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. Athletes with well developed CV systems will find that they do not fatigue as quickly and can work at higher intensities of exercise as well. Some sports such as weight lifting don’t develop the CV system very well as very little oxygen is required by the muscles. Some sports however do ask a lot of the CV system. Here are 3 of the top sports for this type of fitness.

Skiing. It has been proven that cross-country skiing demands more of the cardio vascular system than any other sport. This is down to the fact that not only do skiers have to ski for unbelievably long distances, but also the cold air makes it harder for the lungs to extract oxygen. 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 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 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.