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Heart Rate Training
Heart Rate
Training is something that many people already have as a part of their
exercise fitness programs, but the intricacies of heart rate training
are probably lost on most people. The typical person doing heart rate
training today hops onto a bicycle or a treadmill and exercises for 30
minutes or so before getting off and going onto the next part of their
workout. While there is nothing wrong with this method of approaching
heart rate training it is important to know that it only works one part
of a person's heart rate and that is related to the percentage interval
that the heart rate is in. Don't know what a percentage interval is? No
problem, by the time you finish reading this article you will and you
will learn how to target your heart rate training to provide you with
maximum effectiveness.
Before we
discuss percentage intervals, we need to discuss two concepts; the
resting heart rate of a person and the maximum heart rate of a person.
Resting
Heart Rate and Maximum Heart Rate
The resting
heart rate of a person is defined as the heart rate of that person when
they are not performing anything physically demanding.
Since there are no other physical factors
involved it can also be thought of as the basic pumping efficiency of
your heart (the number of beats required to pump a given volume of
blood). To measure your resting heart rate simply lie
down and relax for a significant portion of time (a minimum of twenty
minutes) and then measure your heart rate.
Maximum
heart rates are impossible to measure directly, but a reasonable
estimate of the number of beats can be obtained by subtracting your age
from the number 220. This might not even be close to the real number,
but it will definitely get you in the ballpark. A maximum heart rate is
simply the fastest rate at which your heart can likely beat.
The
Percentage Figure
Percentage
intervals are calculated based upon a person's working heart rate which
is basically the range of values that their heart could conceivably beat
at. As might be somewhat conceptually implied by the definition, the
working heart rate is calculated by subtracting your resting heart rate
from your maximum heart rate. For example if your resting heart rate is
80 and your maximum heart rate is 200, then your working heart rate
would be 120 (200-80).
Percentage Intervals
The
percentage intervals below are calculated as a percentage of your
working heart rate (explained above). Working out at a specific
percentage interval indicated below will have a very distinct effect.
Study the percentage intervals well and apply the one that suits your
workout goals the best. Doing so will allow you to target your workout,
increase efficiency and get more satisfying results in a shorter amount
of time.
Efficiency and Recovery (60% to 70%): This percentage interval is
the smallest one that is practical to workout in and involves activities
like low impact walking and biking. This is the interval used to develop
endurance as well as burn fat and for that reason is probably the most
popular interval to workout in.
Aerobic
(70% to 80%): This percentage interval is used to develop your
cardiovascular system and increase the ability of your body to
facilitate the transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from
your body respectively.
Anaerobic (80% to 90%): Training in this percentage interval will
allow you to slowly develop a resistance to the build up of lactic acid
in your muscles towards the end of a very strenuous activity. To people
that do a lot of sprinting, speed skating or similar activities, being
able to resist the effects of lactic acid build up is essential and
training in this interval on a frequent basis will help you build up
that resistance.
Red
Lining (90% to 100%): It is impossible, even for the greatest
athletes, to train in this interval for a long period of time. However,
training in this interval is desirable because it serves to develop your
speed.
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