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If someone was looking to strengthen heart muscle, what parameters they should target and for how long.

I know you have do exercises which will raise your heart rate but not sure about the intensity or the duration.

Jaggu,

Someone? You?

The standard is 20 - 30 minutes, 3x a week, at 60-80% of your maximum heart rate range.

You can find your max heart rate (close enough for most purposes) by taking your age and then subtracting it from 220.

Care should be taken to warm up and cool down properly.

There has also been an increase in interest with utilizing interval training to challenge the cardiovascular system. This alternates surges to maximum for brief intervals, with recovery minutes in between. Individuals should be sure that they are not at risk for pushing upper limits, both orthopedic wise and circulatory system wise. It has proven to be an effective way to increase cardio fitness and raise the intensity at which one can sustaine the 60-80%.

There is also a scale of perceived exertion, whereby rather than taking heart rates, you go by "feel" and a 6 - 8 out of 10 (maximum feel of exertion) is equal to the 60-80%.

And the whole thing is tempered by what your goals are. If seeking to become competitive in a sport that demands cardiovascular endurance, training would be different than for someone looking for fitness. And if there are contraindications with CHD, that presents another tactical, supervised approach as well, depending on the individual.

You need to strengthen your entire body. You cannot just strengthen your heart muscle. No doubt you already know that.

Who is it for? Why? Rehab after heart condition? Lots of questions. How strong/fit is the person currently. They may need to start off very gently over a few weeks before ramping up intensity.

They may have some other physical weaknesses that must be addressed prior to building up the exercise workload. Engage the services of a good - and I mean good personal trainer. Check them out. Discuss your needs with them. They will be able to best assess your exercise requirements as what you are asking is far too dangerous to be discussed over a forum.

In addition, include your doctor (if you are currently under medical supervision & drugs) in your (or other person's) endeavours as they may need to lower certain medication as you build your strength & fitness.

Hope that this helps you to understand the very basics in simple terms.
Just uses common sense and you will achieve your goal(s)

Best wishes

Hi AussieDavid,

Thanks for your post. I have had MI at the ripe age of 40, since then I embarked on a regular exercises( 2 1/2 yrs) , McDougall, Ornish, Esselstyn diet, I believe I have rebuild myself and able to exercises without any problem. So I was looking for a cardio regime that would build my heart muscle to the best shape and hence the question. Of course I will consult my Physician, just want to know things before I discuss with my physician.

Hi Jaggu,

Hop on a treadmill, bike, sidewalk, playground or pool and start moving your body at a gentle & comfortable pace. Let's take the walking for instance. Wear appropriate clothes and shoes and take a few minutes out of your day to go on this walk. How long? Long enough to feel that you have made an effort but not too long that you wipe yourself out for the rest of the day or the following day.

You will have to find the right balance there. It could take you a few days to work it out, so err on the side of conservatism in the initial stages. Once you have a rhythm then slowly build up the duration of your walks.

Soon you will find that you can go a little faster. You should be able to build things from there, but at all times to your ability and safely.

That will build heart muscle strength, lung capacity, blood flow, legs, brain clarity and so much more.

Nothing beats the great wellbeing feeling one has after a nice bout of cardio exercise. If you are in a position to exercise, with or without weights (you mentioned you do) please continue as that will build strength to other body parts cardio does not.

Hope this helps.