240624 Introducing cardiovascular training into your program

Cardiovascular training, also known as aerobics, is any movement involving the large muscle groups of your body that elevates your breathing and pulse rates for an extended period. Training in this manner increases the efficiency of your heart and lungs by making them stronger and more effective. However, there’s more to this training then simply elevating your breathing and heart rate.

Cardiovascular training calculation options

The most commonly used formula is to subtract your age from 220. This supposedly results in your maximum heart rate (MHR). However, this can be off as much as ten percent plus or minus beats per minute in the final figure.

Once you have figured out your MHR using this formula multiply the answer by 60-80% and you will have your exercise target heart range. As an example, if you are 30 years old your MHR would be 190 beats per minute (BPM). Multiplying this by 80% will set your target heart rate at 152 BPM. The majority of your training time should be spent at this heart rate. If you’re a beginner then start out in the 60% range of your maximum heart rate.

The reason this formula is not accurate is because the calculation is supposed to be used by both the elite and the sedentary person. To even the most casual observer the target heart rate answer from this formula will not be in the best interest of either person. In the first case, the heart rate may be somewhat close for the elite athlete but be far in excess for the couch potato. My advice is to learn and use one of the following. Continued next week.