One of the main components of fitness training for athletes and non-athletes alike is building endurance. It is important that an athlete should be able to compete in whatever sport without running out of steam. To achieve this, there needs to be intensive endurance training and this can be done by incorporating cardio exercises into the training routine.

Cardio is a form of exercise which one can say is at the root of any form of sport training. It involves any kind of exercise which increases the heart rate and keeps it elevated for a period of time. Exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming and running are all known as cardio exercises. Cardio exercises are also known as aerobic exercises. These exercises not only strengthen the heart, they also strengthen the lung, increase the capacity of the lung and increase energy in the athlete. They are in fact, necessary if a long distance runner is to get to the finish line without gassing out.

Like every form of fitness training, cardio has its own rules and ways in which you can get the best of your cardio training. Applying these rules as you perform your cardio exercises will ensure that you get the most out of your cardio workout and that you build even more stamina and endurance in your sport and in everyday life.

1. Do not neglect your warm up exercises before you begin your cardio. So this is not a new rule, but it might as well be, the way it is often overlooked by a lot of fitness practitioners. Warming up before beginning cardio is like a cardinal rule of working out. Warm up exercises loosen the muscles and help to prevent injury. In addition to that, they make cardio workouts even more effective because they warm up the body and get it in exercise mode. Cardio exercises are very effective for weight loss but if the body has not been through some warm up exercises, it reduces the effectiveness. Spending 15 minutes doing stretch and warm up exercises is a good rule of thumb.

2. Dedicate time for your workout. Cardio workouts require time. That is, you need to do an average of between 15 minutes to 1 hour of workout. This is particularly important if you are looking to build endurance through cardio workouts. By dedicating significant time to your cardio workouts, you are making sure that the possibility of your gassing out is drastically reduced. You increase strength and stamina, which is vital to any sport. Your goal with cardio workouts should be to increase your heart rate to something within the region of 140 beats per minute and maintain that rate for some minutes. This requires working out for an extended period. However, beginners should start easy and increase time as they go on. It is a mistake to strain yourself when you are performing a cardio workout.

3. Be consistent. Consistency is a big factor in any fitness training but is even more so with cardio because the benefits of cardio build up over a period of time. Lung capacity, which is essential if you are not to gas out, can only be built through continuous cardio exercises.

Gassing out during competitions is not a novel phenomenon a lot of athletes experience that problem, especially endurance athletes. Cardio workouts provide the ideal way to build up the necessary endurance skills needed to keep that from happening.