Every evening in the gym, the ladies (and a few guys) can
be found working purposefully on bikes, treadmills and
elliptical trainers. The whir of machinery fills the air
and determination is fired by visions of losing weight and
getting in really good shape.
Some casually browse the pages of old magazines, read the
latest thriller or chat with friends as they dutifully put
in their "forty five minutes" of "slow and steady". They
are well-intentioned but clueless. I question the results
of their efforts but decide it is unwise to offer
unsolicited advice.
One lady, however, is focused and pays attention to what
she is doing. She periodically refers to the treadmill's
glowing red display and adjusts her pace accordingly. Good
for her! She is monitoring her heart rate.
What she knows, that the others don't know, is that your
Heart Rate is a dead accurate indicator of just how hard
your body is working. This is the best way to make sure
that you are exercising vigorously enough to improve your
fitness level but not so hard as to overexert yourself.
This is also a great way to lose weight and get really fit
in the shortest amount of time. What you have to do is
exercise at the correct intensity within an optimal range.
This is your Target Heart Rate (THR) which is expressed as
a percentage of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).
You can calculate your personal Target Heart Rate, but this
gets a bit tricky. You have to know your Resting Heart
Rate (RHR) and plug it into a couple of formulas: (MHR –
RHR X (50% - 80%) + RHR = THR) where (Age – 220 = MHR).
You also have to know how long to exercise, at which point
in the optimal range (50% to 80%) and you have to monitor
your heart rate while you are working out. There are
charts that estimate your THR for you but their accuracy
can vary, up or down, by as much as ten percent.
Confused? Don't be. Dump the math and take a low-tech
approach. You already have a simple, built-in heart rate
monitor that is perfectly calibrated to your body.
And, you already know how to use it because it's as simple
as watching your breathing. Your respiration rate is how
you monitor the intensity level of your exercise and it
relates very closely to your actual Heart Rate. You can
use this method with any piece of gym equipment and while
walking or jogging outdoors.
WHAT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER is that, as your workout
progresses, you may exercise at any one of three levels or
zones. I will describe each zone and relate Heart Rate to
how hard you will be breathing.
ZONE 1. (50% - 65% OF MHR) Breathing is normal at this
level and you can easily carry on a conversation with a
workout partner. This is your warm-up and cool-down zone
which will do little to get you fit unless you are very
overweight, very out of shape or have been ill.
ZONE 2. (65% – 80% OF MHR) Your breathing becomes somewhat
to very noticeable. This is your training zone where you
will do most of your work, develop cardiovascular fitness
and burn calories. At the lower end of the range (65%), you
will be able to speak to a partner easily but your speech
is somewhat broken as you deliver phrases between breaths.
At the top end (80%) you will be breathing very hard.
Though conversation is possible, breathing may be your
priority.
ZONE 3. (ABOVE 80% OF MHR) Entering zone three, you begin
panting and gasping for breath. This level can be
hazardous for many of us and is best reserved for
competitive athletes.
TO GET FIT IN THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME, DO THIS:
1. Tell your doctor that you are going to begin exercising
at a level where you will be breathing vigorously. Ask if,
based on your physical condition, you should limit your
effort and if so, to what level.
2. Warm up at a conversational pace and then increase your
speed or intensity level to 70% - 75% of MHR (breathing
strongly) so that after about five minutes you feel fatigue
setting in. Back off and catch your breath at 65% of MHR
or below.
3. Now really pick up the pace (fit walkers find a hill)
and push to 75% to 80% of MHR (breathing vigorously). Hold
it there, from one to three minutes, until your body is
asking for a break and then slow down to 60% of MHR, or
below, until you recover.
Repeat, gradually increasing the number, duration and
intensity of intervals as you are able. If you challenge
yourself to work hard your workout should, at most, take no
longer than thirty minutes.
Cool down and have a refreshing drink of water. These
interval workouts, using your breath to gauge intensity
will work very effectively to burn calories and get you in
shape.
And always remember "Be Strong…. Be Lean"
----------------------------------------------------
Howard McGarity is a "Human Performance Specialist",
Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach who has studied
nutrition and exercise science for most of his fifty-six
years. He creates online programs for MyVirtualGym.com to
help busy people get permanently lean, strong and healthy.
Get the Free e-book, "The Five Fastest Ways to Fitness" at
=> http://www.MyVirtualGym.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment