Cardio training: how to do it right

CARDIO TRAINING:

HOW TO DO IT RIGHT

THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS TO ADDING CARDIO EXERCISE TO YOUR FITNESS PROGRAMME...

It helps you burn fat and calories Makes your heart stronger Can help with your mental health & dealing with stress Helps you sleep better Can improve your overall confidence and make you feel good

There are various other reasons that I’m sure you would be aware of.

BUT HOW DO WE GO ABOUT INTEGRATING AN EFFECTIVE CARDIO PROGRAMME INTO OUR WORKOUTS?

There are 3 different levels of intensity you should be focusing on during your workouts:

1

2

3 Low-Intensity Cardio

Moderate-Intensity Cardio

High-Intensity Cardio

USING THE TABLE, FIND OUT THE LEVEL OF EXERCISE INTENSITY YOU SHOULD BE WORKING AT BASED ON YOUR CURRENT FITNESS EXPERIENCE.

To calculate your target training rate, find your age at the base axis and then scroll up to the % appropriate. This charts the zone we would like to exercise in.

(Recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine)

NEXT, YOU’LL NEED TO RECOGNISE WHERE YOU ARE ON THE ‘PROGRAMME STAGE’.

Your required range will be based on your age and where you are based on your fitness levels, to determine the intensity of the workout.

If you now look at the graph below, you need to trace your finger along the horizontal axis, until you find the nearest point to your current age.

So for example, if I am 40 years old and am new to exercise, I would be using the 55% point to track.

So my target low number ofexercising is 99 BPM and my high number would be 126 BPM at 70% intensity rate.

SO NOW I KNOW, IF I’M NEW TO CARDIO TRAINING, I SHOULD BE TRAINING AT A HEART RANGE PERFORMANCE RANGE BETWEEN 99 AND 126.

Once my fitness improves, I can then move onto the Improvement and Maintenance Stages, using the Maximum Heart Rate range to determine my new training zone. Hopefully this has given you a better understanding of how to maintain an effective cardio training programme and the type of things to aim for in your workouts.