How intensely should you workout?|
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How intensely should you workout?
Many people do their cardiovascular workouts with only loose guidelines. They might make sure they work hard enough to be sweaty and breathing hard through most of their exercise session. They might work out for a set length of time, or for a certain distance covered or for a number of repetitions etc.
If you're just starting cardiovascular (CV) exercise, listen to your body and take it easy for the first month or two. Limit the intensity to being only a little sweaty and breathing only a little hard at the end of your workout. Don't push it. Getting a medical exam and asking the MD if it's sensible for you to start CV training is especially smart if...
Objective intensity guidelines are an asset in a CV training program and can help you stay low on the intensity scale until your body can adjust itself. Some people will always work too little and others too much without an objective way of measuring their effort.
By the way, a good way for an out-of-condition person to put them self at risk, is to join an exercise class or runners club and then force them self to keep up with the group - dumb and potentially dangerous. Working at your own pace can be important and sometimes that's most easily done by working out alone, without peer pressure.
Runners' guess-timate of workout intensity
Some runners use a rule-of-thumb that if you can easily carry on a conversation while running, then you're probably taking it too easy. If it is very difficult to carry on a conversation then you are probably working too hard. In between, if you can carry on a conversation with only a moderate amount of difficulty while running, than you're probably at the right level of exertion.
This is fine for many purposes. If you're just starting out, stay at a level where you can easily hold a conversation. But this method isn't very scientific and it will vary among individuals, and even for the same person day-to-day. A less subjective and more consistent approach involves monitoring....
Heart rates - an objective way of guiding workout intensity
The first step in setting up a serious program for cardiovascular (CV) exercise is determining how rapid a heart rate (beats per minute) you should achieve during your CV workout. Over the years, a lot of research has gone into this. The results indicate that people should raise their heart rate level to 60 to 80 percent of their maximum heart rate for at least 20 minutes, to achieve a cardiovascular conditioning effect.
Training above an 80 percent level gets into the area of diminishing returns and is normally worthwhile only for competitive athletes. A person who is out of shape and just starting a CV conditioning program should work around the 50 or 60 percent level and slowly move up over a number of months. An already fit person would aim at 80 percent.
Everybody has their own individual profile of relevant heart rates. Resting heart rate is the lowest rate you normally achieve. Usually, your heart beats slowest when you wake up in the morning after a night of physical and mental inactivity. Levels around 60 or 70 are common, with people in good condition often reading in the 40's or 50's. High stamina athletes can get down to the 30's.
Maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart is capable of beating. It's difficult to push yourself to a true maximum - it takes intense physical activity and it's not pleasant to do.
Normal heart rate is the span that your heart works at during usual daily activities.
So how do you determine the heart rate you personally should achieve during a CV workout?
Estimating maximum heart rates
There are several methods for doing this. Some are better than others, but seeing them all and applying some of them to yourself will put you in a better position to figure out what heart rate levels you personally want be working within.
1) A very generalized method for estimating an individual’s maximum heart rate is to just use the person's age in the formula:
Estimated max heart rate = 208 - (0.7 * age)
For example: if somebody is 40 years old, then according to this formula, the estimated max heart rate is 180 beats per minute (BPM).
The CV work out intensity span for this person is between 60 and 80 percent of 180, which is 108 to 144 BPM.
The formula was developed from cardiological research over a wide population. It tends to be too low for fit people, giving a workout zone that is too low and easy.
2) Sally Edwards is a physiologist and long time triathlete who has researched and written books on heart rate guided physical training. Here's a formula she worked up:
Estimated max heart rate =
210 - (1/2 your age) - (1% of your body weight) + [4 (if male), 0 (if female)]
According to this formula, a forty year old man weighing 180 would have an estimated max rate of 192 BPM.
The CV work out intensity span for this person is between 60 and 80 percent of 192, which is 115 to 154 BPM.
3) Another Sally Edwards method that is probably more accurate involves doing a stair step exercise, measuring your pulse and then making an adjustment for your level of fitness.
Use a normal 8-inch high stair step as found in a home or building. Do a brief light warm-up by doing some easy in-place jogging for a minute or two. Then starting at the base of the stair, perform a cycle of right foot up, left up, right foot down, left down. Each cycle should take 3 seconds, do 20 cycles per minute.
Do this exercise for 2 minutes maintaining a steady 20 cycles per minute pace. Then pause and check your pulse by measuring it over a 10 second span. Then repeat the exercise for 20 more seconds and do another 10 second pulse check and compare it to the first - it should be the same or close. Do this entire exercise several times on different days and note the results until you’re convinced that you’re getting a reliable pulse number.
Next, classify yourself according to the following 3 descriptions:
Poor shape. You exercise little or not at
all, or you have not exercised regularly during the last 8 weeks.
Average shape. You walk a mile or more 3
days a week, or participate in any aerobic activity 3 times every week for 20
minutes.
Good shape. You exercise regularly for
cumulatively more than 1 hour a week, or you walk or run at least 5 miles a
week.
To get your approximate maximum heart rate (per minute): multiply your 10 second pulse rate number by 6 and add the number corresponding to your current fitness classification.
Poor shape: 55
Average shape: 65
Good shape: 75
For example: your 10 second pulse count was 16 and you fit into the “average shape” category:
Estimated max heart rate = (16 * 6) + 65 = 161 BPM
4) Another way of determining max heart rate is extreme and should be done only by physically fit people confident of their heart’s healthy condition. Preferably by running, put in an extra hard 30 minutes. Next, spend 2 or 3 more minutes running as hard as you possibly can. Then stop and quickly take your 10 second pulse rate (past 10 seconds the rate will fall off).
That should get you close to your max pulse rate - assuming you are in good enough shape to survive the process. In all seriousness, don't take this approach unless you are in good shape and have been doing significant CV (not just weight lifting) exercise for at least a year with no negative reactions.
5) If you’re willing to spend some money, call around to fitness centers or sports medicine MD’s and ask if they do tests for determining maximum heart rate. If they at first don't know what you're talking about, say goodbye and call the next place. Doing this right takes experience and you don't want to waste your money at a place that does it only occasionally.
This is a milder experience than the one described just above. It usually involves being hooked up to a pulse monitoring machine while you work on a treadmill or exercycle. Data is collected and then analyzed and extrapolated to a maximum heart rate figure. Cost can range from $50 to $250. Try to find a place that is sports medicine oriented and that has experienced people conducting the test. For those highly concerned about their CV fitness and wanting to carefully improve on it, this is probably the best way to go.
A person's max heart rate depends on their physiology and physical condition. Fit people tend to have a higher max rate. Some types of exercise are better at allowing you to get near your max rate than others. Nordic skiing and running are probably the best activities for generating high heart rates.
If you run as hard as you can and wind up with a max rate of X, and then some other day swim as hard as you can to the same perceived level of effort, you might only wind up with a max heart rate of say 0.9 X. The reason relates to the muscles groups used, how they're used, the body being horizontal which works the heart less, and the cooling effect of the water.
It might seem odd, but with a certain heart rate as the target, some exercises will take less perceived effort than others. A heart rate you that you like to run at, might be tough to maintain on an exercycle or rowing machine.
How to determine your heart rate
You can determine your heart rate by measuring your pulse with your thumb, or by using a digital heart rate monitor.
Determining your pulse rate manually is best done with a digital watch or better yet, a digital stopwatch. Timing by watching the sweep hand on an analog watch is too inaccurate. A digital stopwatch selling for $7 or $8 is all you need. Pick one that has the display numbers about ½ inch in height. That makes it easy to read from a distance.
If you’re determining your pulse rate at rest, then the longer the time period you measure the more accurate you will be. Thirty seconds is a good time span and using a thumb pressed against the prominent artery in your wrist is a good procedure. However, if you’re determining your pulse rate during a workout it’s a different story.
You can’t measure your pulse while exerting yourself and expect to make an accurate count. To manually check your heart rate during CV exercise you need to take a quick pause in your activity. A break lasting more than 10 or 15 seconds will result in your pulse rate slowing too much. The measurement has to be done fast to reflect your true activity level. I’ll use a 10 minute point rate check to illustrate how to do it.
1. As your workout approaches the 10 minute point, observe the stopwatch closely. When it gets to 9 minutes 55 seconds stop your activity and press your thumb to your carotid artery. Find your pulse and count 1, 1, 1 and so forth with each beat until you see the time go to 10 minutes 0 seconds.
2. Then start counting pulse beats until you see the watch go to 10 minutes 10 seconds. That’s all there is to it. You probably need to do it 5 or 10 times to get good at it. Obviously, when you’re measuring over 10 seconds and you miscount by 1, then your 60 second projection is off by 6. So do your best to be accurate. Practice will make you proficient - but perfection isn’t required.
These are nifty little electronic devices that give a continuous reading of your heart rate. Typically, you strap a small belt around your upper chest which has a device that picks up your heart rate, which it then transmits to a wristwatch-like device which gives a digital readout.
A basic heart rate monitor can be had for around $50. More expensive models have some bells and whistles included, which you may or may not find worthwhile.
If you're serious about a long term CV training program, then the ease of use and increased accuracy of a heart rate monitor justifies spending a little money.
Your training level heart rate
Your training level rate per minute is your maximum heart rate times a number between 0.6 and 0.8 depending on your current state of physical fitness. Make it 0.6, or maybe a little lower, if you’re just starting out and are not used to exertion. Once you’ve determined what your desired training level pulse rate is per minute, divide it by 6 to facilitate making 10 second pulse rate measurements easily comparable to it. Write the number down along with your max heart rate determination, so that you can make comparisons with measurements you’ll make in the months and years ahead. Post your target rate somewhere where you’re bound to see it daily so that you’ll remember it clearly during your workouts.
Whatever form(s) of CV exercise you choose, you’ll learn to habituate yourself to working at the level that provides the training pulse rate you need. At a minimum, it should be enough to get you lightly panting and sweating. The best way to develop your activity level habit is to check your pulse rate at the 10, 20 and 27 minute points of the 30 minute CV session. At those points, you stop, use a digital watch to count what your 10 second pulse rate is, and then immediately resume activity. If you use a heart rate monitor, you can skip these interruptions.
At the first 10 minute check your rate should be at or only a little below of your desired training level.
At the 20 and 27 minute check, it should be right around the target level.
The last pulse check is at 27 minutes because we use the last 3 minutes to train down by slacking off the pace.
If your pulse rate is too low, increase the intensity next session; if it’s too high, ease off a bit.
After a while, you’ll get the hang of it and will only need to do the 27 minute pulse check to monitor your workout.
Methods of cardiovascular exercise
The main purpose of CV exercise is to get a conditioning effect on the heart. Once you've determined the pulse level to work at, you need to decide what exercise method (or methods) you want to use. Having more than one routine and switching between them makes sense.
Running (or jogging) is probably the most popular with exercycles, treadmills, in-place running, skipping rope and aerobics also prominent. Running sometimes is criticized as being hard on the knees. However, exercycles and kindred machine methods can sometimes impose similar problems despite the absence of impact on the joints. If you have persistent problems with joint pain, try rapid in-place jogging on a small trampoline. These can be found in sporting goods stores for around $30.
Cost is one obvious factor. If you choose to start running, all you need is some running shoes, shorts and a T shirt, depending on the weather. Many women find that the “running bras” available at fitness stores help. The main feature of running shoes is the thick resilient heels they’re designed with. These cushion the impact as your foot hits the ground. You’re probably best off replacing them every 6 or 12 months as the resiliency gets impacted out of the heel material.
Running outdoors isn’t much fun when it’s sleeting, the wind is howling or there's three feet of snow on the ground. It’s important to have another method that you can do indoors when the weather is bad - you want to maintain your exercise habit irregardless of weather.
Many people use exercycles and treadmills. Remember, the main goal in a CV workout is to achieve an elevated heart rate falling within your personal conditioning range. How you do it is secondary. Some people might accomplish it with rapid in place jogging or skipping rope; others by running or biking. Everyone is different and the key is to experiment and find the right level and types of exercise that work for you personally.
Some CV exercise methods
Running
(jogging)
Aerobics
Skip rope
In-place jogging (with or without a small trampoline)
Nordic skiing machine
Treadmill machine
Bike riding
Exercycle (stationary bike) machine
Rowing machine
Swimming
Speed walking
Stair step machine
Ladder drill (using the first step of a common 5 foot step ladder)
A good way to warm up for CV exercise is to do three strength training exercises aimed at the back and the abdominals. These exercises work large muscle groups and if done with no break between them will boost your heart rate quickly, and only take a few minutes. Do the repetitions at only a normal moderate pace. (See the section for doing muscle strengthening exercises.) Don’t speed them up to get a quick “heated-up” effect.
This exercise strengthens the upper abdominals. The hip flexors and the quadriceps are secondarily involved.
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Just lie down on the floor, hook your feet under something heavy like a barbell or a couch, keep your knees strongly bent (never straight) and sit-up. Alternate the direction as you sit-up. Twist up to the right on one, then straight up and down on the next, then twist left and so on. That stresses different portions of these muscles. Exhale as you rise against gravity, inhale as you decline. Never hold your breath during exertion.
There is a possible linkage between doing sit-ups improperly and hernias. Some people over-exert by jerking the movements and/or by putting weights on their chest or behind their head. This can lead to overstraining the groin area and over-compressing the intestines, causing them to push through enclosing membranes. Do sit-ups with a moderate constant flow of movement until the muscles are exhausted. Don’t bounce off the floor to aid in coming up. Exhale as you’re sitting up, inhale as you’re declining.
Strong abdominal muscles are important to a healthy back. They cause the pelvis to rotate to a position that tucks your belly in and decreases back curvature. It used to be common to see people doing straight leg sit ups during work outs. This can actually aggravate a back problem by disproportionately strengthening a particular muscle in the inner thigh that promotes back curvature.
This exercise targets the lower back muscles. These muscles support the spinal column and keeping them exercised and strong promotes a healthy back.
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Put your feet about shoulder distance apart with your insteps against the barbell. With stiff knees, bend down and grasp the barbell with a wide grip and come to a full standing position. Just touch the barbell to the floor as you’re doing the reps smoothly with no jerking motions. Keep your knees locked as much as you can and this exercise also will stretch your back and leg hamstring muscles.
Beginning men start with 50 lbs.; beginning women start with 30 lbs. From there carefully adjust the weight to find how much you want to use. Exhale as you raise the weight, inhale as you lower it.
Remember, when you have to lift something heavy in everyday activities, use your legs mostly, with limited back involvement. This exercise departs from that for muscle development reasons.
Some people have little interest in overall weight training but would like to strengthen their back muscles. In that case, buying a barbell set just to do back lifts seems a bit excessive. Here’s an alternative way of exercising the back muscles without using weights.
First, you need a solid surface somewhere between 1 to 2 feet in height. Perhaps a stairs, a stool or a bench might work. The height that works best for you depends on your body dimensions. Lying on your back, set your heels or feet on or against this surface such that your upper legs are at least vertical at a 90 degree or greater angle with your upper body. Then raise your rear off the floor, straightening your body; then lower yourself back to the original position. Do as many repetitions as it takes to exhaust the muscles.
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This works the lower portion of the abdominals. The hip flexors are also used.
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A good method is to lie with your back on the bench, your knees straight, heels touching the floor. Raise the legs as far as you can and lower. As with sit-ups, you should alternate between the right, the center and the left when raising and lowering. When you can’t do another repetition straight legged, bend your legs at the knees and do a few more. Like sit-ups, do these at a moderate controlled pace with no jerking. Exhale as you raise your legs, inhale as you lower them.
4) Main cardiovascular routine
Following these "warm up" exercises move quickly into your main CV routine. At the 10 minute point pause and check your 10 second pulse rate. Do the same at the 20 and 27 minute points and adjust intensity to arrive at your target pulse rate level. Over a period of weeks you’ll acquire the right pace for you and you can omit the 10 and 20 minute pulse checks. At 27 minutes you slack off and train down. Obviously, if you have a heart rate monitor, it's easier to keep track of your rate and to adjust your intensity.
Train down with agility movements
During this last 3 minute train down you might want to continue what you have been doing at an easier pace (running or cycling slower), or you might want to shift over into an agility training phase.
This is particularly convenient for in-place running. During these last 3 minutes you divert from moving quickly to practicing being agile on your feet. Get up on the balls of your feet and practice shifting side to side, turning 360 degrees, moving backwards and forwards quickly and lightly. Invent moves that you find difficult. Try hopping on one leg and then the other and keeping balance. These kinds of movements will typically require a slower pace and allow you to train down while developing footwork agility. Do this for a while, and you'll be surprised at how agile and quick on your feet you become.
Some methods to intensify a CV work out
If you are doing in-place jogging, add a 2 to 5 pound dumbbell in each hand. This stresses the arm muscles which in turn demand more blood flow. When using dumbbells during a CV workout, try to keep your hands up at mid chest level with the forearms approximately parallel to the floor. In other words, don't defeat the purpose of using hand weights by letting your hands hang down at your side.
Use activity bursts. For 10 or 15 second intervals, go all-out in your intensity level. Do this at the 1, 11 and 21 minute points of your workout. Do these high intensity bursts after you check your pulse rate, not before.
Wear a sweat shirt, sweat pants and even a knit watch cap. That will make you warmer and cause increased blood flow to cool you off.
A heart health parameter to monitor
Recent research has revealed an important indicator in cardiovascular health. It's the amount of heart rate recovery soon after ceasing CV exercise. No standards have been developed yet that can be generally applied, but it might be a good idea to note your heart rate at the end of your CV session, then note the rate again after 5 minutes of rest. The greater the percentage recovery the better.
For a given type of exercise of a given length, you can develop a personal database of your heart's strength. If you do different types of CV, always note the type and keep the comparisons consistent. Early on in a CV program you might see your heart strength improving in terms of greater rate drop over the 5 minutes. With enough data, if you ever do run into heart problems, you may get an early warning by seeing an anomalous decrease in heart rate recovery and be able to head off a problem.
Exercise class ordeal
Marie had been thinking about losing a few pounds and getting into a continuing exercise program for some time. When a few of her friends invited her to join their aerobics class it seemed like a good idea. It would be fun socially and the exercise program that she would be following would be all laid out for her with an instructor showing her the way. Her friends had been doing aerobics for several years and looked great.
She was in good spirits when she showed up for her first class. But it didn't take long before she realized there was a problem. After the initial warm up, the pace the instructor set was designed for the level of the other 15 or 20 people in the class, not for her. It was disconcerting to be the only one who was going slow or even having to stop to catch her breath. She became very sweaty and didn't feel particularly well and had the embarrassment of leaving with the class only halfway through.
Not ready to give up entirely, she decided to try a less strenuous class. This one was populated by people at least 20 years older than she. The pace was slow even for her. At this point she sought some advice and learned how to take our own pulse rate and how to determine the rate at which she should be doing CV exercise. She then bought a pair of running shoes and a skip rope. This way she could establish a running program, using the skip rope for indoor exercise on cold or rainy days. She understood the value of not missing workouts, and how conducive consistency is to establishing good habits.
Marie stuck to her new program with good results. Six months later she again attended the aerobics class her friends had previously invited her to. This time she was in good enough shape to enjoy the experience, but it did occur to her just how un-individualized this sort of fitness training was.
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