23
Warm-up. To prevent injury and maximize performance, we recommend that each
workout period should start with a warm-up. Your warm-up should gently prepare
your muscles for the coming exertion. Start by doing 5 to 10 minutes of gentle
exercise that gradually increases your heart rate and loosens up your muscles. Your
warm-up exercise should be aerobic in nature and only require an easy, unforced
range of motion. This should be followed by 5 to 10 minutes of stretching. Refer to
the stretches found on pages 18 and 19. Never push yourself beyond a point of gentle
tension or strain. Keep your movements gentle, rhythmic and controlled.
Cool down. A cool down reverses what your warm-up accomplished. It’s just as
important to ease out of your workout as it is to ease into it. The cool down returns
your body to a pre-exercise level. A proper cool down should last about 5 to 10
minutes and consists of moderate to mild exercise. You’re exercising at a level of
effort that is lower than that used during the main part of your cardiovascular
conditioning workout.
How Often, How Long, and How Hard
The choices you make about the frequency (how often), duration (how long),
and intensity (how hard) at which you will train, will directly influence your
training results.
How often. If you want to see serious improvements in your fitness, lose weight and
develop a good training base, you need to do cardio workouts three to six times per
week.
If you are just starting a program or out of shape, don’t let these recommendations
discourage or mislead you. Realize that doing cardio training two to three times per
week will still result in significant fitness improvement and health benefits. Your
long-term goal is to build up to exercising your heart on most days of the week.
How long. How long you work out depends on your current level of fitness. Again,
if you’re just starting a program or out of shape, don’t follow strict textbook
recommendations. Instead, start with 5 to 10 minutes once or twice per day. You
will see significant fitness improvement. Your long-term goal is to build to a
duration of 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular activity on most days
of the week.
How hard. Aerobic intensity guidelines for healthy adults are generally set at 40
to 85 percent of heart rate. But, if you’re out of shape, remember that moderate
to low-level and consistent cardiovascular training – well below the standard
recommendations set forth – can result in substantial and beneficial effects to
your health and can greatly improve cardiovascular endurance.
