Some examples of when and how to get started!

Your theoretical maximum heart rate (MHR), is 220 beats per minute minus your age. If you‘re 50, your maximum heart rate is 170, this should never be exceeded. If you exercise at a level that has your heart beating between 102 and 136 beats a minute (60 to 80 per cent of maximum), you‘re in the training range that induces cardiovascular system improvements; this is called the target heart rate (THR). It is wise to start at the lower end - say at 60% and gradually work up, all the while remembering that if you make it hard work and unpleasant, you won't do it for very long! Click here for Target Heart Rate Graphs.

An example calculation using the Standard Method for a 40 year old for a desired aerobic intensity of 75% would be:

Standard Target HR	= %Intensity/100 * (Maximum HR)
	= 0.75 * (220 - 40)
	= 135

An example calculation using the Karvonen Method for a 40 year old with a resting heart rate of 50 bpm for a desired aerobic intensity of 75% would be:

Karvonen Target HR	= %intensity/100 * (Maximum HR - Resting HR) + Resting HR
	= 0.75 * (220 - 40 - 50) + 50
	= 147

The heart rate should be below 120 after 2 to 5 minutes after exercise stops depending on fitness level; this is the recovery heart rate (RHR). If the heart rate is higher, insufficient cool-down or low fitness level may be the cause. Slow heart rate recovery can also be due to illness or exercising too vigorously. If this is the case, reduce the intensity of the exercise thereby adjusting the heart rate. Final heart rate check at the end of the aerobic workout should be below 100 bpm.

How do you know what your heart is doing while you're exercising? Stop and take your pulse for 6 seconds, then multiply that figure by 10 to get your beats per minute e.g. 12 beats = 120 beats per minute - just add a nought (to find your pulse, place your first and second fingers on the artery near the thumb side of the inside of your other wrist, or on your neck near the larynx). If you don‘t want to stop, you can still get a pretty good idea by monitoring your breathing. If you‘re puffing hard but not gasping, and if you‘ve broken into a sweat, you‘re probably in the lower end of the training range. If you‘re working so hard that you can‘t talk, you‘re probably in the upper range.

Emotions: When you’re feeling stressed your heart rate will jump by a significant number. ie. your heart starts racing whenever you see that special someone or your heart races when you have been startled or you are anxious.

Temperature: If you’re working out in a hot climate or have a fever your heart rate will naturally be higher because it is working to supply oxygen to your muscles and body.

Posture: When you are lying down your heart rate is slower than if you were to sit up. Your heart rate when you are standing is higher than your HR when you are sitting. More energy is required of the body to stand than to lie down.

Size: Heart Rate for a person who carries more weight than the usual weight for that person will have a higher heart rate in order to supply energy to the body.

[The above short extract is from: Bodies in Motion at: http://library.thinkquest.org/]

When you first begin an exercise program and you‘re not very fit, you‘ll achieve the training range with a brisk walk or slow jogging pace. As you get fitter, however, you‘ll discover that you have to go faster to get your heart rate up to the same level.

Let's say you start your program and find that walking or jogging gets your heart rate up to 60 percent of its maximum. In a few weeks, you‘ll have to jog the whole time to reach and maintain the same heart rate. After a few weeks, you can increase speed to get more improvement from your cardiovascular system. It's quite fun and very interesting; it can become an absorbing and rewarding hobby. If you can afford it, a heart monitor is a very useful aid and makes the task of monitoring your heart a simple one. Your heart rate is the equivalent of the speedometer in a car; your energy output or effort is the accelerator and brake combined. Exceeding the limit is un-necessary and unwise, working below the limit is of little use to you - you'll get there but very slowly, always bearing in mind, that any exercise is good exercise

It is not a good idea to go from a standing start to vigorous exercise and back again. You should ease into exercise with a five-minute warm-up and a stretching routine:

Target Heart Rate Graphs

The Warm-Up:

The warm up is a vital part of any exercise program. Be it running, aerobics,  swimming or any kind of activity that requires your body to work you will need to warm up. Then again, you may ask: Why warm up? Well, for one thing, warming up lubricates your joints and lubricated joints helps you to move better and that prepares your body for the intense movement of the exercise. Warming up gets your heart to pump more blood and take in more oxygen. If you start exercising without warming up you risk injuries (for example: pulling a muscle) that could have easily been prevented if you took the time to warm up.

Usually a warm-up should be five to ten minutes long and it should be cardiovascular activity, to get your heart pumping more blood, and light stretching, to prepare your muscles for the intense movement of the workouts. Light stretching during the warm-up will loosen the muscle so you can move easily. When you warm up you increase the internal temperature of your body which will increase your mechanical efficiency, make you less vulnerable to injuries and allow for a greater range of motion. 

 And when you have finished your workout then ease out of it with a five-minute cool-down: 

The Cool Down:

If you had to miss one of the three main components of your exercise routine it's highly recommended that you DO NOT skip the cool-down. "Why?", you ask. Well here's why: the cool-down is your recovery phase where you start to recover from the workout you just finished. It is guaranteed that if you do not cool down and stretch after a strenuous workout you will be in a lot of pain for the next couple of days. Cool-Down - the title speaks for itself, but it is still worth explaining a little more in depth. After your workout comes the cool-down; you start to breathe a little slower, lifting less weight and simply cooling down. Once you have lowered your heart rate you stretch all your muscles - paying special attention to the muscles you've just worked. Each stretch should last for at least eight seconds and naturally you should hold the stretch a little longer and repeat it if the muscle feels particularly sore. Don't over do the stretching; stretch until you feel some mild tension in the muscle - stretching shouldn't hurt.

With 20 minutes of work in your training heart range in between, you will now have done a total of 30 minutes of exercise . This a the framework of a basic workout schedule, all that has to be added is the actual exercises to be carried out.

This is called 'The Workout'. Start with 3-5 minute warm up - try gently running on the spot or walking up and down the stairs. Set the pace at a moderate intensity (you should feel as if you're working moderately hard, but can still able to carry on a conversation). Maintain this pace for the full 3-5 minutes, followed by a modest stretching routine as follows:

Stretch the main muscle groups: arms, legs, chest, back, sides - holding each stretch to a point of mild tension for 10-15 seconds without bouncing.

Next, you'll do a total-body strength-training routine.

If you have little or no equipment, just be creative when setting up your exercise stations! These may all be in the same position if you don't use any apparatus, or if you lack space. You can get an effective total-body workout relying solely on your own body weight. A circuit comprised of exercises such as push-ups, squats, abdominal curls and calf raises requires no equipment whatsoever and delivers a useful resistance workout

.

Muscular Endurance Workout

Try to alternate between upper body and lower body on separate days: upper body on Monday, lower body Wednesday and upper body again on Friday, starting again with lower body the following Monday and so on. Incorporate the abdominal and back exercises into each schedule. 

Below is an example of an equipment-free schedule. If desired, use makeshift weights or household substitutes (the tinned food cans already mentioned, or a broom handle  for example) for additional resistance.

Repeat the exercise in each station for 15-30 seconds, with 10-seconds in between to move to the next exercise station. Remember that the timing may vary depending on your fitness level. Begin with an adequate warm-up, perform the workout, then cool-down and stretch.

Here is an example of a basic schedule (adapt to your own requirements) see the Exercises section for exercise details.

                                                               

Monday	Wednesday	Friday
10 - arm curls	10  - squats	10 - arm curls
10  - trunk curls	10  - trunk curls	10  - trunk curls
10  -  upright rowing	10  - calve raises	10  -  upright rowing
10  - side to side bend	10  - side to side bend	10  - side to side bend
10  - triceps dip	10  - forward lunge	10  - triceps dip
10 - low back extension	10  - low back extension	10  - low back extension
10  - side to side twist	10  - side to side twist	10  - side to side twist
10  - half push up	10  - leg curls	10  - half push up
10 - abdom half crunch	10 - abdom half crunch	10 - abdom half crunch

              Repeat schedule 2 or 3 times, dependent upon how fit you are.

Now you have a basic exercise schedule, which can be added to as you improve your strength and fitness. More to follow.

Webmaster's personal schedule: (in 2000)

This is done at the local Fitness Centre three days a week, alternating upper and lower body. If there is anything that requires clarification, please ask. This can be adapted to your own requirements, but it is for the more advanced among you. The weights section is an ascending pyramid, with a corresponding reduction in repetitions. The chart is an auto-calculating MS Excel sheet. 
 

Upper Body
Date:	20-Sep	(adjusted)	BMI	26.13
Weight: kilos	79.9	77.6	BP	116/64
Working heart rate:	120 - 142 (60% - 85%)	(Karvonen)	STONES	12.22
Exercise:
Warm up: minutes		Time - mins	Weight - kg	Calories
Cycle
Cross trainer	5	5		40
Run
Stepper
CV
Cross trainer
Calories burned			Max Pulse
Cycle	20	20	129	200
Distance - kms	9.1
Rowing	20	20	127	200
Distance - metres	4956
Stepper
Height - metres
Run
Distance - kms
Warm down:
Cross trainer	5	5		10
Walk
Cycle
Stepper
Stretch:	10 + 5	15		5
Arms:
Press ups - number	3*30
Arm curls - kgs	20*10+15*15+10*20	5	625	50
Lat pull-down - kgs	20*35+15*45+10*50	5	2325	50
Tricep pushdown	20*15+15*15+10*15	5	675	50
Bench press	20*30+15*35+10*40	5	1875	50
Pec deck	20*20+15*25+10*30	5	1300	50
Shoulder press	20*15+15*20+10*25	5	850	50
Upright rowing	20*10+15*15+10*20	5	625	50
Abdoms:
Fixed leg sit up - bench
Obliques - fixed leg
Free sit up - bench	3 x 20 alternate	5		25
Obliques - free	3 x 20	5		25
Crunches - machine
Obliques - machine	3 x 20 alternate	5		25
Sit ups - machine	3 x 20	5		25
Other:
Dorsal raises	3 x 20	5		25
Rest periods		15
	Totals:	140	8531	930

Lower Body
Date:	22-Sep	(adjusted)	BMI	25.96
Weight: kilograms	79.40	77.10	BP	120/70
Working heart rate:	120 - 142 (60% - 85%)	(Karvonen)	STONES	12.14
Exercise
Warm up: minutes		Time-mins	Weight-kgs	Calories
Cycle
Cross trainer	5	5		25
Run
Stepper
CV:
Cross trainer			Max Pulse
Calories burned			(Spike)
Cycle	20	20	131	200
Distance - kms	8.9
Rowing	20	20	128	200
Distance - metres	4876
Stepper
Height - metres
Walk - brisk
Distance - miles
Warm down:
Cross trainer
Walk	5	5		25
Cycle
Stepper
Stretch: minutes	5 + 5	10		5
Dips	3*10	5		50
Pull ups	3*10	5		50
Legs
Leg extension	20*25+15*35+10*45	5	1475	50
Leg curl	20*25+15*35+10*45	5	1475	50
Adduction	20*60+15*70+10*80	5	3225	50
Abduction	20*60+15*70+10*80	5	3225	50
Leg press	20*60+15*80+10*100	5	3400	50
Calf press	20*60+15*80+10*100	5	3400	50
Abdoms:
Fixed leg sit up
Obliques - fixed leg
Free sit up - bench	3 x 20	5		50
Obliques - free	3 x 20 alternate	5		50
Crunches -free
Obliques - machine	3 x 20	5		50
Sit ups - machine	3 x 20 alternate	5		50
Other
Lateral bends - alt	20*15+15*20+10*25	5	1025	50
Dorsal raises	3 x 20	5		25
Rest periods		15
	Totals:	145	17484	1130

If you need help now, e mail the Webmaster