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USING A HEART RATE MONITOR.
Effective aerobic conditioning
requires that you maintain your heart rate at the proper intensity
level for a minimum of 30 minutes per workout. If your heart
rate is too high, your activity can become counter effective.
For most people, as your heart rate exceeds 85% (the upper limit),
your workout causes the body to become anaerobic and produce
lactic acids. This also burns less fat, which can cause a burning
sensation and strain within the muscles. Its important to reach
a level of intensity that is productive. A heart monitor will
tune you into your body's internal activity level and help prevent
injury.
Using a heart rate monitor can help you make sure your exercise
intensity is at a level that burns fat optimally and keeps the
body working aerobically (not anaerobic). A regular exercise
program performed at the proper heart rate levels can help increase
your metabolism. Its important that beginners do not push themselves
too hard. Exercise is meant to be fun and enjoyable! The most
important exercise factor for losing weight is the duration
of the exercise.
For optimum results, it's best to work out at a level that can
be comfortably maintained for a longer period of time. As long
as you are maintaining a comfortable intensity within your zone,
you will be burning fat. Those who are just starting an exercise
routine or are out of shape, should always start at a slower
pace and concentrate on being able to exercise for gradually
longer periods of time.
There are four different heart rate training zones for four
different levels of exercise intensity.
Each of these exercise intensity levels corresponds to different
mechanisms in your body for improving health and fitness.
Which zone you should exercise in depends on both your basic
physical condition and your goals for exercising, whether it’s
improving or maintaining your health or aerobic fitness, losing
or maintaining weight, athletic conditioning, or just general
well-being.
If your basic physical condition is not very good, it’s
safe to start exercising in a light intensity zone. In general,
light to moderate intensity is good for beginning exercisers.
More regular exercisers usually like to push for moderate to
high intensity. And athletes and very fit people can perform
some of their training at heavy to maximal intensity.
Each heart rate training zone is expressed as a range of percentages
of your maximum heart rate (HRmax, the maximum number of times
your heart can safely beat per minute), as shown in the following
chart.
100 - 85% Hrmax Heavy to Maximal Intensity 85 - 70% Hrmax Moderate
to Heavy Intensity 70 - 60% Hrmax Light to Moderate Intensity
60 - 50% Hrmax Light Intensity
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LIGHT
INTENSITY ZONE(50-60% HRMax)
This “daily-activity zone” is suitable for anyone
who wants to reap the long-term health benefits of regular exercise.
It’s also a good zone for those in very poor physical
condition to start exercising in. And very overweight or elderly
people can safely start exercising in this zone because the
low intensity means very low risk of exercise injuries and not
too much strain on the cardiovascular system. This intensity
feels quite easy for most people. Even light intensity exercise
provides a range of benefits:
- Lowers
blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Reduces
the risk of cardiovascular disease, adult-onset diabetes
and other chronic diseases, even some forms of cancer
- Reduces
stress
- Improves
general health and promotes overall well-being
- Helps maintain
existing levels of fitness
- Can improve
the fitness of very out-of-shape people
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MODERATE
INTENSITY ZONE(60-70% HRMax)
The moderate to heavy intensity zone is good for people who
are exercising regularly. For most people, this zone is often
the fastest pace they can maintain and still remain comfortable
and free of pain. For this reason, many people make the mistake
of doing all their training at this intensity so it’s
no wonder that many beginners find exercise too hard!
Exercising in this zone is particularly effective for improving
cardiovascular fitness. If you’re out of shape, your muscles
will use carbohydrate (glucose) for fuel when you’re exercising
in this zone. As you get fitter, your body starts using a higher
and higher percentage of fat for fuel, thus preserving its limited
stores of muscle carbohydrate (glucose stored as glycogen).
Exercising in the moderate to heavy intensity zone brings a
range of benefits:
- Improves
cardiovascular fitness
- Improves
endurance
- Accustoms
the body to exercising at a faster pace
- Begins
to increase the speed you can maintain without building
up lactic acid (your anaerobic threshold)
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HEAVY INTENSITY ZONE(70-85% HRMax)
The moderate to heavy intensity zone is good for people who
are exercising regularly. For most people, this zone is often
the fastest pace they can maintain and still remain comfortable
and free of pain. For this reason, many people make the mistake
of doing all their training at this intensity—so it’s
no wonder that many beginners find exercise too hard!
Exercising in this zone is particularly effective for improving
cardiovascular fitness. If you’re out of shape, your muscles
will use carbohydrate (glucose) for fuel when you’re exercising
in this zone. As you get fitter, your body starts using a higher
and higher percentage of fat for fuel, thus preserving its limited
stores of muscle carbohydrate (glucose stored as glycogen).
Exercising in the moderate to heavy intensity zone brings a
range of benefits:
- Improves
cardiovascular fitness
- Improves
endurance
- Accustoms
the body to exercising at a faster pace
- Begins
the increase the speed you can maintain without building
up lactic acid (anerobic threshold)
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| body
in perfect health |
MAXIMAL
INTENSITY ZONE(85-100% HRMax)
Exercise at the heavy to maximal intensity zone definitely feels
“hard”. You’ll find yourself breathing heavily,
having tired muscles and feeling fatigued. Your muscles will
get tired as you reach your anaerobic threshold and lactic acid
accumulates. Training at this intensity is recommended occasionally
for very fit people and athletes to work on increasing their
maximum performance capacity. This intensity is used in interval
training of short, sharp bursts for three to five minutes at
a time, as well as in racing. Exercising in this zone is extremely
intensive, so it provides some unique benefits:
- Increases
muscles' tolerance to lactic acid
- Improves
sprinting and hard, short-effort ability
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| ody in perfect
health |
Useful links
Heart
rate monitors |
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