Basics Concepts of Cardiorespiratory Exercise



 

Cardiorespiratory conditioning consists of both aerobic exercise, which requires

oxygen to sustain muscle activity, and anaerobic exercise, which does not use oxygen for

the short bursts of highly intense activity. Most daily work and activities are aerobic in

nature, and thus, improving the delivery of oxygen to the working skeletal muscle will

improve work performance. Your ability to utilize oxygen for exercise depends on a variety

of processes including:

• Functioning of your muscles of respiration or pulmonary ventilation

.

• Ability of oxygen to diffuse across lungs into your blood.

• Ability of heart to increase rate of

  beating and amount of blood

  pumped with each beat.

• Ability of blood vessels in and surrounding

  skeletal muscle to regulate

  blood flow.

 

 

• Ability of contracting skeletal muscle

  to extract and use oxygen in

  blood.

 

All of these factors are important in

determining your ability to sustain a submaximal

workload, and your maximal aerobic capacity.

Two other factors which help determine maximal

aerobic capacity are your percentage of specific

muscle fiber types and your genetic makeup.

Some persons are endowed with a high aerobic

capacity, whereas others are not. However, everyone can and will improve if a

cardiorespiratory conditioning program is followed.