122 Part III: Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Treat getting into good cardiovascular shape like a really important ongoing
project. You may struggle through the first session, maybe even the first five
to ten. But if you stick with it three times a week for at least six weeks, you’ll
start to notice dramatic changes. At that point, you’ll recover much more
quickly from your workouts. Instead of going home and crashing on the couch,
you may feel ready to go bowling or out for a walk.How often you need to do cardio for maximum fitness ...............
Five days a week is a good goal to shoot for. Most people feel best with two
days off a week; everyone should take at least one day of complete rest. In
the “Giving It a Rest” section later in this chapter, we explain how to tell
whether you need more rest.How long your workouts should last for maximum fitness .........
Depending on your sport and your goal, you probably need to mix in at least
a couple long workouts — an hour or more — per week. Just make sure you
don’t increase the length of your workouts by more than 10 percent a week;
otherwise, your risk of injury shoots pretty high.How hard you need to push for maximum fitness ........................
Even when you’re training to get in your best shape ever, you don’t want to
go all-out every day. (In fact, only serious athletes peaking for an event
should ever go all-out — and even then, only once or twice a week.) Your
target zone includes a large range of intensity levels. On some days, stay near
the bottom of the range and go for a longer workout; on other days, push
harder and go for a shorter workout. Try any or all of the training techniques
described in the next section.Four ways to boost your fitness ......................................................
You can play plenty of games to challenge your body. This section discusses
four training techniques that you can try after about a month or two of train-
ing at 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. The less conditioning you
start with, the more cautious you should be.