For those of you who don’t know CV (cardio vascular) fitness refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to provide the body with enough nutrients (mainly oxygen) for it to function during activity and remove waste products such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid also. The more efficient and well trained the CV system is, the greater the intensity or duration of exercise can be. Sports like sprinting and discus do not work the CV system very much at all, as muscles do not use oxygen in fast powerful events. Some sports however do ask a lot of the CV system. Below we look at three of the best sports for developing CV fitness.

Skiing. The variety of this sport known as cross-country skiing is actually the most demanding off all sports on the CV system. The is partly due to the cold air reducing the amount of oxygen that can be absorbed by the lungs (forcing them to be even more efficient), but also races take place over many miles and difficult terrain. Also, cross country skiing uses nearly every single muscle in the body which means energy demands on the heart and lungs is very high. So if you’re looking to build your CV system, switch your snowboards for skis next time you’re on the slopes.

Cycling. Riding a bike, especially in competitive road racing, can cause the heart and lungs to work overtime as they attempt to feed the large leg muscles. The 7 time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong is testament to that, having one of the highest VO2 max scores of any athlete. This refers to the amount of 02 that the body can take in and the muscles can use in 1 minute. Based on that evidence, if you’re thinking about getting rid of your old cycling machine or mountain bikes, you might want to think again.

Kayaking. This is a sport that demands an incredible amount from the heart and lungs, despite there being comparatively little movement of the lower body taking place. This is due to the fact that large amounts of energy are required by the upper body for quite long periods of time, which not only means high oxygen demand, but also lots of bi-products that need removing. For second hand kayaks and surfboards check out EST.

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