How long can it take to see significant improvement in cardio endurance?

[kmar123]

Hi guys, I did not find anything related to this on the FAQ and I hope it’s not breaking any rules.

I’m 27 and I was NEVER an athletic person. For some reason though, I started to actually enjoy exercising in January this year and I haven’t stopped working out regularly ever since, with a combination of yoga, weight lifting, and cardio classes in my gym (mostly dance and Les Mills).

I have seen slow but significant improvement when it comes to yoga and lifting weights (newbie strength ofc, but I’m progressing steadily), however, cardio seems to be the bane of my existence. Even though it’s been almost a year it’s still incredibly hard to keep up with the one hour classes at the gym and my heart rate goes insane.

I know it requires patience to improve fitness wise, but I also wonder if it’s not normal to see such slow improvement when it comes to cardio. I also wonder if it’s because this is the first time in my life actually doing something (I always skipped PE in school, the last time I was this constant with exercise was when I was a 10 year old in ballet) and it’s taking my body a while to adjust.

I’ve also tried running a handful of times and it’s definitely not my thing, but i still thought it’d help my cardio endurance - it barely did and I could never finish the 3-4 times I tried couch to 5k. Everytime I reached the 5 minute mark of running without a break I just about died.

So my question is - is it normal to see such slow progress with cardio for a person who has been working out for the first time in her life, even if it’s been like 9 months already? (I gotta add that my cardio days are 2 to 3 times a week. I walk everyday)

 

[hiwot]

@kmar123 I personally find that it is the combination of easy running (where your heart rate stays at around 140) and intervall training to get your body used to faster pace. Easy running is so so fun and you can go for a longer time while interval running gets your heart rate up in a controlled way and is very effective to becoming fitter.

 

[geoff4345]

@kmar123 It also had to do with the intensity you are training at maybe you gotta empty the gas tank a lil more to really shock the muscle

 

[beyondtime]

@kmar123 F

 

[consueloparrish]

@kmar123 I think this is more suited to the daily discussion thread. I just asked a question about endurance and that’s what I got told.

 

[xueaaaa]

@kmar123 Try Nike run club (app)! I could never get through C25K despite numerous, numerous attempts!! But now I’m running 30 minutes a day because of NRC guided runs and advice on SLOWING DOWN. The kind of slowing down that is so slow, you feel kind of insane, but ultimately helps you build your endurance. Best of luck!!

 

[odi]

@kmar123 Ooh! I've got data for you! I am 28, have never been athletic before, skipped PE, etc. I weightlifted and did yoga more consistently thru my 20s but only at the end of 2019 did I decide it was time to try running again, for the fifth time or so. I went to my gym at the time, did a heart rate test to find my lactic acid threshold (below this rate is aerobic exercise, above is anaerobic, roughly) and max heart rate and started training. The rule was, my heart rate wasn't allowed to go above my lactic threshold EVER, and really I should target my training max for ten below LTHR.

Pros: I didn't feel like I was dying during or after my runs! I can do this!!!! Cons: my already slow pace became absolutely mind-boggling slow. To stay in my target, I had to jog/walk at a 17-18 minute pace. Yes, really. Yes, I know that's slower than some people walk. I know.

It's been 9 or 10 months now of five days a week of running. My easy pace has dropped to around 13:45 min/mi, a gain of about three minutes a mile. I have a beautiful trend line that shows exactly how much I improve week over week. Its easy to keep running because I'm not killing myself on my runs to see pace improvements week over week. In fact, right now I'm in the middle of an upswing, but I'm not stressed about seeing my pace get slower since it's still around my trend line and I know it'll follow with a dip into new and exciting paces.

What stands out to me in what you shared is saying that at your gym classes, your heart is going crazy. I had that experience a lot too, and I think I ended up not ever really being able to develop my aerobic cardio systems AT ALL since I was in my anaerobic zone the whole time. That's why people preach slow running so much, it keeps you in aerobic to strengthen that system. I'm wondering if something similar is happening for you. If it is, running could help, as long as you can commit to going really really easy. It's hard to do and a blow to the ego, but my fitness life has completely changed in 9 months thanks to that philosophy. Fingers crossed for you that you're able to figure it out so you can feel the joy of cardio success!

 

[lilistan]

@odi How long are you slow running during one of those 5 days/week sessions?

 

[odi]

@lilistan As in, distance/time? Over the past 3 years I've worked up to usually around 30 mi/wk, so a minimum of 45 minutes on each run with the long run usually being between an hour and a quarter to two hours. My pace is also faster at this point lol you really dug this one out of the archives!

 

[lilistan]

@odi Yours is one of the clearest answers out there! What's this about a long/short run?

 

[odi]

@lilistan Haha well I'm glad it's helping well into the future of when I posted it! If you look at any info on training plans (the r/running wiki has a nice one), you'll see that a week of runs once you get past a basic level has a mixture of different types of run. A long run is usually once a week and is the furthest distance you go in one run to build the long distance engine. Thousands of people have explained this far more eloquently than I, so I won't belabor it.

 

[30silvercoins]

@kmar123 I agree with all the comments saying slow down but also - do you have any chest tightness or feel like you can’t take a full breath when you run or do intense cardio? If so, you might have exercise induced asthma and would benefit from an inhaler before you work out. I used to be you - I was super overweight and started working out from basically zero, so I assumed that I couldn’t breathe when I did C25k because I was just super unfit. But when it didn’t get better after a few weeks and I totally stopped making progress in my workouts, I went to a clinic and described my symptoms to a doctor who prescribed me an inhaler. The first run with the inhaler was a completely different experience. I could take a full breath while running! My lungs and heart didn’t feel like they were going to give out two minutes into cardio! Obviously this will only work for you if you have some form of asthma, but it’s worth looking into!

 

[christianteen1997]

@kmar123 I don’t think it’s ever useful to compare yourself to what is normal because there truly really is no normal!

This is what got me to build my endurance.

End of January 2018 I started regularly doing HIIT workouts. For about a month before that I was just lifting weights randomly in the gym, then I discovered that my gym had super awesome classes and decided to try them out, it was the best decision ever! Not only did I love the classes, but it was 1837382902x better than doing my own workout because it was so much more effective and efficient.

This was my schedule from end of January until May 2018:
Monday: 50 minute HIIT (focus on weights)
Tuesday: 50 minute HIIT (circuits)
Wednesday: 50 minute HIIT (focus on cardio)
Thursday/Friday rest
Saturday: 50 Minute HIIT (circuits)
Sunday: Kickboxing

From May 2018 until August 2018:
Monday: 50 minute HIIT (focus on weights) and sometimes hot yoga (vinyasa)
Tuesday: 50 minute HIIT (circuits) and/or hot yoga (vinyasa)
Wednesday: 50 minute HIIT (focus on cardio) and sometimes hot yoga (vinyasa)
Thursday: 1 hour spinning
Friday: Hot yoga (vinyasa)
Saturday: Hot yoga or rest
Sunday: Spinning or hot yoga (power)

By June, I was able to run for an hour without stopping. In January I could barely complete my HIIT classes and was always one of the last to complete the workout, and by June I was pretty much the “best” in all the classes I was attending and would finish before everyone else. I don’t recommend doing double workouts like I was doing (hiit and yoga in one day) because I majorly overworked myself and burnt out, but after like 5 months of regular HIIT classes my endurance was awesome.

The thing is, I felt like I was dying during pretty much every HIIT class. Like, I was EXHAUSTED. I really pushed myself as hard as I could and that’s why I improved so much. I used to remind myself as I worked out that my mind wants to quit far before my body needs to, and the only time I’ll slow down in a workout is if I fully feel like my muscles can’t support what I’m doing or if I feel dizzy/lightheaded. If not, I PUSH. Progress is made where discomfort lives.

 

[godseeker62]

@kmar123 I’m also a beginner too. If running isn’t really you’re thing, maybe try HIIT/tabata exercises?Fitness Blender has some great HIIT routines for all fitness levels.

 

[kmar123]

@godseeker62 Yeah it really isn’t my thing! I don’t enjoy it at all haha. I’ve tried some HIIT videos a few times but I swear it feels like I’m gonna die everytime. Then again I think that’s the purpose of HIIT if I’m not wrong

 

[dawn16]

@kmar123 There's some good advice about running here! I want to address the rest of your post.

Heart rate: Personally, my heart rate is stubborn. If I judged off heart rate, I would think that my fitness never improves, which is definitely not the case -- I can sense changes in my endurance, perceived effort, etc. My heart rate just runs high. Pay attention to if you're breathing easier, feeling better, etc. on top of your heart rate.

Also, is it possible that you're pushing yourself more and so it doesn't feel any easier even if you're getting better? I know that my HIIT class ALWAYS felt hard and I wanted to die during parts of it no matter what, but when I first started going I would have to take breaks during exercises and eventually I didn't have to do that anymore.

How often are you doing cardio exercise? You mentioned a mix of activities, many of which don't build cardio capacity (yoga, lifting). A lot of initial strength gains are neurological -- your brain is adapting to the movements before your body starts changing -- so you don't get those beginner gains with cardio.

 

[mic77]

@kmar123 Former athlete who has ALWAYS struggled with cardio here.

The advice you’ve gotten about slowing down is great for building endurance! You said you’re walking every day in addition to cardio, and that’s awesome. Even just walking is great for your heart and will make a long term difference.

As a dumpling that hated running and runs for pleasure now, I also found that NonetoRun was easier for me to get back into fitness when I was just starting back up.

Even as someone who was formerly fit, I’m still very “slow!” Sometimes it’s genetics, and things just take time. Show your body the grace and patience it needs, and you’ll eventually see gains. It helps me to compare myself to myself (present to past) and stop caring so much about other people’s milestones.

You’ve spent decades in a less than conditioned state! 9 months is an amazing feat! But give yourself a break for not becoming a cardio master after less than 1/27th of your life. Good things have already happened, and will continue to happen with more time.

 

[kmar123]

@mic77 Thank you so much for this encouraging comment! I definitely need to have more patience with myself, maybe I am trying to achieve way too much way too soon, which I believe is a rookie mistake hehe.

 

[mic77]

@kmar123 If it’s a mistake, it’s one most of us make at one point or another! Rookie or not!

It’s never too late to adjust your strategy. The hardest thing about achievement sometimes is being able to acknowledge all you’ve done and be proud of it. It’s weird how our brains can sometimes take the wind out of what should be very motivating.

You’ve been doing so well already! Slow progress is still progress, and slow for you could be very fast compared to old you, and certainly faster than some other people on the planet. You deserve patience and love, especially from yourself!

 

[dawn16]

@kmar123 Since it’s been a year and it’s still a struggle, you may want to get checked out for exercise induced asthma. One of the hallmark symptoms is reduced aerobic capacity. I was diagnosed with EIA in 2013 and now take an inhaler before I do any kind of cardio. It’s like night and day. I always wanted to be a runner but couldn’t handle it whatsoever...now I run regularly and at a decent pace. But if I don’t take my inhaler before I run, it’s very difficult.