Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart, blood cells and lungs to supply oxygen-rich blood to the working muscle tissues and the ability of the muscles to use oxygen to produce energy for movement. This type of fitness is a health-related component of physical fitness that is brought about by sustained physical activity.
A person's ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles is affected by many physiological parameters, including heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and maximal oxygen consumption.
Understanding the relationship between cardiorespiratory endurance training and other categories of conditioning requires a review of changes that occur with increased aerobic, or anaerobic capacity. As aerobic/anaerobic capacity increases, general metabolism rises, muscle metabolism is enhanced, hemoglobin rises, buffers in the bloodstream increase, venous return is improved, stroke volume is improved, and the blood bed becomes more able to adapt readily to varying demands.
When many people talk about being "toned" what they are referring to is a firm body with muscular definition and shape. This is generally a fitness goal that many women have (but also men) with the majority of their emphasis usually on their arms or more specifically their triceps.
Mistakenly, due to the media many people (mostly women) think in order to "get toned" all they need to do is very high repetitions and very little resistance with moderate to long rests. They also don't take into account cardiovascular activity or diet in order to get "toned".
Muscles do not go from soft to hard or hard to soft — they either shrink or grow in size. Muscles themselves do not "firm-up" or "tone". There are no two ways about it — in order to achieve the look of muscle tone or a toned body you need to engage in strength training as well as shed the layer of fat covering your muscles.
Functional training focuses on exercises that train your muscles to work together and prepare them for daily tasks by simulating common movements you might do at home, at work, or in sports. It emphasizes core stability, balance, coordination, and multi-planar movement.
By training movements rather than isolated muscles, functional fitness helps improve overall quality of life, reduces the risk of injury, and enhances athletic performance. This program is ideal for anyone looking to improve their day-to-day physical capabilities.