Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular training requires some type of aerobic activity. Aerobic exercise includes:
Target heart rates are effective in measuring your initial fitness level and monitoring your progress after you begin a fitness program. This approach requires measuring your pulse periodically as you exercise and staying within within 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.
You can calculate your own training hreat rate using the Karvonen Formula, but first you will have to determine your Resting Heart Rate, Maximum Heart Rate and Heart Rate Reserve:
1. Resting Heart Rate (RHR)= your pulse at rest (the best time to get a true resting heart rate is first thing in the morning before you
get out of bed).
2. Maximal Heart Rate (MHR)= 220 - your age
3. Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)= Maximum Heart Rate - Resting Heart Rate
Once you have your Heart Rate Reserve, you can evaluate your training heart rate:
4. (Heart Rate Reserve* .85) + Resting Heart Rate = Upper end of the training zone
5. (Heart Rate Reserve* .50) + Resting Heart Rate = Lower end of the training zone
Example: To calculate the training heart rate of a 40 year old person with a resting heart rate of 70:
Maximum Heart Rate: 220 - 40 = 180 bpm
Heart Rate Reserve: 180 - 70 = 110 bpm
High End of the Training Heart Rate: (110 * .85) + 70 = 164 bpm
Low End of the Training Heart Rate: (110 * .50) + 70 = 125 bpm
When you exercise, you should try to reach training a heart rate zone (125 - 164 bpm) and maintain it for the duration of your aerobic activity. Halfway through your aerobic activity, you should take a 6 second pulse check and add a 0 to get the one minute figure. You could also do a 10 second count and multiply by 6 or a 15 second count and multiply by 4.
