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. However, there are a good few sports that require the CV system to be working well. Here are 3 of the top sports for this type of fitness.

Skiing. The variety of this sport known as cross-country skiing is actually the most demanding off all sports on the CV system. This is because competitive events usually take place over very long distances and skiers encounter lots of different inclines to conquer. Additionally, because almost all the muscles of the body are working at the same time in this sport, the CV system need to be in great shape to make sure each of them gets the nutrients they need. So if you’re looking to build your CV system, switch your snowboards for skis next time you’re on the slopes.

Cycling. Racing bikes at high level puts vast amounts of pressure of the heart and lungs due to the large muscle groups that are required to work. 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 means that his body was able to take in and process more oxygen per minute than almost any other athlete on the planet.  Based on that evidence, if you’re thinking about getting rid of your old cycling machine or second hand bikes, you might want to think again.

Kayaking. Despite the fact a kayaker uses their lower body very little in this sport compared to most aerobically demanding disciplines, his or her CV system still gets a pounding. This is because during middle to long distance races, the upper body and torso work so hard that incredible amounts of oxygen are required to keep going and muscle waste products are also produced in bucket loads. For second hand kayaks and extreme sports equipment check out EST.