If you’re looking to level up your heart health, there’s nothing more powerful than establishing a regular cardiovascular routine. Your heart is a muscle. Like how your biceps respond to bicep curls by adapting and getting stronger, your heart responds to cardiovascular exercise by becoming stronger, more efficient, and more resilient.
The best news? There’s about a million and one ways to do it. Whether you walk, run, bike, row, hike, step, swim, dance, or box you’re stressing your heart; and thus, improving your heart health and overall longevity in the process.
If you’re wondering exactly how to break it down, don’t sweat it. Below, we detail the basics including how much and how often to do it and share the best cardio classes to get your heart pumping anytime, anywhere.
How to do Cardio for a Healthier Heart
For optimal heart health, the American Heart Association (AHA), recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate cardio, 75 minutes of vigorous cardio, or a combination of the two per week (1). If you aren’t hitting your minimums, make that your starting goal. But, research shows the more, the better (1).
As far as how you schedule your workouts, the breakdown matters less than getting it in. Many people subscribe to the simple 5 days a week of 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. It’s practical, straightforward, easy to achieve, and it works. But, research shows even 10 minute bouts of exercise is enough to start accruing benefits (2). So, if you’re busy, feel free to space out your workouts into small “snack”-sized sessions throughout the day.
As far as intensity, we recommend a blend. The science shows completing around 80% of your workouts in a low to moderate zone, and 20% in a high intensity zone is the ideal blend for both recovery and performance (3). Why? High-intensity or vigorous activity is higher impact, puts more stress on the body, and thus requires more recovery. While it’s an extremely powerful tool for building your VO2 max, endurance, and speed, overdo it and you run the risk of overtraining—which can have a negative impact on heart health (4, 5).
To safely start adding high-intensity activity into your routine, try this simple twist to your 5 days a week of 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio: swap out one moderate-intensity session for sprints or HIIT.
How to Know What Heart Rate Zone You’re
In Scientists have defined five training zones to help you understand your exercise intensity. Zone 1 is the lowest intensity and involves activities like sitting down and walking around your house. Zone 5 is the highest intensity and is assigned to activities like all-out sprinting, and squatting a heavy set of five reps.
| Zone | Intensity | Heart Rate |
| Zone 1 | Very Ligh | 50 to 60% HR max |
| Zone 2 | Light | 60 to 70% HR max |
| Zone 3 | Moderate | 70 to 80% HR max |
| Zone 4 | Hard | 80 to 90% HR max |
| Zone 5 | Maximum | 90 to 100% HR max |
Moderate intensity
For moderate intensity activity, you want to be somewhere in zone 2 to zone 3—that’s about 60 to 80% of your max heart rate. If you’re wearing a heart rate monitor, or have one on your cardio machine, you can simply calculate the bounds of your zone by:
- Determine your max heart rate (HR) by using the equation: 208 - (0.7 x age) = HR max
- Multiply your max heart rate by your target heart rate. Since our target heart rate in this case is a zone, we’ll multiply it by both the high and low bounds of the zone. For example, max heart rate x 0.6 = 60% HR max, and max heart rate x 0.8 = 80% max.
If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, no biggie. You can check you’re working out at the right intensity by doing a talk test. In the moderate zone, you should be able to talk, but not comfortably. If you can speak in full sentences without a breath you’re not working hard enough. If you have to take a breath in between every word, you’re working too hard.
Vigorous intensity
For vigorous intensity activity, we’re aiming for zone 5 and zone 6—that’s anywhere from 80 to 100% of your max heart rate. You can calculate your zone bounds by repeating the steps above. If you’re using a talk test, this time, you might be able to squeeze a word in between breaths, or you can’t talk at all.
Best 21 Workouts to Boost Heart Health
We’ve gathered our best cardio workouts from walking, running, cycling, rowing, the elliptical, or bodyweight routines. Each class is led by a Sunny instructor, there to help you every step of the way, and get the most out of your workout. Just press play.
Walking Workouts for Heart Health
1. 20-Minute Power Walk
Best For: You’re in the mood for intervals but want to walk with no incline.
Trainer: James King
Intensity: Moderate
2. 15-Minute Beginner Interval Walk
Best For: You want a spicy walk that will deliver incline, speed, and your daily dose of fun.
Trainer: Eloisa Sachs
Intensity: Moderate
3. 20-Minute Interval Walk
Best For: You’re a true beginner. This class will give you the perfect opportunity to start playing with different speeds and intensities and get a feel for walking on your treadmill.
Trainer: Sydney Bueckert
Intensity: Moderate
4. 30-Minute Interval Walk
Best For: You’ve been putting in the time on your treadmill, and you’re ready for a tried-and-true sizzle. This walk always delivers.
Trainer: Sydney Bueckert
Intensity: Vigorous
Running Workouts for Heart Health
5. 15-Minute Beginner Interval Run
Best For: You want to build more endurance and speed in a safe space to learn how much to add, and exactly how it should feel.
Trainer: Sam Candler
Intensity: Moderate
6. 20-Minute Beginner Pyramid Run
Best For: You want to build up your running base with alternating periods of walking and jogging.
Trainer: Eloisa Sachs
Intensity: Moderate
7. 30-Minute Intermediate Endurance Run
Best For: You’re looking to dig into steady-state cardio and want a helping hand or simply a friend to run with.
Trainer: Sam Candler
Intensity: Moderate
8. 30-Minute Intermediate Intervals Run
Best For: You’re ready to crush an all-out interval run that will leave you huffing, puffing, and energized for more.
Trainer: Sam Candler
Intensity: Vigorous
Elliptical Workouts for Heart Health
9. 20-Minute Easy Elliptical Workout
Best For: You want to check your steady-state cardio off your to do list and are looking for a gentle class to get you there.
Trainer: Brittany Noelle
Intensity: Moderate
10. 20-Minute Feel Good Elliptical
Best For: You want an elliptical workout that pushes you—not too hard, but just enough.
Trainer: Wendie Weldon
Intensity: Moderate
11. 30-Minute Intermediate Elliptical Workout
Best For: You want to do your cardio, but need a fun distraction to get through it.
Trainer: Brittany Noelle
Intensity: Vigorous
Cycling Workouts for Heart Health
12. 25-Minute Intermediate Interval Ride
Best For: You’ve been riding steady, but you’re looking to kick things up a notch.
Trainer: Ashton Roark
Intensity: Vigorous
13. 30-Minute Beginner Interval Ride
Best For: You’re a newbie looking to learn all the cycling lingo, get practice in different positions, and a killer workout all in one go.
Trainer: Dana Simonelli
Intensity: Vigorous
14. 30-Minute Full Body Sculpt Ride
Best For: You want a combo of strength and cardio on the bike.
Trainer: Ashton Roark
Intensity: Vigorous
Rowing Workouts for Heart Health
15. 20-Minute Rowing Workout
Best For: You want to start building endurance on your rowing machine but aren’t sure where to start.
Trainer: Dana Simonelli
Intensity: Vigorous
16. 20-Minute Kettlebell Rowing Bootcamp
Best For: You want to strengthen your muscles and heart with a combination class blending strength with a kettlebell and all-out intervals on the rower.
Trainer: Dana Simonelli
Intensity: Vigorous
17. 20-Minute Tabata Rowing Workout
Best For: You want an all-out challenge on your rowing machine.
Trainer: Dana Simonelli
Intensity: Vigorous
Bodyweight Cardio for Heart Health
18. 20-Minute Full Body HIIT
Best For: You want to knock out your cardio and strength for the day all in one go.
Trainer: Dominique Waninger
Intensity: Vigorous
19. 20-Minute Beginner Boxing Basics
Best For: You don’t have workout equipment and are up for throwing some punches.
Trainer: Chaz Lewis
Intensity: Vigorous
20. 20-Minute Dance Cardio Workout
Best For: You want to pump up the tunes, get your heart pounding, and dance it out in your living room.
Trainer: Luis Cervantes Duration: 20 minutes
Intensity: Moderate
21. 20-Minute Step Aerobics Workout
Best For: You want to challenge your heart and muscles, and don’t mind being transported straight back to the 80’s.
Trainer: James King
Intensity: Moderate
1. American Heart Association (2018). American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
2. Saint-Maurice, P. et al (2022). Estimated Number of Deaths Prevented Through Increased Physical Activity Among US Adults. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2788473. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
3. Seiler, K. et al (2004). Quantifying Training Intensity Distribution in Elite Endurance Athletes: Is There Evidence for Optimal Distribution? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2004.00418.x. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
4. Heart Rate Variability: An Old Metric with New Meaning in the Era of Using mHealth Technologies for Health and Exercise Training Guidance. Part Two: Prognosis and Training. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6304793/. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
5. Johnson, M. et al (1992). A Review of Overtraining Syndrome—Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1317287/pdf/jathtrain00036-0066.pdf. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
