Cardio Training: What It Is, What It Does and Why It Matters

Cardio training sits at the centre of almost every fitness offer, from a municipal sports hall to a hotel wellness room or a rehabilitation centre. Endurance work is designed to improve the efficiency of the heart and to strengthen the circulatory system. It also has a significant effect on body fat reduction and on overall physical development. That is why this type of training matters from both a medical and a sporting point of view, and why the cardio zone is usually the first area a professional buyer specifies.

What is cardio training, and where can it be done?

Cardio training can be done in a gym, at home, in a pool or in a park. Anyone starting endurance training should take their own preferences into account: which physical activity they enjoy, whether they prefer to train outdoors or indoors, and whether they prefer to train alone or in a gym alongside others. Training in conditions the user actually likes matters, because otherwise the sessions are unlikely to deliver the expected results and will feel like an obligation rather than a pleasure. A member who feels uncomfortable trains badly, and that shows in the quality of the exercise and in general mental satisfaction.

For an operator, that is a planning argument rather than a detail. A cardio zone that offers several movement patterns keeps a wider range of members on the floor, which is exactly what drives retention in a club, a hotel gym or a residential facility.

Which forms can endurance training take?

Cardio training can take a number of forms. Here are several kinds of endurance work, some of which members may not even recognise as cardio:

• Cycling – this covers both an ordinary bicycle and a stationary bike. It is an excellent form of cardio. In half an hour of riding, a user can burn roughly 200 to 300 kcal.
• Swimming – engages the whole body, which makes it a very effective sport. Water also minimises the risk of injury. Swimming at a moderate pace for half an hour burns around 300 kcal.
• Brisk walking is also a form of cardio training, although not everyone knows it. Its effectiveness can be increased, for example by walking on hilly terrain or by adding running intervals. This form of training burns roughly 170 to 200 kcal in half an hour.
• Skiing – there is something for winter sports enthusiasts too. It raises the heart rate quickly to the appropriate level. Skiing requires regular practice and conditioning.
• Skipping – works mainly the leg and arm muscles. It is well suited to weight loss and to improving general condition, and it shapes the body effectively.
• Aerobics – at home or in the gym. At home, very little is needed: a step platform, a mat and a bit of floor space. In a fitness club, a membership is enough.
• Training on gym machines: stationary bike, treadmill and cross trainer are the machines to use indoors for endurance work. They are available in every gym, so availability is rarely an issue.

How often and how long should a session last?

For cardio training to deliver the best results, its intensity, duration and frequency have to be chosen correctly. Some people, eager to improve their health and their figure as fast as possible, start with very intense sessions and usually stop just as quickly, because they cannot sustain that training load for long. Nothing could be more counterproductive. Training should start with gentle exercises and gentle sets, and build up in line with the user’s level. The first sessions should last around 30 to 45 minutes and be done consistently 3 to 4 times a week. When that no longer feels like enough, the session can be extended, a day can be added, or the intensity can be raised – walking on the treadmill can become jogging, for example.

This progression is also what an operator should design the floor around. A club whose cardio line only suits confident users loses beginners in the first weeks, which is when most cancellations happen.

Is endurance training suitable for everyone?

Endurance training is recommended for people of all ages. One group needs particular attention: people with cardiac health problems, such as congenital or other heart defects, and people who have had a heart attack. This group should consult a doctor before starting, so that the right form, intensity and frequency of exercise can be chosen.

In practice this means a professional facility should be able to offer low impact options alongside its running lines – seated and recumbent bikes, cross trainers and rowing machines all allow a supervised return to activity.

The health benefits of cardio training

It is often said that cardio training extends life. That may sound like a cheap advertising line, but the statement is well supported. As noted above, cardio training has a positive effect on the heart muscle and on the circulatory system. The heart works more efficiently, tires less, and therefore keeps working well for longer. Regular endurance training is associated with a lower risk of conditions such as stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, excess weight and obesity.

What cardio training changes in body composition

Cardio training has a significant effect on calorie expenditure and on the reduction of body fat. It is the most effective form of training against excess weight. Diet alone will not remove excess weight and fat: nutrition has to be supported by physical activity, and cardio training is well suited to that. Exercises such as running, swimming, cycling, treadmill work, stationary cycling, stair climbing or cross training burn a large number of calories and improve cellular oxygenation, which supports the weight loss process.

To lose weight, around 30 to 40 minutes of exercise is needed, preferably three times a week, at moderate intensity – meaning a working heart rate of around 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate. A heart rate monitor is therefore a genuinely useful tool, and consoles that display and record heart rate make supervised programmes far easier to run.

Specifying a cardio line for a professional facility

The forms of training above translate directly into equipment categories. Running and walking are covered by treadmills, cycling by upright, indoor cycling and air bikes, and low impact endurance by cross trainers and rowing machines. A balanced line normally combines all of them rather than multiplying identical units.

Light In Fitness supplies professional cardio ranges to clubs, hotels, campsites, local authorities, schools and rehabilitation centres. The full range is set out under professional cardio equipment, with dedicated sections for treadmills and indoor cycling bikes. A machine such as the Bodytone EVOT2 professional treadmill is representative of what a continuously used commercial floor requires.

Frequently asked questions

What is cardio training and where can it be done?

Cardio training is endurance work aimed at improving cardiac efficiency and the circulatory system. It can be done in a gym, at home, in a pool or outdoors. The choice should follow the user’s own preferences, because training in conditions they dislike rarely produces lasting results.

How long should a cardio session last?

The first sessions should last around 30 to 45 minutes, done consistently 3 to 4 times a week. Duration, frequency or intensity can then be increased gradually as fitness improves.

Is cardio training suitable for everyone?

Endurance training is recommended for people of all ages. People with cardiac conditions, including those who have had a heart attack, should consult a doctor first so that the form, intensity and frequency can be adapted.

How much cardio is needed for weight loss?

Around 30 to 40 minutes, preferably three times a week, at a moderate intensity corresponding to roughly 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate.

Building your cardio zone