Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on November 27, 2021
Cardiovascular endurance is a measure of how well you can do exercises that involve your whole body at moderate to high intensity for an extended time. Improving your cardiovascular endurance can make it easier for you to carry out your daily tasks. It can also lessen your risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. You can raise your level of cardiovascular endurance by doing exercises that increase your heart and breathing rates, or aerobic exercise. According to many experts, aerobic exercise is the most important part of physical fitness. To achieve cardiovascular endurance, you should exercise aerobically 30 minutes per day, 3 to 7 days per week. When you do aerobic exercise, your body responds in the following ways: As you increase your cardiovascular endurance through aerobic exercise, you'll get stronger and fitter. You'll also reap the following benefits: Lowered risk of disease. Aerobic exercise reduces your risk of developing many diseases, including: Better strength and stamina. Your heart and lungs will get stronger as you exercise. You'll also gain bone and muscle fitness. You may feel tired when you first start exercising, but you'll develop stamina over time. A more active immune system. You're less likely to catch viral illnesses such as colds and flu if you're a regular exerciser. Your immune system is activated by aerobic exercise. Managed weight. Aerobic exercise, together with a healthy diet, can help you lose weight and keep it off. Stronger bones. Weight-bearing aerobic exercise, such as walking, can help reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis. Better mood. Aerobic exercise may help you relieve tension and anxiety. It may also help you relax and sleep better. For some people, exercise is as effective as antidepressants at lessening depression. Staying independent longer. Exercising makes you stronger and can help you stay mobile longer. It can also lower your risk of falls and injuries. Fitness will improve the quality of your life as you age. Fewer unhealthy behaviors. Time spent exercising is better than that spent smoking, drinking alcohol, or gambling. Exercise may also help regulate overeating.
Almost everyone can benefit from physical exercise. However, not every exercise is right for everyone. Talk to your doctor about the best type of exercise for you. Start simple. If you're new to exercise, you may benefit from as little as 15 minutes of exercise. Work your way up to 30 minutes per day at least 3 days per week. Doing this should result in a measurable improvement in your cardiovascular endurance in eight to 12 weeks. Pick something you enjoy. Aerobic exercise is any nonstop activity that uses your large muscles and makes your heart and lungs work harder. You can pick one you enjoy or rotate through many different ones. Some examples include: Don't overdo it. Doing the same type of exercise more than 5 days per week puts you at a higher risk for injuries. If you want to work out more than 5 days per week, change it up with exercises that use different muscle groups. Do some low- and then some high-impact activities to avoid too much stress on your joints and muscles.
Gradually work up. You should aim to push yourself slightly more than your normal movement level. Bump up your speed or distance no more than 10% to 20% each week. You should feel challenged, but not completely exhausted. For every 10 minutes you exercise, add 1 or 2 minutes weekly.
Warm up, cool down, and stretch. Start by working at a low level for 5 to 10 minutes to warm up. Then gradually build up how hard you work until you reach your limit.
After you finish working at full intensity, slow down for 5 to 10 minutes before you stop. Stretch at this point, since your muscles will be warmed up.
© 2021 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. View privacy policy and trust info
FITT stands for Frequency or how many times per week you are doing the exercise. I, stands for intensity, which is how hard the activity is being done. T, is for time, which mean how long is each exercise session. The last T stands for Type, which means are you using a bike, a stair climber or a treadmill.
The FITT acronym can remind you to slightly alter the Frequency, Intensity, Time (duration), and Type of exercise you do, as you are able, to steadily improve your physical fitness. Cardiovascular aerobic exercise, or “cardio,” is one of three main types of exercise. (The other two are strength training and stretching.) It is any repetitive, rhythmic exercise that increases your heart rate and requires you to use more oxygen. These FITT guidelines can help you stay on track for fitness in the cardiovascular aerobic exercise component of your overall exercise plan.
Cardiovascular aerobic exercise FITT guidelines:
- Frequency: 5 times per week
- Intensity: Warm up for 5 minutes. Then do moderate-intensity activity, making sure you can pass the “talk test” - that is, the exercise is not so intense that you cannot converse with someone else. Cool down for 5 minutes.
- Time: Exercise for at least 10 minutes at a time, with a goal of at least 30 minutes per day (more is even better, if tolerated).
- Type: any activity that raises your heart rate for at least 10 minutes, such as walking, bicycling, jogging, swimming, vacuuming, scrubbing, shoveling, etc.
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.
Cardiorespiratory endurance is an indication of a person’s overall physical health. Cardiorespiratory endurance tests monitor how well the heart, lungs, and muscles perform during moderate to high-intensity exercise.
Increasing cardiorespiratory endurance improves oxygen uptake in the lungs and heart and can help a person sustain physical activity for longer.
Other names for cardiorespiratory endurance include cardiovascular fitness, cardiovascular endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
In this article, we discuss what cardiorespiratory endurance is, how a person can measure it, and why it is important. We also look at how to improve cardiorespiratory endurance, including some examples of exercises.
Share on PinterestJumping rope can improve cardiorespiratory endurance.
Cardiorespiratory endurance measures how well the body performs during long periods of exercise. A person with high cardiorespiratory endurance can sustain high-intensity activities over an extended period without getting tired.
Measuring a person’s cardiorespiratory endurance involves examining how well their body takes in and utilizes oxygen.
When a person inhales, their lungs fill up with air and some of the oxygen it contains passes into the bloodstream. This oxygen-rich blood then travels to the heart, which circulates it around the body to the tissues and organs that need it.
The muscles require an adequate supply of oxygen and other nutrients to work properly during high-intensity or extended periods of exercise. If the muscles do not get enough nutrients, waste products begin to accumulate and cause fatigue.
A person’s level of cardiorespiratory endurance can directly affect their physical performance.
Tests that measure cardiorespiratory endurance include:
Metabolic equivalents
Metabolic equivalents (METs) refers to the ratio between the energy expended during physical activity and the energy expended while at rest. Finding a person’s MET involves measuring how much oxygen their body uses at rest.
Maximum oxygen uptake
Maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) test determines the maximum amount of oxygen the body is capable of using during high-intensity activities, such as sprinting or biking.
The VO2 max test typically involves running on a treadmill or pedaling on a stationary bike as fast as possible. During the test, the person wears a chest strap or other body attachment that records their heart rate and a face mask that measures oxygen consumption.
Cardiorespiratory endurance indicates a person’s level of aerobic health and physical fitness. This information can benefit everyone, not just professional athletes.
Having a high cardiorespiratory endurance generally means that a person can perform high-intensity exercise for longer.
People trying to lose weight may want to focus on increasing their cardiorespiratory endurance because doing higher-intensity aerobic activities can help a person burn more calories.
Scientific research also suggests some other potential health benefits from having an improved cardiorespiratory endurance. For example:
- A 2017 study suggests that people with higher cardiorespiratory endurance are less likely to develop high blood pressure than those with a lower cardiorespiratory endurance.
- In a 2015 study, researchers found a positive correlation between cardiorespiratory endurance levels and multitask performance among adults aged between 59 and 80 years.
- Improving cardiorespiratory endurance may decrease the risk of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality, according to a 2015 study.
People can improve their cardiorespiratory endurance through regular exercise.
The authors of a 2019 study reported that resistance training, endurance training, and high-intensity interval training led to improvements in cardiorespiratory endurance and muscular strength among adults who were aged 40–65 years old and who were not previously physically active.
A 2017 study investigated the effectiveness of a 12-week cross-circuit training program in students who were overweight and had intellectual disabilities. The researchers found participants who followed the training program had an improved exercise endurance, muscle strength, and body mass index.
The following exercises can help improve cardiorespiratory endurance, build muscle, and burn calories. People can perform these physical activities at home or add them to their gym routine.
Try doing these exercises in sets of 10–15 repetitions, or as many repetitions as possible for 1 minute with a 20-second break in between sets.
Jumping jacks:
- Start by standing upright with legs together and arms at the sides of the body.
- Jump up. While in the air, open the legs to spread the feet wide apart and raise the arms overhead.
- While landing, bring the feet and arms back to the starting position.
Burpees:
- Begin standing with the feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend the knees and place the hands on the floor in front to come down into a squat position.
- Jump the legs out behind to get into the push-up position, shifting the body’s weight onto the hands.
- Jump the feet back into the squat position.
- Jump up into the air with arms raised above the head.
- Land back in the squat position.
Mountain climbers (running planks):
- Start in the plank position, aligning the shoulders over the wrists and keeping the legs straight. Keep the back flat and the head aligned with the spine.
- Engage the core muscles.
- Bring the right knee towards the chest.
- Switch legs by returning the right leg to the starting position and bringing the left knee towards the chest. This completes one repetition.
Side-shuffle touches:
- Start in a standing position with the feet shoulder-width apart and the arms down by the sides.
- Bend the knees and squat down.
- Shuffle a shoulder-width to the right and then touch the floor outside the right foot with the fingertips of the right hand.
- Shuffle a shoulder-width to the left and then touch the floor outside the left foot with the fingertips of the left hand.
- This is one repetition.
Other exercises that can help improve cardiorespiratory fitness include:
- running
- power walking
- swimming
- dancing
- jump rope
- high-intensity sports, such as basketball and soccer
Cardiorespiratory endurance is a measure of how well the heart, lungs, and muscles perform during moderate to high-intensity physical activity.
Getting regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can improve cardiorespiratory endurance. Aerobic exercises can help promote heart and lung health and improve how well the body circulates and utilizes oxygen.