and oxygen consumption. Experts also measure resting energy expenditure.
Cardiorespiratory endurance can be measured by maximal oxygen consumption and its use during high-intensity exercise.
Higher oxygen levels show that you are using more oxygen and the efficiency of the cardiorespiratory system.
VO2 (oxygen uptake) tests are usually performed by an experienced clinician or physiologist in a laboratory, clinic, or hospital. A qualified professional can also perform sub-maximal tests. The said tests are safer for those who are not fit or may have heart problems.
However, it should note that before starting any exercise program, you should talk to your doctor to make sure that you’re healthy enough to participate in such activity.
Submaximal cardiorespiratory endurance tests include:
- bike tests
- treadmill tests
- walk test
- Outdoor physical walking test
During each of these tests, the professional will examine and evaluate the change in your heart rate during the exercise protocol. Based on the data they collect, the professional can provide a rating of cardiorespiratory fitness.
