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How to Get Ripped in 90 Days How to Increase Your Stamina Getting in Top Cardiovascular Shape

by Scotty Brunning 
Being in top cardiovascular shape means having a high exercise capacity; you've trained your heart and lungs to support a fast 5k or a personal best in your sport. This will take time and dedication, but in the end will be very rewarding. If done properly, you can be in top shape in a few months' time. A steady progression of intense workouts will help you reach your goal, but consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine.

Build a Base

Prior to ramping up the intensity, build a base. Whether your preferred type of cardio exercise is running, swimming, biking or elliptical, it is important to prepare your body for the hard work that lies ahead. Begin with three to four days each week of easy to moderate exercise. Exercise anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour. This phase of training is not about winning the race, but simply about allowing your muscles and cardiovascular system to begin adapting. The last thing you want to do is overtrain or injure yourself, because then you would lose the effect of all that training.

Interval Workouts

After at least one month of building a base, begin to incorporate more intense workouts into your routine. Interval workouts will quickly get you into top cardiovascular shape. Warm up for 10 minutes, and then alternate an intense minute of exercise with an easy minute. Alternate intervals for 20 to 30 minutes and then cool down. Try to do two interval workouts each week, and do your standard cardio workouts an additional one to two days. After three to four weeks of regular intervals, begin to increase the length of your intervals. Try two minutes intense actvity alternated with one minute of easy activity.

Heart Rate Zones

To ensure that you are training your heart and lungs properly to improve their ability to pump blood and oxygen to your muscles, utilize heart rate zones to track your workouts. Calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Multiply your max heart rate by 80 percent. This result is the heart rate you want to maintain or exceed during your hard intervals to strengthen your heart. On the days you are not doing intervals, you still need to maintain a minimum intensity level, so multiply your max heart rate by 65 percent. On your noninterval days, stay at about this heart rate.

Progression and Rest

Learn to progress properly. It is easy to do too much too soon, so follow the 10 percent rule: Don't increase the amount of exercise you do from week to week by more than 10 percent. For example, if in week one you exercised 120 minutes, in week two do no more than 132 minutes, adding 10 percent of 120. Rest for your body is also critical; plan at least one day of rest every week. If you are ever feeling overly tired and fatigued, take an extra day or two off.




