How much cardio is required?

How much cardio training per week is useful?

Cardio training or moderate endurance training seen more as a means to an end. It can be boring and is made more out of a sense of well-being or for the feeling afterwards.

The question How much cardio per week is ideal, therefore employs many athletes, recreational athletes and health-conscious people.

A distinction is often made between two approaches:

• The minimum effective dose — the amount of exercise that is just enough to achieve health benefits and a Maintaining endurance to effect
• The ideal dose — the amount of training that, in addition to health benefits, also achieves performance improvements and additional positive effects.

‍

{{cta}}

‍

What is moderate endurance training?

Moderate endurance training describes physical activities that increase the heart rate in a range that corresponds to around 50-70% of the maximum heart rate, creating a noticeable yet controllable load.

It is intense enough to improve cardiovascular fitness and achieve health benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, without unduly stressing the body.

‍

The minimum effective dose: What does the data say?

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2nd edition, 2018) and it is sufficient for numerous studies, such as 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week or alternatively 75 minutes of intensive cardio to obtain fundamental health benefits.

This minimum amount reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer and improves overall fitness. Just a few weeks of consistent training at this dose lead to an improvement in cardiovascular function and metabolism.

“150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intensive aerobic exercise per week offer significant health benefits and represent the minimum amount of exercise to prevent chronic diseases.”

— U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2018)

‍

{{expiration}}

‍

The ideal dose: More is often better — but how much?

While the minimum dose is sufficient primarily for health basics, studies suggest that additional amounts of Endurance training per week can offer further benefits.

For example, the ACSM position status (Garber et al., 2011) shown that 300 minutes of moderate cardio per week can lead to an even better improvement in cardiovascular fitness, greater weight loss and other positive effects.

However, the ideal dose depends heavily on individual goals:

• Health promotion and prevention: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
• Performance improvement and competition orientation: In addition to basic endurance hours, more intensive training (interval training, tempo runs) can also be useful here, which can take up to 300 minutes or more per week in total.

“Increased training volumes, such as 300 minutes of moderate cardio training per week, can also result in significant improvements in endurance performance in addition to health benefits.”

— Garber, C.E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M.R. et al. (2011). Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43 (7), 1334-1359.

‍

Practical examples: How much cardio should you train during the week

Example 1: The moderately active person

• Objective: Health prevention and improvement of overall fitness
• Workout: 30 minutes of brisk walking or light jogging 5 days a week
• Overall: 150 minutes per week

‍

{{testimonial}}

‍

Example 2: The ambitious recreational athlete

• Objective: Significant improvement in endurance performance and additional health effects
• Workout:
  • 4 to 5 units of 60 minutes of moderate training (e.g. cycling, swimming)
  • Optional: 1-2 additional units of intensive interval training lasting 20-30 minutes
• Overall: Around 300 minutes of moderate equivalent per week

‍

Example 3: The competition oriented

• Objective: Maximum increase in endurance performance
• Workout:
  • 3-4 longer sessions (60—90 minutes) of moderate training
  • 2-3 units of intensive interval training
  • Additional active regeneration and technique training
• Overall: Depending on the training plan, 300-450 minutes per week can also be achieved here

‍

conclusion

Research clearly shows that 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week represents the minimum effective dose to achieve basic health benefits.

For more ambitious goals and a further improvement in endurance performance, there is much to be said for an increase 300 minutes per week or more — always taking into account individual resilience and training goals.

‍

sources

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition.
• Garber, C.E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M.R., et al. (2011). Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43 (7), 1334-1359.