Some cardiovascular exercise is a valuable component to any exercise program. If your fitness goals involve a high level of absolute endurance and cardiovascular conditioning certainly you must spend several hours a  week doing cardio. However, if your goals are more strength and power and/or general wellness less cardio is needed. A couple of my personal favorites are short but intense sprint workouts and skipping rope about 2-4 times per week.

For a thought provoking challenge to the mainstream vision of cardiovascular training, see the article we feature in our Must Read Resources by Paul Chek on his Cardio Perspective .