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EF MAX
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Posted: Monday May 29th, 2006 01:35 |
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Very long but another angle on the diet threads..
PART ONE
What is Weight Management [WM]? WM is the politically correct way of thinking with reference to controlling your physique. Everybody has a different angle on this subject, so here is mine; ignoring all the hype, the mathematical calculations and the finger waving in your face with that “you naughty person look on my face�.
To manage weight you need to think about just two things; FOOD, how much you eat of it, what type you eat, when you eat and why you eat. EXERCISE, how much you do, what type you do, when you do it and why you do it.
You need to discover if you/your body is/are a/an morning exercise person or mid day – mid afternoon or evening person. Match your exercise to your body’s clock not your work’s clock; this is often a mood thing; you will soon learn but on average most people get more benefits from exercising early in their body’s clock day rather than later.
We are here today paying a 2nd visit to this topic because basically, most people either don’t know the facts about this subject or just don’t want to accept them. This is a subject that if you get too “pc� you just don’t get the message. So I will start off with a few facts of life – as I see them.
There are three ways to alter the shape of your physical being;
1) Consume less energy than you need
2) Use up more energy than you usually do
3) Cosmetic surgery
The first, in plain English – EAT LESS.
The second, in very plain English – EXERCISE MORE.
The third is a straight – NO; that’s right DO NOT GO THERE.
Everyday when I am in the gym I see people all around me whose basic anatomical shape has not changed, despite the fact that they come to the gym often. Okay, so you now know where I am coming from now and while we are here, we need to get a few other things straight. WM is about lifestyle changes, often changes that you are not going to like; but nothing in life is free.
So your question “Does my backside look big in this� is probably yes. What you going to do about it. Well start with some basics; like the word DIET.
There is no such thing as a commercial diet that works. If you listen to nothing else, then listen to this. There is no COMMERCIAL diet on this planet, that works. And that is a fact. NONE. All diets suggest that you cut something important out of your food intake. There is no qualified nutritionist who would ever give you such negative information.
Most people who wish to do something about their physical shape start off on the wrong foot. The main PROBLEM with most people who exercise is that they do not have a clear understanding of what exercise really is. Many people will also be encouraged to start thinking about eating less. This is a bad move. What you need to do is think like this- POSITIVELY.
• Look at what you eat
• Look at how much you eat of what you eat
• Look at when you eat it
• Look at what is in what you eat
Think of food as FUEL. How much do you need to eat? No need to have more than you are going to use. So on those days when you know that you are going to do less than normal, eat less than normal. If we break this down we can have the following thoughts; what you eat; think of food as positive fuel. Some foods are needed for energy. Some foods are needed as repair stuff and some food is needed so that you can stay alive. Get them wrong and get them eaten in the wrong order and we can have a problem.
But practically, look at things this way. You need food to do exercise, you need food to repair your body after exercise and you need food to just stay alive. SO; food for exercise should have plenty of carbs in it, a good mix of complex and non complex stuff; e.g. a bananas, when green is complex, when yellow and ripe is simple; Sweet is simple [can be eaten by themselves and uncooked], non sweet is complex [often need to be cooked first]; If you mix it up then you have carbs to cure that instant craving feeling and you have carbs for slow release energy stuff when you are exercising. AND don’t forget to drink plenty of water, aim for at least 1.25L – 2L per day [4-8 cups/mugs]. That’s WATER, not coffee or tea or fizzy drinks or wine.
How much you eat can be a real issue. If your car’s fuel tank holds 100 litres, why would you try filling it up with a 105 litres. Likewise on short trips, do you stop every few miles to top it up with fuel? NO. So why do you eat little bits of nothing so often throughout the day. Regular and proper meals are important. You also never wait for the fuel tank in your car to run out, so why do you wait until you are hungry before you eat a meal. Think about it.!
When you eat is really important. Time of day and type of food all play a major part in how your body deals with things. What we are talking about here is metabolism. Eat at least 30-60 mins before exercise. Digesting food needs time and it needs blood. When you exercise your body/muscles needs blood. If you leave it too late and ask your body to chose, then the muscles will win and the food stays undigested till later. And you feel like cr@p. Because there is no usable energy in your tank.
After exercising try eating a proper meal within 90 mins. This is the repair stuff; you need carbs, you need good protein and you do need some fats; about 60%/15%/25% ratio.
If you eat a meal before exercise, then you are eating the repair food first and it all becomes back to front; you end up with the wrong fuel in your system for proper exercise and when you are finished you are going to want to pick at all sorts of things. So considering a 2nd full meal, especially late at night is not a good idea; so your body’s metabolism is all out of sync. And all your hard work is not working hard for you. In fact, it is working against you.
So in a nutshell on the food stuff; on non exercise days eat less of everything. On an exercise day, eat a mix of good carbs before exercise and also eat again soon after exercise, and again later in the day to help replace and repair the body’s biological and physiological energy needs.
And never feel guilty about eating the things you love, just eat them on an exercise day not a day when you are sitting down at home chilling out; And in time learn to cut back on these things that make you feel guilty.
EXERCISE; Do lots of it, but get yourself fit first and take your time if you are new to exercise. How much exercise; well that’s personal but at least 2-4 times a week for as long as you can manage it and enjoy it. The key here is getting to grips with metabolism; the higher the better but keep it safe. When exercising ALWAYS wear a heart rate monitor; it is a bit like your car’s gauges; you need to know when you driving uneconomically and when to top up, when to change gears, when to modify your driving style;
A heart rate monitor is a tool that will let you know what your body is REALLY doing. The key here is Heart Rate Training. We all have a minimum, a maximum and an aerobic heart rate zone. To manage weight you need to know what these zones are as best you can and you need to understand how to work them to your advantage.
So using me as an example and I know these figures because I have been tested; something your local gym can do for you; my resting/sleep heart rate [HR] is 35-40bpm. My sit down and listen to music HR is 50-60bpm. My max HR is 205bpm. My aerobic zone is 65%-85% of this max HR figure, which for me is 140bpm – 165bpm.
I know that if I exercise in the aerobic zone then I am going to burn some energy and the longer I can do it the more I will burn; of course all other things being equal. AND of course if I raise my exercise level beyond 165bpm I will burn even more energy.
Now when it comes to exercise and burning energy [note how I am not talking about fats and carbs but energy] you body needs to do a little bit of work first before it starts to realise that you intend to keep going and then it starts to kick in; this is usually about 20 mins after you first start.
You see the key to WM is your metabolism and also your heart; both are linked directly to the way you burn energy. I will explain, but first, let us just revisit –
• Look at what you eat
o We know that there are five major food groups; from these groups we have carbohydrates, fats and proteins. I am not ignoring minerals or water but the quantity of each of this sub headings are important.
o On average a person should consume 50% of their diet as carbs, 35% as fats and 15% as protein.
 A sports or very active person would be expected to reach a 60%/25%/15% spilt.
 Even ultra-fit sports people are discouraged from going to a 70%/15%/15% split. [If they do it is for very short periods]
o This is why cutting carbs out of your diet is not healthy. It’s a bit like putting cooking oil in your car for fuel, it might be cheaper but it won’t work properly. Ref “The Atkins Diet�
o It also doesn’t mean that your 35% fat has to be animal fat either.
o More than 15% protein is often more than the body can cope with and any excess is just turned to fat anyway.
• Look at how much you eat of what you eat
o So you like a bit of chocolate. Fine, just don’t eat it everyday when you feel hungry or sad.
• Look at when you eat it
o Food; energy stuff; repair stuff; staying alive stuff.
o Energy stuff is the type of fuel you need first thing in the day. Its called breakfast. Going without it is like a long motorway journey with no petrol in your car. You are going to break down and be forced to pull over. Think about it.!
o Repair stuff is the food you need after major exercise. Eating it at any other time is questionable.
o Staying alive stuff. Do not eat this all day long and hope that you will end up like a stick insect. It just doesn’t work like that.
• Look at what is in what you eat
o Do you read labels? NO, well now is a good time to start. 20% less salt means 20% less than the 100% too much that they put in to start with.
o No added sugar means that the last person/company in the food chain has not added any sugar. It doesn’t mean that there is no sugar in there. If four people/companies are involved in processing that food item, three of them can load it with sugar. If the last person or company doesn’t add any sugar then they can legally say “No added sugar�, at least in the UK they can.
You need to pay attention here; Do you exercise to get fit or stay fit. If exercise is new to you, you need to start slow and careful but please, don’t stay in the slow lane all of your life. WHY, because your body is smart and will adapt to traffic in the slow lane.
Now I am a real task master on Heart Rate Training - HRT. Sports like “This-a-cise, That-a-cise and Aerobics� don’t cut it for me. WHY. Because real exercise, the useful stuff in terms of WM, demands you work hard. Aerobics is not exercise to get you fit – though at the start of a new exercise program it does a great job, it is exercise to stay fit. If you can accept this, then you can understand why most people who do aerobics exercise at any level over a long period of time, never appear to change their anatomical shape. WHY, because aerobic exercise doesn’t really tax the body and it certainly doesn’t deal with correct HRT either. Of course it is far better than nothing at all, but we have to be realistic, let your eyes tell you the truth.
All exercise is good for you but some are far more effective at waking your body’s physique up than others. Your basic anatomical shape plays a key part as well. We know that there are three basic body shapes. Understanding yours will help you to determine which exercises are most likely to give you the result you want or can expect.
No two human bodies share exactly the same genetic makeup or body proportions. You may have one overweight child among five lean children. But just because your overweight child may have a genetic predisposition to heaviness, it doesn’t mean they have to live a lifetime of overweight, poor nutrition and exercise habits or medical problems.
Identifying body types can help determine which physical activities are best suited for yourself. Remember; no matter what your size or shape you need to experience a variety of physical activities in a supportive environment. To begin, you need to figure out which somotype (or genetically determined body type) your have inherited.
Mesomorph; These people have a high muscle-to-fat ratio and tend to have hourglass-shaped bodies. The best exercises for mesomorphs include activities that require strength, power and endurance such as; football, baseball, martial arts, boxing, wrestling, weight lifting, shot-put, discus, long jump, ice skating, ice hockey, water polo, sprinting events in track and field and swimming, springboard diving, gymnastics, and tumbling.
Endomorph; This group has a higher fat-to-muscle ratio. They tend to be pear-shaped, round and soft. Endomorphs do well in all types of middle-distance or moderate intensity activities such as; swimming, synchronized swimming, dance or brisk walking. They are also well-suited for the individual sports of martial arts, tennis, archery, bowling, sailing, golf, softball, hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, waterskiing and middle-distance field events.
Ectomorph; these bodies are long and rectangular-shaped, typically low in weight and fat. They excel at long-distance events such as field sports, basketball, soccer, football (running back), ice hockey (offense), field hockey, track and field long-distance runs, pole vaulting, marathons, triathlons, swimming long distance, and cross-country running and skiing.
Exercise that’s right for your age, size and genetic makeup are determined by many factors. One of these factors is muscle fiber types. Muscle fibers are generally classified as slow-twitch or fast-twitch. The percentage we have of each is genetically determined. Those with more slow-twitch muscles are better equipped to partake in moderate- to vigorous-intensity, long-duration exercises such as those defined for ectomorphs (like basketball). Those with more fast-twitch muscles are well suited to high-intensity, short-duration exercises like those suggested for mesomorphs. People with an equal number of both slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers typically excel at middle-distance or moderate-intensity events, although they are typically competent in all types of sports or activities.
Every body type benefits from a variety of exercises, although those benefits may manifest differently. Genetics determines skin thickness and where fat tissue is stored. So, even if you have a consistent strength-training component to your routine, genetics may prevent you from ever appearing as lean as people with different genetic profiles, skin and muscle tissue.
You need to accept the body you are born with while trying activities of all kinds. Respect your new passion for the activities and exercises that are available to you, try not to let other people’s personal preferences guide you [on less professionally given]. Even short, stocky athletes can excel in basketball if they love the game. When creating an individual exercise program, remember this; Aerobic exercise burns large amounts of fat [see summary on p24]. The longer you do an aerobic activity, the more your body draws from its fat stores for fuel. It’s much better for you to do an activity that’s easy to sustain for long periods of time than to do something more intense for short periods.
When you maintain an even level of intensity in an activity, you reach what’s called steady state. Steady-state activity is best for older adults who want to lose fat, so encourage yourself not to change the intensity of your exercise during the workout. People new to exercise will naturally start and stop during physical activity, since their body engines are immature and are better suited for intermittent activities. When a young child plays tag (a start-and-stop activity) for a few hours, her total caloric expenditure will be the same as that of an older child performing a steady-state (non-stop) biking session for a slightly shorter or sometimes an equal amount of time.
It’s healthy to accept your body type. Genetics determine not only fat distribution and muscle fiber types, but also bone density and heaviness. Some ethnic groups have larger bones and, therefore, carry more weight. Help yourself to accept the size of your body’s frame whether it’s small, medium or large.
Consider the size of your frame when selecting physical activities. Large-framed people with dense, heavy bones excel in sports requiring strength and endurance such as volleyball, baseball and basketball. Small-framed people do well in martial arts, gymnastics, soccer and sports that require speed, agility and strength. Always provide yourself with the opportunity to try as many different activities as possible, even those that don’t appear well-suited to your physical make-up.
Most important, remember that all activity burns calories and improves overall health. Even though individualising your exercise program according to somotype may help, remember that you will feel mastery when you are successfully partaking in a behaviour in which you engage fully. When you feel such masterful, you will almost certainly carry on with that behaviour again.
If you want effective WM, you first need to get fit by means of sustainable and progressively increased stressed Cardiovascular exercises mated with passionate resistance exercises. Now its time to put this all together. WM requires lifestyle changes. Sometimes big changes;
• Serious WM requires you to exercise at the start of your day, not at lunch time or in the evening.
• It requires you to exercise properly at least every other day or at least four times a week
• It requires that you have an understanding of HRT and that you are willing to first get yourself into a basic healthy state from light but progressive exercise
• Once you have got yourself into at least a 2-3 times a week shape then be prepared to up the power switch
• Be prepared to eat the correct energy food at the start of the day
o YES breakfast. This needs to be high in carbs like oats and cereals. A fried breakfast is not the answer. Toast and tea is not the answer; you need real food, proper energy. Certain fruits are okay but might make you visit the bathroom half way through your exercise program. Drinking juice before you start is fine but not during. Water is the liquid of choice or sugar free squash.
o NEVER eat during a workout. Energy bars are a NO, NO, NO.
 Don’t forget what I said about digesting food and blood. You need rich oxygenated blood in your muscles for energy, if you eat the food will not get digested and will not provide your body with the energy it needs NOW
 It also plays havoc with your blood-sugar levels
 Research about the GI Foods and Menus
Great ideas? Good intentions? In this case, GI stands for Glycemic Index. While most of us will have heard of, and might even have tried, low carb plans, low GI are another way to control carbohydrate intake while still including carbohydrate foods in our diet.
GI stands for GLYCEMIC INDEX. This is a method of numbering or ranking carbohydrate foods to tell us if that food will make our blood sugar levels rise very quickly, moderately or very slowly. The sugars in low GI foods are released more slowly into the bloodstream, causing blood glucose levels to rise and then fall more slowly than the foods that have a higher GI number. If we choose to eat more foods with a low GI, they will be absorbed more slowly and can help even out blood glucose levels.
High GI foods release their blood sugars more quickly, causing a “sugar rush.� You’re probably familiar with that high you get after eating a sugary snack -- that’s the simple sugars hitting your bloodstream all of a sudden! This sugar hit causes insulin to be released, and insulin’s role is to store the sugar away. This change from high blood sugar levels to low makes us crave sugary foods all over again.
Many studies have shown that foods with a low GI number satisfy our hunger for a longer period of time, and they also reduce our food cravings. And, that’s not all! Research has shown that there are other good reasons for eating low GI foods. When you eat LOW GI foods;
• Your blood sugar levels rise more slowly
• It can help keep the insulin levels balanced
• It can help with the management of diabetes
• You feel fuller for longer
• Energy levels increase
• It is a way to refuel your carbohydrate stores after exercise
• It can help reduce cravings
• Eating LOW GI foods can help you lose weight!
This is because you feel fuller for longer. Blood sugar levels rise more slowly, and insulin levels are better balanced -- making it easier for the energy released to be used rather than stored as fat. Eliminating the rapid changes in blood sugar and insulin levels can also make it easier for you to beat those cravings.
• Be prepared to eat the correct repair food in the middle of the day
o After exercise a ripe banana or similar is ideal quick snack. It takes away the cravings and puts simple carbs back into your system fast. Fruit juice is also fine at this stage as well for it provides both liquid and carbs at the same time; both will help take away cravings.
o A good first meal is important, it should have more complex carbs in it and a good source of protein but minimum animal fats or dairy products. [Need to balance Omega 3 against Omega 6] more 3’s less 6’s – look them up on the internet.
• Be prepared to eat the correct staying alive food for the rest of the day
o Eating salads all day long will not make you thin, but it may make you ill. Your body needs a certain amount of energy to do nothing. For homework, do some research on your metabolic rate and its basic needs. Keep a diet diary and workout how many calories your body needs to do nothing. Based on that information, work out the foods you like and work out how many of them you can eat over a week and divide this amount into daily chunks. This food is what you need over and beyond that of your exercise needs.
o REM; as you exercise more you can going to need to eat more. Drive a car at 100mph and it will need more fuel than if you drive it at 50mph.
o Do not over eat on the staying alive stuff – which should have ZERO energy food [simple carbs] minimum animal fat and a limited amount of dairy products.
mathematical calculations and the finger waving in your face with that
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Life is for Living, Loving and Laughing, so do it to the Max..
Dr.E - http://www.hometonight.co.uk
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Posted: Monday May 29th, 2006 01:39 |
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PART TWO
Well that’s the menu; let’s see how it needs to be served up and why; Exercise timing; our aim is to get the body’s metabolic rate UP. It needs to be up high and it is better to have it there all day. When your metabolic rate is high, it burns energy more efficiently and it does so for longer. If it starts at 7am then it has at least until 7pm that day to be able to its job to the max.
If you exercise at the same level in the late afternoon/evening, the window of opportunity is much shorter, especially if you go to sleep a few hours after that exercise. Also when you exercise early in the day, it produces positive hormones in the brain and this feel good factor is with you for most of that day. These hormones also help reduce stress and this lack or reduction in stress is also a positive factor which the metabolism can benefit from.
Okay, so I have woken you up, now that I have your attention, please listen very carefully. If WM is your goal, you need to start thinking about exercise. Worry not about eating less – though this does help, think more about eating smarter.
Exercise more, exercise hard. Anything less is ultimately a waste of your time. Let’s look at some facts. Have you heard of heart rate training; HRT is the key. Linked to metabolism and food intake and we start to have a picture worth looking at.
DO remember that your body needs to work in what is called the aerobic zone for as long as possible, so some exercises that have a start stop element attached to them are not going to be too effective, nor so any exercise that you do not enjoy.
Well there are two modes of thought on how to put this lot together; some people come into a gym, do 10 mins on this and 10 mins on that and then out of boredom repeat themselves; NOT THE WAY TO DO IT.
Another way is; Assuming a good warm up, some light stretching exercises then you could consider, at least 20-30 mins on your favourite piece of CV kit, be it a treadmill, rower, stepper, x-trainer or bike. Then at the end do some structured resistance stuff then come back and do at least 10-15 mins warm down on a another piece of CV kit.
OR after warming up and stuff do 10-15 mins on one piece of CV, do 2-3 resistance exercise routines and then another 10-15 mins on another piece of CV kit and keep repeating until you have reached your exercise time limit.
If you are brave or getting fitter then consider my favorite two workouts, both involve using the rowing machine;
1) 1000m warm up on the rower [C2]
2) piece of resistance exercise [2mins]
3) 500m rowing on the C2
4) piece of resistance exercise
5) 500m rowing on the C2
6) repeat 8x or until time limited or exhausted
OR for the seriously fit or mad;
1) 1000m warm up on the C2
2) 60secs rest
3) 10x 100m sprints – 30secs rest between each sprint
4) 4x 250m sprints – 45secs rest between each sprint
5) 4x 500m steady state rowing – 60secs rest between each row
6) 1x 5000m warm down steady state row
7) 5mins recovery time- measure heart rate
The game here is to burn the base level energy in your muscles first and do so as quickly as possible with that first 20 min window; then when your body knows that it has some work to do you keep your body within or above that aerobic zone for as long as you possible can.
OKAY; the whole picture now for me; Eat breakfast, eat well before exercise; drink plenty of water throughout the whole day; get into and past my aerobic zone after 20 mins of sitting just on the edge of it; stay in that aerobic zone which for me is usually about 45 – 60 mins at a time; never forget to warm down and stretch; eat a good meal as soon as possible afterwards; eat again later in the day, it need not be as heavy a meal as your post exercise meal; get plenty of rest, water and enjoy life; This could mean a full meal before the middle of your day.
If you need 100 units of food per day to survive when you do nothing else but exist, then if you walk to the end of the road and back and eat no more, then you body has had exercise. It is the relationship between food and exercise that counts. Most people who exercise simply do not exercise hard enough, often enough or long enough.
But you need a means of working out how to do these things. Some of you might already be aware of the phrase “Heart Rate Training�. It refers to the science of making your body work effectively and efficiently when exercising so as to maximise the potential long term results.
I will now introduce a basic tool of this game; it is called a Heart Rate Monitor [HRM]; made by several different companies of which POLAR are probably the best known.
Over time, training has become more and more of a science. Gone are the days of filling a water bottle (with Water!) and going for a ride. Training is now very specific, from how fast, to how far, to how hard.
The first wireless HRM was introduced in 1983. However, the primary function of measuring heart rate (HR) accurately and conveniently has not changed. Thus, the HRM serves as a valid and convenient method of determining heart rate in the field. One of the advantages of the HRM is the near instantaneous display of HR without the need to stop and manually (palpate) the HR at the wrist or neck- not to mention that the accuracy of manually determining HR can be poor.
Today, many athletes use the HRM to "dial in" the proper intensity for each workout, to assist in monitoring progress or to assist in detecting over-training markers. In each case, the HRM needs to be viewed as a tool that simplifies a task. Using a HRM alone will not make you perform better or lose weight. The HRM must be integrated into an individualised training program and validated with other pieces of information.
The basic reasons of using HR to set exercise intensity are based on sound physiological principles. As the work rate increases, oxygen consumption (V. O2) increases in a linear relationship until near maximal intensities. It has been shown that HR does increases in a linear fashion with oxygen consumption until near maximal intensities. Since HR is easier to measure than oxygen uptake, HRM has become a common tool in prescribing exercising intensity.
In an ideal setting, one would visit a laboratory for a maximal aerobic power test during which V. O2, HR and blood lactate concentration (BLC) would be tracked as work intensity increased. From this lab test, your maximal HR (HRmax), maximal power (Watts), V. O2max and lactate threshold (LT) heart rate (HRLT) can be determined. Also your HR at different power outputs and percentage V. O2 can be determined. From this testing you would have a stronger fix on your HRmax which would allow you to determine your training zones (explained later).
While using HRM for training is a viable option, few people have access to a lab for testing. Many have to rely on field tests to determine HRmax. One method is to wear your HRM during an intense exercise and note the highest HR that you see. This could for example occur during a long climb where you "sprint" at the top or at the end of the race during a sprint finish. (It helps if your HRM has the capability to store data so that you do not have to look at your watch too frequently.) From this information, you can design your training program based on this HRmax.
Many people (and a lot of books) use a variety of formulae to estimate HRmax. The most commonly used formula is probably 220-age. This formula has a standard deviation of 10-12 beats/min which is pretty high.
Overestimating one’s HRmax will cause you to have each training zone set too high so that you will be at a higher intensity than desired; underestimating HRmax will cause the zones to be too low so that the training impulse may not be strong enough. Many other formulae have similar standard deviations.
My simple way to get close to where you need to be, short of having a full on test at a lab or university is this.
• ASSUMING A REASONABLE DEGREE OF FITNESS FIRST.
• Fit yourself up with a HRM and matching watch or equivalent
• take the above sum of 220 minus your age as one calculation, make a note of the number.
• Select your favorite piece of exercise [cv] equipment and warm up on it, say 5 mins at a moderate intensity
• Then every min for the next 10 min increase the intensity level, either by trying harder or increase the resistance, but do so in an even and linear fashion
• Make a note of your HR at the end of the 5 min warm up and then note the HR every 60 secs when you increase the intensity.
• Then at what ever level you are at, at the end of the ten mins, go for it, I mean all out sprint for it for 30 secs if you can; like your life depended on it.
• Make a note of the final HR.
• As you recover make a note of how long it takes for your HR to drop from the maximum recorded back to level it was at after you had your first 5 min warm-up and then note how long it takes to drop back to your normal doing nothing HR.
Now using me as an example; 220 – age [47] = 173bpm for my guessed HRM.
My fav equipment (as if you didn’t know) is the Concept2 Indoor Rower, so after 5mins lets say my HR is 120bpm, and between the 6th min and the 15th min my HR goes up to 165bpm and then for the last 30 sec blast it goes up to 185bpm.
I now take both figures and add them together and divide them by 1.85. This equals 185+173= 360/1.85 = 193.5bpm; We will call it 195bpm.
I now use this as a basic guideline for my own HRM. My true figure is 205bpm but this is just a working example.
In this example my recovery from 195bpm to 120bpm takes less than four mins and from 120bpm to 80bpm takes less than three mins. My resting sleep HR is 40bpm and my do nothing is around 55bpm.
The fitter you are the higher up your max HR will be, also your sleep HR will be lower; this is all good news for your heart but these are just my figures; typical most people’s max HR will be less than 220-age if they are unfit and around 70-80bpm if they do not exercise.
NOW TRAINING; The three components that are manipulated in a training program are frequency of training sessions, duration of each training session and the intensity (or intensities) of each training session. Frequency (how often a week one trains) and duration (the amount of time) are easily controlled. Intensity is a bit harder to work out as different people have different ideas about what an intensity level actually is.
How we manipulate the above is determined by;
• The speed at which we exercise
• Our oxygen consumption
• The maximal amount of oxygen that can be used during exercise; by using a percentage of this value, one can establish training parameters
• Power; work per unit time. The most common is the watt (w) The higher the power output, the better
• Energy expenditure; How much energy is expended as measured in calories
• Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE); This is a subjective measure of how intense the exercise feels. Over time, you can develop a good "feel" for the intensity and be able to gauge training using this measure. However, this is varies from person to person so that at the same power output or speed, the RPE might be very different for two people
• Metabolic rate; how much energy is used per unit time
• Heart rate %Hrmax
• Of these, the most appropriate are; power, heart rate, speed and perceived exertion
• While HR is an easy way to measure intensity, it has some inherent flaws since many factors can affect HR. Stress, illness, or lack of recovery from previous training sessions can alter HR so that it is higher or lower than normal for you (see the over-training section). One of the factors in using HR as a guide is the phenomenon of cardiac drift.
Cardiac drift is the increase in HR seen over time while exercising at a constant work load. Some studies have found that your HR can increase by as much as 20 beats/min during exercise lasting 20 to 60 minutes even when work rate does not change.
Ambient weather conditions and hydration status can affect cardiac drift. In addition, time of day (diurnal), medications, altitude; For these reasons, HR should be used in conjunction with your perceived effort and sense of your body.
Warmer weather (especially if combined with high humidity) can cause cardiac drift to be even more pronounced. During exercise in a hot environment (~91o F, 50% humidity) the cardiac drift can be as much as 40 beats/min over the course of 100 minutes when no fluid was ingested; fluid ingestion decreased the cardiac drift to 13 beats/min.
(This supports the importance of hydration on performance and training). Even without the effect of cardiac drift, HR tends to be higher for a given work load in hot conditions than in cooler (and dryer) conditions. Of course, this could also serve to slow you down on the hot days so that you do not overdo it. Some of this could be due to hypohydration (less than normal water in the body).
The time of day also seems to affect HR. Resting HR seems to peak at about 3;00 pm. Since HR varies with time of day, this should be considered and controlled for when doing field fitness testing or training at different times of the day.
Some medications or commonly ingested foods can also effect HR. Caffeine, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine (all of which can be found in foods and over the counter medications) can cause HR to increase.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set an upper limit for caffeine at 12 micrograms per milliliter of urine. Caffeine intake would have to be 800 milligrams (5 to 6 cups of strong coffee) in 2-3 hours to test positive. Beta blockers (commonly prescribed for certain heart conditions and banned by the IOC) will decrease HR. However, few athletes will be on beta blockers. If you are on this (or any other medication) consult with your physician and pharmacist for the effects of the medication on heart rate and function.
Altitude can have a profound effect upon HR and must be considered when changing training locations. At altitude, the body’s need for oxygen does not change, but the pressure of the oxygen in the air does change. Because of the lower pressure, not as much oxygen can get into the blood. In order to supply the muscles (and organs) with adequate oxygen, the HR must increase the rate of blood flow. At altitude the HR will be higher for a given work load than at sea level. If one comes from sea level to altitudes above 4000 feet and trains at the same HR for a given intensity, the risk of over-training increases since the exercise stress will be greater.
A HRM with a large memory capacity can record HR data from sleep. An increase in average HR during sleep and irregularity in the HR pattern (such as higher peak HR) may serve as a warning sign for early stages of over-training. The HRM can be used to gather some baseline information in this area. Gathering sleep HR data during times of easy training or recovery can give a basis for judging changes in sleep HR when training intensifies or resumes.
Training Zones, based on a bike in a typical gym
Heart Rate Training Zones
Zone % HR max Description of Training
1 <65 Easy riding, recovery
2 66-72 Basic endurance, aerobic capacity
3 73-80 Tempo, aerobic capacity
4 84-90 Anaerobic threshold
5 91-100 V. O2, sprint training, max efforts
Zone 1 is for easy riding and recovery. These workouts are active recovery or early season rides that are long in duration and low in intensity. The benefits include increasing fat metabolism and capillaries in the muscles.
Zone 2 rides develop the aerobic energy system. These rides are usually >1-2 hours and low in intensity. These rides increase endurance and stamina.
Zone 3 rides are often called tempo pace. The intensity is just a little higher than Zone 2 but the duration is less.
Zone 4 rides are designed to improve the lactic acid system. These efforts are just below time trial pace and the duration ranges from initial efforts of 10 min to 30+ min later in the training cycle. The anaerobic (or lactate) threshold usually lies somewhere in zone 4.
Zone 5 efforts are maximal efforts that are designed to increase V. O2max . Zone 5 efforts will range in duration from 4 minutes to as short as 5-30 seconds. In the case of the shorter efforts, HR may not reach the designated % of HRmax, but the perceived effort should be maximal.
Once the training zones are established, they must be organised into a periodised training schedule with the proper mix of each zone to optimise training for your specialty (sprinters and road cyclists will have a different mix).
Summary; HRM provides a convenient method for measuring and recording HR data during exercise. However, several factors discussed in this paper need to be considered to optimise training with a HRM. Future studies need to be done to find the ideal HR to elicit a training effect for each type of training. Also, the HRM and HR need to be used within the context of a well-designed training program. Without a well-designed program based on adequate training intensity with proper recovery, the athlete will not optimise training.
Some fitness professionals say that exercising at a low intensity is best for fat burning. Others disagree. Which is it? Should you exercise at a low intensity or high intensity to maximise fat loss?
During aerobic activity, your body uses two kinds of stored energy for fuel; fat and carbohydrates/sugar. The intensity of your exercise session determines how much of each energy source is utilised.
Many people believe that a long duration of low to moderate intensity exercise is the best way to lose fat. That's because at an easy pace, working at 60% of maximum heart rate, approximately 50% of the calories you burn come from fat. If you exercise at a higher intensity, say 80% of heart rate max., only 40% of calories you burn come from fat. The majority (60%) come from sugars.
Lower intensity exercise burns more fat calories than higher intensity activities. The more intensely you exercise, the more carbohydrates (and the less fat calories) you'll expend. But if you're ready to conclude that lower intensity exercise is the way to go for optimal fat loss, hold on.
When your goal is fat loss, you have to look at the total number of calories you expend during an exercise session. Low intensity activity burns less overall calories than high intensity exercise. Let's say you row at an easy pace for 45 minutes at level 1. You would burn far less calories than if you exercised at a higher intensity [level 10] for that same duration. Burning a greater percentage of fat as fuel does not mean greater fat loss. To make the most of your fat loss program, focus on the total amount of calories you burn in a session, not the percentage of fat versus sugars.
Since high intensity exercise burns more calories in a shorter period than low intensity activity, it's very time efficient. But is higher intensity exercise always the best choice? No. If you're just starting an exercise program and your goal is fat loss, it wouldn't be wise to jump into a high intensity exercise routine. If you don't injure yourself first, you're bound to feel so uncomfortable and discouraged that you quit your program fairly quickly. For beginners to exercise who are interested in fat loss, stick with low to moderate intensity. Give yourself time to improve your fitness level and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts.
As exercise intensity increases, the proportion of fat utilised as an energy substrate decreases, while the proportion of carbohydrates utilised increases. The rate of fatty acid mobilization from adipose tissue also declines with increasing exercise intensity. This had led to the common recommendation that low to moderate intensity, long duration endurance exercise is the most beneficial for fat loss. However, this belief does not take into consideration what happens during the post exercise recovery period; total daily energy expenditure is more important for fat loss than the predominant fuel utilised during exercise. This is supported by research showing no significant difference in body fat loss between high intensity and low intensity sub maximal, continuous exercise when total energy expenditure per exercise session is equated. Research further supports the notion that the predominant fuel substrate used during exercise does not play a role in fat loss; subjects engaged in a high intensity sprint training exercise achieved significant reductions in body fat, despite the fact that sprint training relies almost completely on carbohydrates as a fuel source.
My own research has noted a significant loss in my own body fat when I exercised at a high intensity of 80-90% of maximum heart rate, while no significant change in body fat was found when I exercised at 60-70% of maximum heart rate; no significant difference in total work existed between these sessions.
A number of explanations exist for this. First, a large body of evidence shows that high intensity exercise, notably intermittent exercise, result in significantly greater post exercise energy expenditure and fat utilization over low or moderate intensity exercise. Overall, the evidence suggests that short but high intensity exercise is the most efficient method for achieving fat loss. However, high intensity exercise carries a greater risk of injury and is physically and psychologically demanding, making low and moderate intensity, continuous exercise the best choice for individuals that are unmotivated or contraindicated for high intensity exercise: Just my opinion but are you ready for a challenge?
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Life is for Living, Loving and Laughing, so do it to the Max..
Dr.E - http://www.hometonight.co.uk
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