Daily exercise can reduce your incidence of chronic disease and lower your chance of an early death. Living a sedentary lifestyle increases your chances of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. You can improve your cardiorespiratory endurance with exercises. But how do you choose a CrossFit program that will improve your overall cardiorespiratory system?
Rowing, cycling, bench press, squats and deadlifts can all be incorporated into the exercise routine you choose. The repetitions and speed at which you complete the exercises all help you improve your heart rate (HR) and increase the volume of oxygen (Vo2) consumed during your workout.
Bump Up Your Target Heart Rate
A study in the Journal of Sports and Human Performance looked at a basic CrossFit workout called CINDY. This workout strives for completing 5 pull ups, 10 push ups and 15 squats and doing as many of these movements as possible in 20 minutes. “The heart rate average was elevated enough to be categorized as vigorous intensity, while the volume of oxygen was only considered moderate. Caloric expenditure was relatively high while the metabolic equivalent was approximately three times greater than at rest.” CINDY would be good exercise for your heart and burning calories, while the oxygen flow was not as high.
Where to Find Heart Pumping Workouts
It isn’t hard for you to find CrossFit exercises that will improve your cardiovascular system. Your athletic trainer at the gym is the first person to ask for a workout. If you want to bust boredom, find magazine articles or look online for inspiring workouts. A quick search will turn up workouts of the day, workouts with kettlebells and even ones you can do in your driveway. It doesn’t matter which workout you try, but choose one that will push your heart to the target workout number.
