How It First Began 
Cardiovascular training has become a worldwide practice
over the last 40 years, or since the 1970's approximately. As recently as
the 1960's, and even into the 1970's heart patients were often kept in bed for
weeks and even months after having a heart attack. The
theory was that the heart muscle
had been damaged by the heart attack, and it needed rest
to heal and to get stronger. The result was that many heart patients died in
bed, or if they did recuperate they did not participate in an active lifestyle.
Most heart patients were expected to take drugs on a long-term basis, and also
maintain an inactive lifestyle of sitting around and resting.
This all began to change in the 1970's because there was
more research into exercise programs for athletes, both professional and
amateur. Sports were becoming more competitive and more lucrative because of the
boost in advertising revenue from sports being broadcast on television more
frequently. As a result, teams were trying to improve the athletic performance
of their players, and also decrease injuries and shorten the rehabilitation time
of injured players. The 
space program also caused scientists to
look into improving the strength and physical conditioning of astronauts because
of the extreme demands put on the human body by space travel. Cardiovascular
training and also strength training were found to dramatically improve a
person's physical strength for sports, for space travel, for work or any
other physical activity. Another benefit was that many injuries could be
prevented, and if a person was injured their recovery time was much
shorter.
space program also caused scientists to
look into improving the strength and physical conditioning of astronauts because
of the extreme demands put on the human body by space travel. Cardiovascular
training and also strength training were found to dramatically improve a
person's physical strength for sports, for space travel, for work or any
other physical activity. Another benefit was that many injuries could be
prevented, and if a person was injured their recovery time was much
shorter.
The question arose during the 1970's that since cardiovascular
training and strength training had such amazing benefits for a healthy, youthful
person, could there be any potential benefits for the sick and the elderly if they had a modified
program that was scaled down to their fitness level. Research and testing began,
and the results shook the medical field like an earthquake! Cardiologists began
getting heart patients out of bed sooner after their heart attack, and started
them on a graduated walking program. Within a few months many patients were
walking several miles a day, and were in much better condition than before their
heart attack. Some of these
middle-aged patients were going into the Boston
Marathon and completing it! The medical profession said they have discovered
that the heart, even though it is the cardiac muscle, is not unlike our skeletal
muscles, and 
the heart needs regular and appropriate exercise to be strong and
function properly. If
it does not get proper
exercise it will decondition and weaken just
like any other muscle in the body, and the results can be fatal. This research and testing was conducted all over the world, and
proved that most people have a health and fitness potential that is much higher
than they realize. Many people suffer with poor health and premature ageing when they could enjoy a strong,
healthy and youthful body, and be much more productive in their work, family
life and social life.
the heart needs regular and appropriate exercise to be strong and
function properly. If
it does not get proper
exercise it will decondition and weaken just
like any other muscle in the body, and the results can be fatal. This research and testing was conducted all over the world, and
proved that most people have a health and fitness potential that is much higher
than they realize. Many people suffer with poor health and premature ageing when they could enjoy a strong,
healthy and youthful body, and be much more productive in their work, family
life and social life.
Target Heart Rate
So what do we mean by a good cardiovascular program? It
is essential that a person exercises in their age-related target zone. A
person's maximum heart rate is 220 beats per minute minus their age. Therefore,
a 20 year old person would have a maximum heart rate of 200 beats per minute,
and a 40 year old would have a maximum heart rate of 180 beats per minute, and a
70 year old would have a maximum heart rate of 150 beats per minute. If the
individual is in good health they would normally exercise between 65% and 85% of
their maximum heart rate. For a 20 year old this would be between 130 and 170
beats per minute. For a 40 year old the range would be 117 to 153 beats per
minute. And for the 70 year old the range would be 98 to 128 beats per minute.
People who are in excellent condition, or who train for competitive activities
will sometimes train beyond 85% of their maximum heart rate.
Saving Beats
It was discovered that a good cardiovascular program
could reduce a person's resting
heart rate by up to 25 beats per minute. That translates into 1,500 beats per
hour, or 36,000 beats per day, and in one month over 1 million beats
could be saved on the heart muscle! This is one of the greatest life
extension programs available.
Depending on a person's fitness level and health concerns
they might start with as little as a few minutes of training, 3 times per week.
Each week they should be able to increase their training session by a few
minutes, but only if they are comfortable doing so. With a graduated program
like this, after 6 to 8 weeks a person would be up to 20 to 30 minutes per
session 3 times a week. This is considered to be the minimum duration and
frequency for significant improvement in their level of cardiovascular fitness.
However, before beginning any exercise program it is important to get your
doctor's advice. Cardiovascular training benefits all 12 Systems in the body,
and we will discuss some of those benefits in our next Blog.
There is a famous saying that says, "The two best
doctors in the world are ..." Do you know the rest of that quote? We will
complete this interesting sentence for you next time.
- Written By: Philip Legge RNC, CH,
CDMT
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