Boost Your Cardio Vascular Ability With These Sports

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. A CV system that is in good shape will allow an athlete to work harder and for longer periods of time. 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. Here are 3 of the top sports for this type of 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. Also, cross country skiing uses nearly every single muscle in the body which means energy demands on the heart and lungs is very high. So if you’re looking to build your CV system, switch your snowboards for skis next time you’re on the slopes.

Cycling. Racing bikes at high level puts vast amounts of pressure of the heart and lungs due to the large muscle groups that are required to work. 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 mountain bikes, you might want to think again.

Kayaking. Despite the fact a kayaker uses their lower body very little in this sport compared to most aerobically demanding disciplines, his or her CV system still gets a pounding. This is largely down to the fact that kayakers use their upper-bodies a vast amount and there are hundreds of smaller muscles here demanding the large supply of oxygen and removal of lots of carbon dioxide. For second hand kayaks and extreme sports equipment check out EST.