Cardiac Output Training
Cardiac output training is the technical name for low intensity cardio.
And contrary to popular belief, this easy, low intensity cardio is your secret weapon.
This easy cardio method stands between you and your goals.
If improved recovery, better stress management, better health, better recovery, and better training sound good, read on about cardiac output training.
What is Cardiac Output Training?
Cardiac Output training refers to steady state aerobic training at low to moderate intensities, keeping your heart rate between 120-140 beats per minute or roughly 60-70 percent of your heart rate maximum, for 20-90 minutes.
This type of training helps to develop the base fitness qualities for improved performance for more strenuous types of cardio training, and sets the stage for better performance in the weight room as well.
Cardiac Output Training Methods
Brisk walking or brisk walking with a weight vest, easy jogging, cycling, using an elliptical, swimming laps, skipping rope, or doing bodyweight or weight training circuits or complexes can all count. You could even push, pull or drag a sled, take a dance class or do a boxing workout.
Keep the training low to moderate intensity to keep your heart rate at the target range.
This type of training might not feel hard enough to make a significant difference in your fitness. However, this low intensity training can really improve your base aerobic fitness. If you push yourself too hard, you miss out on the benefits of cardiac output training.
Cardiac Output Aerobic Training Benefits
This type of cardio training provides you with many benefits.
Improve Pacing
For one, it helps you learn pacing and energy control.
Working at lower intensities can help you learn to both pace yourself and manage your heart rate and respiration. You quickly learn that you can lower your working heart rate as well as your perceived exertion by slowing down your breathing.
In addition, you learn how to pace your efforts and stay mentally calm.
Staying calm and managing your heart rate is all part of what Joel Jamieson refers to as “dynamic energy control.”
Dynamically controlling your energy output by pacing, staying mentally calm and slowing down your breathing improves your endurance and stamina for higher intensity training.
Improve Recovery
Cardiac output training also improves your recovery.
One of the main benefits of cardiac output training is that it helps you to improve your recovery from all types of training by strengthening your heart and circulatory system.
This type of training helps to boost capillary density, which helps nutrient delivery into and out of your muscles. Better capillary density and nutrient delivery means better muscle recovery and removal of waste products after a hard session.
No matter your primary activity, you will notice you don’t get as tired, and you will need less rest between sessions to recover.
You will notice this benefit whether you are a runner, you play soccer or basketball, or whether you primarily just like to lift weights.
Because cardiac output training does not tax your body very much, it also won’t interfere with your other workouts.
In fact, this type of cardio training can improve your total recovery.
Improve Heart Health
Additionally, cardiac output training improves your heart health and lowers your resting heart rate.
Because your heart can pump out more blood to the body’s tissues with each beat, your heart does not need to beat as many times per minute.
Your doctor or cardiologist will be also glad to see your resting heart rate drop. This is a great sign of improved heart health and aerobic fitness.
Lower Stress
Cardiac output training also helps you to shift into a rest and digest state, or parasympathetic state. During this state, your body can recover from stress of training and life. In addition, you may feel more of a sense of calm and well-being and find your stress levels improve.
Burn more Fat
When you do cardiac output training regularly, you burn more fat for fuel.
Unfit people burn primarily carbohydrates for fuel, even at relatively low intensities of activity.
Fitter people rely on more fat and fewer carbohydrates for fuel.
Cardiac output training can help your body burn more fat and fewer carbohydrates at any given intensity level.
Burning a greater proportion of fat for fuel makes your workouts feel easier, further improves energy levels and endurance during and after workouts.
This effect also helps you spare more carbohydrate for higher intensity training sessions.
How to Do Cardiac Output Training
Cardiac output training is easy to implement into your routine.
You can try one or two sessions per week.
Try swimming, hiking, walking, jogging, cycling or any other activity for 30-90 minutes. Go at an easy pace that you can sustain for 90 minutes. You should be able to breathe through your nose and talk throughout the workout. If you start breathing hard, you need to slow down. If you want to use a heart rate monitor, keep in mind that your heart rate should be between 110-140 beats per minute.
Cardiac Output Workouts
I have included three cardiac output workouts you can try.
For the first workout, alternate between using a bike, elliptical, and skip rope, for 5 minutes each. Repeat for a total of 2-3 rounds, or 30-45 minutes. Keep an easy tempo that does not get you out of breath.
For the second workout, do laps in a pool for 30-45 minutes. Keep your perceived exertion low and alternate between different strokes. You can even alternate between easier strokes, where you keep your heart rate around 110 beats per minute, and harder strokes, where you keep your heart rate around 130-140 beats per minute.
For the third workout, set a 20 minute timer. Climb up and down your stairs at an easy pace for 20-30 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Cardiac output training provides you with a ton of benefits. This easy form of cardio may seem pointless, but it can actually help take your energy, performance and fitness to the next level.
If you have found benefits from this type of cardio training, please leave a comment below.
