Last week we discussed strength and its role in protecting independence and performance as we age.
Strength helps maintain muscle, protect bone and preserve the ability to produce force and react quickly when needed.

But strength is only part of the picture.

If strength provides the structure, cardiovascular fitness protects the engine.
Your heart, lungs and blood vessels form the system responsible for delivering oxygen and energy to every working muscle in the body.

The stronger and more efficient this system becomes, the easier it is to move, recover and maintain energy as the years go by.

Higher levels of cardiovascular fitness are consistently linked with lower risk of heart disease, metabolic illness and premature mortality. In simple terms, a well-trained cardiovascular system allows you to do more, recover faster and maintain your physical capacity as you age.

Strength will help you regain or maintain your mobility, independence and performance. Once this is established, in two sessions per week, for the majority of us, our focus should then be on cardiovascular fitness… especially if our activity levels are low.

Understanding Training Intensity
Not all cardiovascular training is the same. Different intensities place different demands on the body and create different adaptations.

One simple way to understand this is through training zones, which reflect how hard your heart and lungs are working. This is what we use in the VELO sessions.

Zone 1 – Recovery

• What it is: Very light movement used for warm-ups, cool-downs and recovery between harder sessions.
• How it feels: Comfortable and easy.
• Breathing: Normal breathing, conversation effortless.
• RPE: 2 – 3

Zone 2 – Aerobic Base

• What it is: Steady aerobic work that builds your cardiovascular “engine”.
• How it feels: Comfortable but purposeful and sustainable for longer periods.
• Breathing: Slightly deeper breathing but conversation is still possible.
• RPE: 4 – 5
  
  *This zone is particularly important for those who’ve had enforced periods of inactivity due to illness or injury. One thing which often gets overlooked is rebuilding the foundation of cardiovascular fitness.

Zone 3 – Moderate Effort

• What it is: A more demanding effort that begins to challenge your aerobic capacity.
• How it feels: Noticeably harder work and difficult to sustain for long periods.
• Breathing: Deeper breathing and conversation becomes broken.
• RPE: 6

Zone 4–5 – High Intensity

• What it is: Short bursts of harder effort that challenge the heart, lungs and muscles.
• How it feels: Hard work that can only be sustained briefly.
• Breathing: Heavy breathing and conversation becomes very difficult.
• RPE: 7 – 9

For most adults, and depending on individual circumstances, the majority of cardiovascular training should sit in Zone 2, with occasional higher-intensity work layered in. think of Pareto’s 80/20 principle and ensure a good foundation is built.

We also use the RPE scale (see image below) to manage intensity. This is a subjective measure where we ask ‘how hard are you working on a scale of 1-10’. This is important to use, alongside training zones, as your body is in a constant state of flux, and no one day will feel the same.

Cardiovascular Training and Metabolic Health

Cardiovascular training also plays an important role in metabolic health.
Inside our cells are structures called mitochondria, often described as the body’s energy producers. The more efficient these become, the better the body is at producing energy and using fuel effectively.

Aerobic training — particularly Zone 2 work — helps develop and improve the efficiency of these energy systems. Over time this improves the body’s ability to use fat as fuel and regulate blood sugar more effectively.
Cardiovascular exercise also supports healthy cholesterol levels, blood pressure regulation and reduction of visceral fat.

When combined with strength training, the result is a system that is both strong and efficient.
Strength helps maintain muscle and manage glucose.
Cardiovascular training improves the body’s ability to produce and sustain energy.
Together they support long-term resilience.

The Bigger Picture
For most people, a well-balanced training week will include a combination of strength training and cardiovascular training.
The UK Government’s Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, alongside two sessions of strength training.

For many people, consistently reaching these guidelines is enough to deliver meaningful improvements in health and long-term wellbeing.

Not random exercise.
Structured movement.
Strength builds the structure.
Cardiovascular fitness protects the engine.

Next week we’ll look at another important piece of the puzzle — mobility, balance and the role movement plays in supporting both physical and cognitive health as we age.