Cardiovascular Exercise: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How We Train It at EVOLVE Flagstaff

February is Heart Health Month—so let’s talk about the kind of exercise that trains your heart, lungs, and the systems that keep you energetic and capable outside the gym.

At EVOLVE Flagstaff, we’re known for strength training—and we’re proud of that. Strength training builds the foundation: muscles, bones, tendons, power, coordination, and the ability to move well for decades.

But if strength training is the foundation, cardiovascular exercise is the engine. It’s what helps you climb stairs without getting winded, recover faster between efforts, feel more resilient under stress, and generally have more “gas in the tank” for life in Flagstaff—at 7,000 feet, where everything counts a little more.

In this article:
-What cardiovascular exercise is (and what it isn’t)
-Why it matters for health and function
-How your body adapts
-What major health organizations recommend
-How to gauge intensity without fancy tech
-What we do for cardio in our Flagstaff workout classes
-What to add outside the gym to round out your week

What “cardio” really is

Cardiovascular exercise (aerobic exercise) is any activity that makes your heart and lungs work harder for a sustained period of time.

It’s typically:
-Low-to-moderate load per repetition
-Cyclical and rhythmic
-Continuous enough that it’s hard to tell where “one rep” ends and the next begins

Walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, hiking, swimming—these are classic examples. You get into a rhythm.

This differs from strength training, where:
-The load per rep is higher
-Movements are more discrete (a clear start and finish)
-Your limiting factor is often local muscle fatigue, coordination, or force output

Both matter. They train different systems—often overlapping, always complementary.

What happens in your body during cardio

The simplest way to think about cardio is this: you’re asking your body to deliver more oxygen to working muscles and clear byproducts—over and over, for minutes at a time.

Two big systems ramp up:

1) Your “pump” (heart + blood vessels)
Your body increases cardiac output (blood pumped per minute) mainly by:
-raising heart rate
-increasing stroke volume (blood pumped per beat)

With consistent training, your heart often becomes more efficient—able to pump more blood per beat at rest and during moderate efforts. That’s one reason trained people can do more work at a lower perceived effort.

2) Your “air exchange” system (lungs + oxygen delivery)
Your breathing rate increases to bring in oxygen and blow off carbon dioxide. Over time, your body gets better at:
-getting oxygen into the bloodstream
-delivering it where it needs to go
-using it efficiently in muscle

This is where mitochondria come in—your cells’ “energy factories.” Aerobic training tends to increase mitochondrial density and efficiency, improving stamina and work capacity.

Health benefits of cardio (short, practical, evidence-based)

Regular cardiovascular exercise is one of the strongest levers we have for long-term health and day-to-day function.

All-cause mortality (living longer)
-More active people have a meaningfully lower risk of dying early from any cause.
-Long-term data suggests the most active groups can gain several years of life expectancy.

Heart attack / coronary disease risk
-Inactivity is consistently linked with a much higher risk of coronary heart disease (the disease process behind most heart attacks).
-Regular activity dramatically lowers that risk compared to being sedentary.

Type 2 diabetes risk
-Cardio fitness is protective.
-In people with prediabetes, structured lifestyle changes that include regular physical activity can reduce progression to type 2 diabetes by more than half.

Function (daily life capacity)
-Cardio makes real life easier: stairs, hills, hiking, longer days on your feet, and recovery between efforts.
-“Work capacity” is trainable at every age.

What the guidelines recommend (and why they exist)

Most major public health organizations land in the same place:

-Aim for 150–300 minutes/week of moderate-intensity cardio, or 75–150 minutes/week of vigorous-intensity cardio (or a mix).
-Also aim for strength training at least 2 days/week.

These guidelines aren’t random. They’re built from large bodies of research looking at how different “doses” of activity relate to health outcomes (like cardiovascular disease and longevity). They’re best viewed as a minimum effective range for substantial benefit—while acknowledging that more can help if you can recover well.

“Intensity minutes” (the simplest math that actually helps)

A clean way to combine different types of cardio:

-1 minute of moderate intensity = 1 minute toward your weekly total
-1 minute of vigorous intensity = 2 minutes toward your weekly total

Examples:
-30 minutes moderate = 30 “intensity minutes”
-15 minutes vigorous = 30 “intensity minutes”

Your weekly target is roughly 150 intensity minutes, give or take.

How to gauge intensity (no lab required)

You don’t need a heart rate monitor. Pick what makes sense to you.

1) The Talk Test (my favorite)
-Light: you can talk or sing comfortably
-Moderate: you can speak in sentences, but you can’t sing
-Vigorous: you can only get out a few words before you need a breath

2) Heart rate zones (helpful, not perfect)
A rough estimate: max HR ≈ 220 − age.
-Moderate is often ~65–80% of max HR
-Vigorous is often ~80–100% of max HR
Two caveats: altitude (hello, Flagstaff), sleep, stress, caffeine, hydration, and medications all affect heart rate. How it feels still matters.

3) RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) 0–10
-Moderate: ~4–6/10
-Vigorous: ~7–8/10

Safety note (when to check in first)

Most people can start a gradual cardio routine safely. If you have chest pain with exertion, dizziness/fainting, uncontrolled blood pressure, or significant pain, check in with a clinician first.

This is one place where physical therapy can be a great starting point: at EVOLVE Flagstaff, our physical therapists can screen for red flags, help you choose a safe entry point, and guide a progression that matches your history and goals.

What cardio looks like in EVOLVE Flagstaff fitness classes

EVOLVE classes prioritize strength and movement quality first—because coaching and equipment add the most value there.

But cardiovascular fitness matters, so we train it in a way that fits a one-hour session. In our strength classes and training at EVOLVE Flagstaff, cardiovascular work usually shows up as:

1) Circuit-style conditioning (often 10–15 minutes)
-3–5 movements repeated for time
-Goal: work muscles + get out of breath + drive a heart-rate response

2) Interval training (structured work/rest)
Example:
-2 minutes “work”
-1 minute “recover”
-repeat 4–6 rounds

We usually place conditioning later because technique degrades when you’re very winded—especially under load. When we mix load + breathing hard, we choose movements and weights that prioritize safety and good mechanics.

What to add outside the gym (the missing piece for most people)

If you’re coming to EVOLVE 2–3 times/week, you’re doing a great job with strength and whole-body training. But it’s hard to consistently hit the full cardio guidelines inside a group class format—because most people don’t want a “35-minute steady treadmill class.”

So we typically recommend:
-2–3 days/week EVOLVE (strength + mixed conditioning)
-2–4 additional days/week of cardio “engine work” outside the gym

And Flagstaff makes this easier than almost anywhere:
-Hills count
-Trails count
-Hiking counts
-Biking counts
-Tennis/pickleball counts
-Ski touring / snow play counts
-Even brisk walking counts—if it gets you into that moderate zone

Two simple weekly templates

Option A: Balanced week (moderate + some intensity)
-Mon: EVOLVE class
-Tue: 30–40 min moderate cardio (brisk uphill walk, easy jog, bike, row)
-Wed: Rest or easy walk
-Thu: EVOLVE class
-Fri: 30–40 min moderate cardio
-Weekend: 60–90 min hike/bike/play outside

Option B: Time-crunched week (short intervals)
-3–5 min easy warm-up
-2 min hard / 1 min easy × 5 rounds (15 minutes)
-3–5 min cool-down
That’s a solid 20–25 minute session.

Why “some lower intensity” matters (even if you love intervals)

Intervals are time-efficient—but harder to recover from. Lower-intensity aerobic work:
-is easier to recover from
-can be done more often
-builds a base that supports health, stress tolerance, and performance

The key concept: stress + recovery = adaptation

This applies to cardio and strength alike:
-Exercise is the stimulus
-Recovery is where your body adapts
-Consistency over time drives durable change

A couple recovery days each week isn’t laziness—it’s how you capture the adaptations you’re working for.

A simple February challenge (Heart Health Month, EVOLVE style)

-Get to 2–3 EVOLVE sessions/week
-Add 2–4 cardio sessions outside the gym
-Don’t overthink the modality—choose what you’ll actually do
-Use the talk test to keep at least some sessions in the moderate zone

If you want an indoor option during open gym:
-5 minutes each on 3 machines (bike / row / ski or treadmill)
-Rotate twice = 30 minutes
Simple, effective, and not too monotonous.

Quick note on nutrition for heart health

Exercise is a huge lever—but it’s not the only one. If heart health is your focus, nutrition supports the same systems cardio trains: blood pressure, blood sugar regulation, cholesterol, and inflammation. A few small, consistent habits add up.

If you want help turning “I know what I should do” into a realistic plan, the EVOLVE Flagstaff dietitian team can help you build something sustainable that matches your preferences, schedule, and goals.

Want help putting this into a plan?

If you’re looking for a Flagstaff gym with smart coaching, inclusive community, and support across training, rehab, and nutrition, we’d love to meet you. Click the button below to try a class.