TARGET HEART RATE
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I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on the whole target heart rate topic. If you are doing interval training, will this not put you above your target heart rate? Someone please tell me how this works?
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If you are of good health and at a reasonable fitness level and you want to get the most out of your workout than know that a variable heart rate is what you want. Hitting a target heart rate and staying there is good for basic conditioning or long endurance runs, but if you want to peak your conditioning, get faster and burn more fat then you need to do interval and preferably high intensity interval training.
The temporary increase in heart rate during intervals followed by the decreasing HR during the recovery portion greatly increases the intensity of the exercise and the physical demands and therefore stimulates your bodies adaptive response much more effectively.
Instead of doing long consistant pace runs try alternating in rolling 400s (jog 400 meters followed by running 400meters and so on). Also try doing a sprint routine at least once a week. Warm-up then run 200 meters at 3/4 speed walk back and repeat. Try for 4 the first time then add 1 or 2 a week till you can do 10. At this point increase your speed and cut the amount of reps, and so on.
Personal Trainer Los Angeles
The temporary increase in heart rate during intervals followed by the decreasing HR during the recovery portion greatly increases the intensity of the exercise and the physical demands and therefore stimulates your bodies adaptive response much more effectively.
Instead of doing long consistant pace runs try alternating in rolling 400s (jog 400 meters followed by running 400meters and so on). Also try doing a sprint routine at least once a week. Warm-up then run 200 meters at 3/4 speed walk back and repeat. Try for 4 the first time then add 1 or 2 a week till you can do 10. At this point increase your speed and cut the amount of reps, and so on.
Personal Trainer Los Angeles
ultimatehlth - I am in good health, but am 70 lbs. overweight. I've been working out for about 6 months, and have just begun to see some weight loss. The reason I ask about target heart rate is because according to online calculations, I was working way above 80%. I spoke with a trainer at my gym, and he said that may be why I wasn't losing weight and feeling so tired all the time....overtraining he called it. What percentage above your target heart rate do you suggest when doing interval training...at your highest point? BTW...I do my cardio on the elliptical.
ultimatehlth - Also, I work out 5 days per week for 1 hour each day. This is all the time I have, being that I work and go to school. I normally do about 15-20 minutes of strengh training before my cardio..working different muscle groups each day. I finish off my hour with cardio on the elliptical....normally between 30 - 45 minutes. I eat 5 - 6 small meals per day and try to stay between 1500 - 1700 calories. I drink 8-12 glasses of water. Any tips you can give me to speed up weight loss? Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Dawn,
I don't think you are over training. Feeling lethargic could be because your body is starting to burn fat for fuel. If you have no heart or health issues you can peek your heart rate in the 90% range for the hardest part of the intervals and allow it to drop to around 75 -80% on the recovery phase and so on. Do this twice a week; 5 minute warm-up, 20 minute fast intervals and a 5 minute cool down. The key here is more work in less time, if you feel you could continue beyond this then you are not going fast enough. On the other days your intervals should be no harder than the point where you couldn't carry a conversation. 30 -40 minutes should be suffice.
Resistance training should be 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Keep it to full body or compound movements like squats, lunges, dead lifts, bench presses with dumbells, lat pulldowns, dumbell rows. Some days do higher reps and at least once a week warm-up then do the most weight you can manage for a set of 8 -10 reps, a set of 6-8, 4-6, and a forth set of 20 reps.
Lastly, if you haven't already, switch to a low glycemic diet. For the first two weeks I want you to cut your carbs to 1 serving of berries with breakfast, and I serving of green veggies with dinner. No bread, pasta, sugar, corn, rice, potato or other fruit or fruit juice. At this point fat is not the enemy so, if you are still hungry eat more protein and fat (keep it sane, calories 1400 - 1800/day).
After the two weeks cut the fats down to 30% of your diet in the form of healthy fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado, oily fish), proteins slowly decreasing from 40 - 30 percent ( skinless chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef) and add 1 fruit and 1 veggie serving per day/ per week until carbs are 40% of calories and in the form of fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Vary the calories between 1400 and 1800 a day. At this point for one meal you can have long grain wild rice, pasta or potato as a side dish in a 3 oz serving size or sweet potato in a 6oz size.
Lastly, once a week allow yourself to break from your diet and enjoy a craving, dinner out etc. then it's back on track.
Good luck!
John
I don't think you are over training. Feeling lethargic could be because your body is starting to burn fat for fuel. If you have no heart or health issues you can peek your heart rate in the 90% range for the hardest part of the intervals and allow it to drop to around 75 -80% on the recovery phase and so on. Do this twice a week; 5 minute warm-up, 20 minute fast intervals and a 5 minute cool down. The key here is more work in less time, if you feel you could continue beyond this then you are not going fast enough. On the other days your intervals should be no harder than the point where you couldn't carry a conversation. 30 -40 minutes should be suffice.
Resistance training should be 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Keep it to full body or compound movements like squats, lunges, dead lifts, bench presses with dumbells, lat pulldowns, dumbell rows. Some days do higher reps and at least once a week warm-up then do the most weight you can manage for a set of 8 -10 reps, a set of 6-8, 4-6, and a forth set of 20 reps.
Lastly, if you haven't already, switch to a low glycemic diet. For the first two weeks I want you to cut your carbs to 1 serving of berries with breakfast, and I serving of green veggies with dinner. No bread, pasta, sugar, corn, rice, potato or other fruit or fruit juice. At this point fat is not the enemy so, if you are still hungry eat more protein and fat (keep it sane, calories 1400 - 1800/day).
After the two weeks cut the fats down to 30% of your diet in the form of healthy fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado, oily fish), proteins slowly decreasing from 40 - 30 percent ( skinless chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef) and add 1 fruit and 1 veggie serving per day/ per week until carbs are 40% of calories and in the form of fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Vary the calories between 1400 and 1800 a day. At this point for one meal you can have long grain wild rice, pasta or potato as a side dish in a 3 oz serving size or sweet potato in a 6oz size.
Lastly, once a week allow yourself to break from your diet and enjoy a craving, dinner out etc. then it's back on track.
Good luck!
John
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