Wanting to make good use of your extra time at home? Take a look at the facts below to learn how to use heart rate zones to increase your cardiovascular fitness.Modes of cardio: walking, running, biking, swimming.
To find your maximum heart rate subtract your age from 220.
Zone 1 – Exercise at 65-75% of your max heart rate to start improving your cardio fitness.
Zone 2 – Exercise at 80-85% of your max heart rate to further improve cardio fitness, increase strength, and burn more calories.
Zone 3 – Exercise at 90% of your max heart rate. This is a much higher intensity and should only be performed during interval training.
Interval training is transitioning between the different zones for set periods of time. Example: 5 minutes in zone 1, 1 minutes in zone 3, for 2 or more rounds.
Interval training allows you to challenge your cardio system more than training in only 1 zone, burns more calories, and reduces boredom.
40 year old example:
Training at 126 BPM (beats per minute) for 10-20 minutes, for 1-2 weeks.
Training at 126 BPM for 2 minutes and 148 BPM for 2 minutes for 2-5 rounds, for 1-2 weeks.
Training at 126 BPM for 2 minutes, 148 BMP for 1 minute, and 162 BPM for 30 seconds for 2–5 rounds, for 1-2 weeks.
Don’t have a fancy watch that tracks your heart rate? Gently touch the right side of your upper neck to feel your heart rate. Count the number of beats in 1 minute. For the quick version, count the number of beats in 6 seconds and multiply by 10.
Please consult your doctor before starting this or any other cardio program. You may have other health concerns that require specific modifications to the suggested parameters above.
Information take from the NASM Sports Performance Training program.