CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING
Cardiovascular training is aerobic “with oxygen” exercise, that "burns" carbohydrates with oxygen, which "burns" stored body fat to produce energy. Fitness is the increased ability of the body to deliver and utilize oxygen, which is very closely related to fat loss. Your training heart rate is a guideline to determine the cardiovascular intensity range at your fitness level and your age.
MAX VO/2
The max VO/2 is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be transported from the lungs to the body tissues and is the most important measure of a persons cardiovascular fitness. The max VO/2 is dependent on the following factors:
- ventilation - air in and out of the lungs
- the oxygen transfer capability in the lungs
- the bloods capability of getting the oxygen and transferring it to the body's tissues
- the hearts efficiency
- the cells ability to use the blood oxygen
According to the ACSM, for healthy persons, aerobic exercise performed at intensities between 50 and 85% VO/2 optimally conditions their cardiovascular system. Oxygen consumption and training heart rate are linearly proportional, therefore, by monitoring your training heart rate, you can estimate your oxygen consumption. since o2 is necessary for aerobic "with o2" exercise and to burn fat, oxygen must be present. Therefore, one can use their training heart rate as a guide to their most efficient fat burning cardiovascular intensity level.
Note: Only individuals who are in excellent cardiovascular condition may sustain their training heart rate above 80% for more than 20 minutes. For most individuals, this intensity would be anaerobic and would fatigue too quickly and may be harmful.
The aerobic threshold is the point where aerobic exercise turns into anaerobic exercise. If you desire to stay aerobic, a list of signs to look for include the following:
• Breathlessness result when not enough oxygen is getting to the muscles. You should comfortably say three words in a sentence
• A "burning sensation" in the muscles is the trademark of lactic acid build-up from anaerobic exercise
• Quick fatigue also results from a lactic acid build-up from anaerobic exercise
DETERMINATION OF YOUR PULSE
Take your index and forefinger (not your thumb) and put them firmly enough on your radial artery to get a pulse. Do not push too hard. Count your pulse for one minute. The most accurate time to take your pulse is in the morning.
CALCULATING YOUR TRAINING HEART RATE (THR)
