Heart Rate Training

I have read some info here and there about heart rate training and done some basics, mainly just doing intervals of eliptical, jogging, stairs etc at different intensities but I have not been following a formal plan. It seems there is so much info out there since this is getting popular for all of us 'regular joe's' out there and not jsut world class athletes. I found a woman who has good credentials and targets her advice to everyone from the elderly to those just trying to be able to get up a few flights of stairs to world class athletes. I like her advice so far and think I am going to try it out. I have linked to her website but also copied some info here for further reference. http://www.sarkproducts.com/sally1.htm

Here are her credentials: SALLY EDWARDS BIOGRAPHY Sally Edwards is passionate about exercise and she practices what she preaches. She's a ranked "ultra" athlete who's finished fourteen Ironman triathlons and numerous other "extreme" races. In 1994, she set the woman's record for the Iditashoe, a 100 mile snowshoe event in Alaska. In 1995 and again in 1996 she participated in the 370-mile Eco Challenge adventure race. This past August her women's team finished first in the 3,200 mile cross country bicycle race, Race Across America in 7 days and 22 hours. To celebrate her 50th birthday the next month she captained a four-person team racing in China in seven sports including kayaking, off-road inline skating, mountain climbing and more. In October, she finished her fourteenth Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii which includes a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles by bike, then a full 26.2 mile marathon. Edwards holds a graduate degree in exercise physiology from Berkeley and a master's degree in business. She has authored eleven books and is noted for her inspirational public speaking and support of charitable concerns , especially The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. A Sacramento, California resident, she served in Viet Nam with the Red Cross. Train For Change: Her Book & Theory Synopsis: You may think that training is just for athletes. I absolutely believe that with few exceptions everyone can train to create change which leads to a good health life. Exercise is as different for everyone as change is different. Whether you want to change by shedding a few pounds or you just want to feel good about yourself, then here's a way that, if you follow it, you may end up on the wellness road to a new life.

What's I'm talking about is Heart Zone Training, the best approach to all-around fitness I've found. This isn't a one-size-fits-all concept. It works for a 50-year-old athlete like me, a 60-year old with a family history of heart problems, a 70-year old wanting to improve strength, or an 80-year old who wants to climb to the third floor of a building without puffing. It works for a 20-year-old who wants to get fitter, a 30-year-old who has become more sedentary from too much time in front of a computer, and a 40-year-old who is preparing for a second wedding ceremony and wants to be their best.

Let's take it one part at a time and first look at those three words: Heart Zone Training.

HEART That's easy. Your heart's a muscle; you can strengthen it. It's a use-it-or-lose-it muscle so if you don't do cardiovascular exercise, you'll lose the hearts functional ability.

Determining Max HR:
Mathmatical Option (not as accurate)210 minus 1/2 your age minus 1% of your body weight + 4 (males) One Mile Walk Test Find a track, perhaps at a local school, and walk four continuous, evenly paced laps as fast as you can in your current condition. The first three laps put you on a heart-rate plateau where you hold steady for the fourth lap. Determine your average heart rate for this final lap. Then to predict your Max HR, add 40 bpm if you are in poor shape; for fair shape, add 50; and for good shape, add 60.

The Step TestUse an eight-inch step. Warm up appropriately. Then, use this four count step sequence: right foot up, left up, right down, left down. Counting "up, up, down, down" as one set and keep a steady pace of 20 sets per minute. Measure your average heart rate during the third minute, then predict your Max HR by adding 55 bpm if you are in poor shape, 65 for fair shape and 75 for good shape. That number is your predicted maximum heart rate. Heart Rate Zones: Zone Number Percentage Range Heart Zone Range 5 90%-100% - bpm 4 80%-90% - bpm 3 70%-80% - bpm 2 60%-70% - bpm 1 50%-60% - bpm Description Zones & Benefits: Zone 1

THE HEALTHY HEART ZONE: 50%-60% of your individual Max HR This is the safest, most comfortable zone, reached by walking briskly. Here you strengthen your heart and improve muscle mass while you reduce body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, and your risk for degenerative disease. You get healthier in this zone, but not more fit -- that is, it won't increase your endurance or strength but it will increase your health. If you're out of shape, have heart problems, or simply want to safeguard your heart without working too hard, spend most of your training time here. It's also the zone for warming up and cooling down before and after more vigorous zones. Zone 2

THE TEMPERATE ZONE: 60% to 70% of your individual Max HR. starts training your body to increase the rate of fat release from the cells to the muscles for fuel. Zone 3

THE AEROBIC ZONE: 70%-80% or your individual Max HR The number and size of your blood vessels actually increase, you step up your lung capacity and respiratory rate, and your heart increases in size and strength so you can exercise longer before becoming fatigued. Zone 4

THE ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD ZONE: 80%-90% of your individual Max HR Here you get faster and fitter, increasing your heart rate as you cross from aerobic to anaerobic training. At this point, your heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to supply the exercising muscles fully so they respond by continuing to contract anaerobically. This is where you "feel the burn." You can stay in this zone for a limited amount of time, usually not more than an hour. That's because the muscle just cannot sustain working anaerobically (this means without sufficient oxygen) without fatiguing. The working muscles protect themselves from overwork by not being able to maintain the intensity level. Zone 5

THE REDLINE ZONE: 90% to 100% of your individual Max HR. exertion done only in short to intermediate length bursts. Even world-class athletes can stay n this zone for only a few minutes at a time. It's not a zone most people will select for exercise since working out here hurts and there is an increased potential for injury. More to follow later