Fitness Tip - Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Cardio? - 2/4/2007
By George Hillinger
BS Kinesiology
ACE Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Cardiovascular exercise such as walking, cycling, running, swimming, and rowing are a must for any exercise program to train the heart and lungs. Any amount and intensity of cardio is beneficial from the standpoint of increasing our daily output of energy to assist in achieving and maintaining a healthier, leaner you. Also, studies have shown that higher intensity exercise is more beneficial in lowering bad cholesterol (LDL), improving your cholesterol ratio, and lowering unhealthy high blood pressure. The importance of preventing heart disease (still the number one cause of death in the U.S.) and stroke by maintaining healthy blood pressure and cholesterol is something that should not be ignored. If you are doing your cardiovascular exercise in a casual, low intensity manner, it may be time to give your cardiovascular exercise program an intensity makeover to have a more positive influence on your general health.
If you have not been doing any cardiovascular exercise, the first step to developing a lifelong cardiovascular program is to develop a cardio base before starting interval training. A cardiovascular base is the mere habit of doing regular cardiovascular exercise on almost a daily basis (4-6 days per week). You should choose activities that you enjoy and that fit your personal profile (for instance, someone with bad knees should NOT choose running over walking). Remember, variation recruits more muscle and contributes to an overall more fit, healthier you, so doing more than one mode of cardiovascular activity is a good idea (ex: swimming and cycling instead of just cycling). You should use a mild to moderate level of intensity when developing your cardiovascular base.
The best way to see if your intensity is correct is by monitoring your intensity through your heart rate. Your personal trainer can calculate an appropriate heart rate zone for you by using the Karvonen Formula (see below). The Karvonen Formula incorporates your level of fitness by using your resting heart rate. It is important to have your heart rate zone personalized by using the Karvonen Formula as your heart rate zone changes with age and fitness levels. You can check your heart rate with two fingers on the carotid artery of the neck but it is much easier to use a heart rate monitor during your cardio that will provide you with a constant heart rate reading (I recommend Polar Heart Rate Monitors). Target heart rate for base training will typically reach the 55-75% heart rate zone using the Karvonen Formula.
Once you have developed a good cardiovascular base (one to two months of consistent cardiovascular exercise), the next step is to increase your intensity with interval training. Interval training consists of high intensity bursts during your cardiovascular exercise. During an interval, you will increase the intensity of your cardiovascular activity so that your heart rate will reach the 75-90% zone that your trainer developed with the Karvonen Formula. How high you push your heart rate is dependent not only by the range you developed using the Karvonen formula, but it is also dependent on your present level of fitness. For example, if it is your first time doing intervals, pushing your heart rate to a 90% zone is too challenging and can possibly cause injury. By challenging the heart during interval sessions, your cardiovascular system will adapt to the higher intensity, leading the heart to have to work less at rest to do the same job, lowering your resting heart rate.
Intervals will also have a positive influence on your cholesterol by lowering LDL levels and raising HDL levels, improving your cholesterol ratio. High intensity cardio has also been shown to lower at rest blood pressure. For those that do not have a cholesterol or blood pressure problem, high intensity cardio will help prevent it from becoming a problem in the future (despite genetic predisposition to cholesterol and blood pressure problems). Also, you can count on high intensity cardio to cost more energy than low intensity cardio for any given amount of time. Thus, high intensity cardio can assist with increasing body fat loss.
Be sure to take rest days between interval days. With proper rest, intervals should be done at a maximum of three days per week. Intervals can vary in duration from short, fast sprints to longer, fast-paced intervals. For general health purposes it is good to do a mix of long and short intervals so that all the different types of your muscle fibers are given some attention.
Intervals add structure to your cardiovascular program and bring your levels of fitness to areas that you simply can’t reach without high intensity exercise. So add a little spice and intensity to your program by working towards making intervals a part of your cardiovascular routine.
The Karvonen Formula
THR = [(MHR – RHR) X % T] + RHR
THR = Target Heart Rate
MHR = Max Heart Rate
%T = Percent Target Heart Rate (ex: .55 is 55% target heart rate)
RHR= Resting Heart Rate
*Reference for the Karvonen Heart Rate is from Exercise Physiology, William Mcardle, Frank Katch, Victor Catch, 2001 Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.
If you have not been doing any cardiovascular exercise, the first step to developing a lifelong cardiovascular program is to develop a cardio base before starting interval training. A cardiovascular base is the mere habit of doing regular cardiovascular exercise on almost a daily basis (4-6 days per week). You should choose activities that you enjoy and that fit your personal profile (for instance, someone with bad knees should NOT choose running over walking). Remember, variation recruits more muscle and contributes to an overall more fit, healthier you, so doing more than one mode of cardiovascular activity is a good idea (ex: swimming and cycling instead of just cycling). You should use a mild to moderate level of intensity when developing your cardiovascular base.
The best way to see if your intensity is correct is by monitoring your intensity through your heart rate. Your personal trainer can calculate an appropriate heart rate zone for you by using the Karvonen Formula (see below). The Karvonen Formula incorporates your level of fitness by using your resting heart rate. It is important to have your heart rate zone personalized by using the Karvonen Formula as your heart rate zone changes with age and fitness levels. You can check your heart rate with two fingers on the carotid artery of the neck but it is much easier to use a heart rate monitor during your cardio that will provide you with a constant heart rate reading (I recommend Polar Heart Rate Monitors). Target heart rate for base training will typically reach the 55-75% heart rate zone using the Karvonen Formula.
Once you have developed a good cardiovascular base (one to two months of consistent cardiovascular exercise), the next step is to increase your intensity with interval training. Interval training consists of high intensity bursts during your cardiovascular exercise. During an interval, you will increase the intensity of your cardiovascular activity so that your heart rate will reach the 75-90% zone that your trainer developed with the Karvonen Formula. How high you push your heart rate is dependent not only by the range you developed using the Karvonen formula, but it is also dependent on your present level of fitness. For example, if it is your first time doing intervals, pushing your heart rate to a 90% zone is too challenging and can possibly cause injury. By challenging the heart during interval sessions, your cardiovascular system will adapt to the higher intensity, leading the heart to have to work less at rest to do the same job, lowering your resting heart rate.
Intervals will also have a positive influence on your cholesterol by lowering LDL levels and raising HDL levels, improving your cholesterol ratio. High intensity cardio has also been shown to lower at rest blood pressure. For those that do not have a cholesterol or blood pressure problem, high intensity cardio will help prevent it from becoming a problem in the future (despite genetic predisposition to cholesterol and blood pressure problems). Also, you can count on high intensity cardio to cost more energy than low intensity cardio for any given amount of time. Thus, high intensity cardio can assist with increasing body fat loss.
Be sure to take rest days between interval days. With proper rest, intervals should be done at a maximum of three days per week. Intervals can vary in duration from short, fast sprints to longer, fast-paced intervals. For general health purposes it is good to do a mix of long and short intervals so that all the different types of your muscle fibers are given some attention.
Intervals add structure to your cardiovascular program and bring your levels of fitness to areas that you simply can’t reach without high intensity exercise. So add a little spice and intensity to your program by working towards making intervals a part of your cardiovascular routine.
The Karvonen Formula
THR = [(MHR – RHR) X % T] + RHR
THR = Target Heart Rate
MHR = Max Heart Rate
%T = Percent Target Heart Rate (ex: .55 is 55% target heart rate)
RHR= Resting Heart Rate
*Reference for the Karvonen Heart Rate is from Exercise Physiology, William Mcardle, Frank Katch, Victor Catch, 2001 Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.
*Consult your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you have a question about fitness, email me at george@2fitnessconnection.com and I may write about your question in the next tip of the month!