Over the last two weeks I have had multiple conversations on how to get results we want in fitness. In particular, these talks were about heart rates and burning fat. So, I will (hopefully) put these concepts into a short and sweet couple of paragraphs.
First: heart rate = beats per minute (bpm) Resting heart rate is your bpm while sitting around at rest. Max heart rate is the bpm limit you can hit before you kick it. Now, to find this we use the equation 220-age. This is an extremely accurate formula, but of course there are exceptions. Target heart rate is where you want to land during a workout. This is where we get tricky. There are five zones for exercise. It's all found through simple math. Zone 1: 45-55% of max heart rate - this is warm up/cool down zone. Zone 2: 55-65% of mhr- this begins the aerobic process, helps endurance. Zone 3: 65-75% of mhr - here is where we get the some of best aerobic output. You'll increase your fitness. You'll burn some fat. You'll burn some calories. You'll build strength. Zone 4: 75-84% of mhr - Fat burning! This is the prime location of fat burning. Zone 5: 85% + of mhr - This is really the building of anaerobic work (speed, power, etc) So how do we get the results we want? The best way is to kick it into zone four as quickly as we can in our workout, and then stay there. That's actually pretty difficult to do, especially for beginners. The fartlek is a Swedish term for a workout that goes from high speed to low intensity back and forth. This is a concept that works well for a large group of people. I do this with a lot of my clients, particularly when they just start out with me. It helps to build up the endurance for aerobic capacity that gets one into the fat burning zone. Here's the biggest kicker - do something. Each zone provides benefits in one way or another. If you're finishing a hard workout, go for a walk or a bike ride in zone 1. Let your body recover and clear the junk from your muscles. But if you live in zone 1 for all of your workouts, you probably won't see much in the results column. How do we know where we are? Get a heart rate monitor. They aren't as expensive as they used to be. And they are so worth it, if you use it right. Set your goals. Plan your work. And plan which workouts are for zone 4 or zone 1 or anywhere on the spectrum. Set yourself up for success.
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May 2023
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