Most Demanding Sports On The Cardio Vascular System
For those of you who don’t know CV (cardio vascular) fitness refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to provide the body with enough nutrients (mainly oxygen) for it to function during activity and remove waste products such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid also. The more efficient and well trained the CV system is, the greater the intensity or duration of exercise can be. Sports like sprinting and discus do not work the CV system very much at all, as muscles do not use oxygen in fast powerful events. But there are sports that work the CV system more than others. Below we look at three of the best sports for developing CV fitness.
Skiing. The variety of this sport known as cross-country skiing is actually the most demanding off all sports on the CV system. This is because competitive events usually take place over very long distances and skiers encounter lots of different inclines to conquer. On top of this, there isn’t a muscle in the body that is not required during the action of cross country skiing, meaning that the CV system needs to work overtime to provide them all with fuel. So if you’re looking to build your CV system, switch your snowboards for skis next time you’re on the slopes.
Cycling. Riding a bike, especially in competitive road racing, can cause the heart and lungs to work overtime as they attempt to feed the large leg muscles. The 7 time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong is testament to that, having one of the highest VO2 max scores of any athlete. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be delivered and used by muscles in one minute. Based on that evidence, if you’re thinking about getting rid of your old cycling machine or second hand bikes, you might want to think again.
Kayaking. Although kayaking does not use the lower body as much as other sports do, it still punishes the heart and lungs more than most. This is because during middle to long distance races, the upper body and torso work so hard that incredible amounts of oxygen are required to keep going and muscle waste products are also produced in bucket loads. For second hand kayaks and extreme sports equipment check out EST.