If you are interested in improving the health of your heart, it is important that you get in a great workout as often as you can. Intensity is a very essential part of the traditional cardiovascular exercise recommendations.
An optimal exercise prescription for competitive training, as well as for fitness improvement, is a balance between the frequency, intensity and duration of exercise and an exercise mode. The latest recommendations for health-related exercise, however, are emphasizing the frequency and the total amount of exercise
The basic variable in the intensity of the exercise is maximal aerobic power or maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). It is the highest rate of oxygen consumption measured during maximal exercise and a "golden standard" of the cardio respiratory fitness.
Maximal aerobic power is a product of the cardiac output and arterial-venous oxygen difference. The cardiac output is a product of stroke volume and heart rate and it is constantly changing due to changes in stroke volume.
Stroke volume reaches its maximum at a relatively low intensity during exercise and the rest of the oxygen uptake increase is due to an increase in heart rate. Thus, your muscle's pace is an important index of heart's work and an indicator of the functions of cardiovascular system during exercise.
The hr/oxygen uptake relationship is linear within an individual at least up to so called "anaerobic threshold." Because heart rate is easily and non-invasive obtainable, e.g. on-line during exercise with modern telemeter heart rate monitors, it is more practical and useful for exercise intensity determination than oxygen uptake, cardiac output or stroke volume.
Exercise pace is regulated by increased sympathetic activity. It varies within an individual according to heredity (size of the left ventricle in heart), fitness level, exercise mode and skill (economy of exercise).
Body posture, environmental variables (temperature, humidity, altitude), state of mood, and hormonal status also alter the heart rate response. It is also affected by drugs, stimulants and eating habits.
According to the goal of the exercise, however, the target rate and zones can be calculated as a percentage of the maximum aerobic power. The latest recommendation for developing and maintaining cardio-respiratory fitness in healthy adults gives 55/65%-90% of maximum heart rate (HRmax) or 40/50%-85% of oxygen uptake reserve (VO2R) as the intensity limits.
Percentages of VO2max (being about 10% less than %HRmax at the same intensity) can be changed to the %HRmax with the following formula: %HRmax = (%VO2max + 28.12) / 1.28. Typically, 50-60% of the maximum heart rate represents light, 60-70% light to moderate, 70-80% moderate to heavy, 80-90% heavy and 90-100% very heavy intensity.
Combining the rating of perceived exertion, e.g. Borg-scale with the pace of your ticker, makes the intensity to better meet the individual target intensity. For the most accurate exercise intensity determination, the measured maximum speed is needed.
Variability has been shown to provide an individual method for target pacing determination. A special polar monitoring device produces a number based on a decrease in HRV during incremental exercise.
The target determination by the results limits corresponding to 62-84% HRmax on healthy men and women and 68-86% HRmax in obese adults. Reproducibility of this method has been shown to be good.
Using heart rate in exercise is difficult and confusing for many individuals, especially when participating aerobic classes, if they do not know their maximum pacing. Adding beats/subtracting beats to the resting/pre-exercise number helps them to better control the intensity.
This method is a new reading approach to the target charts. In typical resistance training (targeting to muscle power and strength increase) it does not play very important role during exercise bouts, but may be helpful in controlling the recovery time needed between the work out sessions.
However, recently a guided low-resistance circuit training program has been shown to be beneficial for both aerobic and muscular fitness. If you have a machine such as an elliptical which already has a monitor built in, this is a great way to know exactly how to pace yourself.
If you are going to purchase an elliptical machine, make sure that you get one that has special monitoring grips which will help you calculate your intensity level. Now get out there and make your heart stronger!
Author Resource:-
Jack Landry is a personal trainer and has authored hundreds of articles relating to physical training and ellipticals. He has been a health expert and physical trainer for over 15 years.
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