They are insanely puzzled as to how this can happen. As an
example, take your average female gym-goer in her late 30’s trying to shift her
post children body fat, she goes to spin 3 times per week, she works pretty
darn hard, but still ‘nothing is working for her’. The truth is it is working
for her, but it is working toward the wrong goal. The feelings of weakness and
tiredness in her legs are due to a build up of lactic acid; meaning that
instead of using fat as a main source of energy, her body is using glycogen
from within the muscles and throughout majority of the class, her
cardiovascular system is getting the main workout.
The reasons for the above are all of these people are
training within the wrong heart rate zone; they push themselves beyond the
point of fat burning, thus gaining results despite them being the non desired
ones. So, what are these ‘training zones’ and which ones should we be training
within?
Firstly, I would like to point out that even though your
particular goal may be fat loss or aerobic capacity, it is still incredibly
important to build up your cardiovascular system (and vice versa); it is
imperative we include both into our training regimes.
Heart rate zones, first and foremost are calculated by your
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR), and each training zone has an effect of your fitness
levels. Your MHR = (220 - your age) and the training zones are calculated as
percentages of that.
E.g. for a 20 year old (MHR = 220 – AGE = 200)
60-70% of 200 = 120-140
70-80% of 200 = 140-160
80-90% of 200 = 160-180
60-70% (Fat Burning Zone) - Long distance runners tend to train
within this zone as it develops your body’s basic endurance and aerobic
capacity. This is the zone in which your body burns fat, dispelling the common
misconception that you need to train at high intensity to lose weight.
70-80% (Aerobic Zone) – For those people who enjoy a spin
class, this is the main area in which you will be training. This increases the
body’s ability to transport oxygen to the working muscles whilst carrying
carbon dioxide away from the body, developing your cardiovascular system.
80-90% (Anaerobic Zone) – During this, glycogen stored
within the muscles is the predominant source of energy; as a result of this we
experience a build up of lactic acid. When your body cannot remove the lactic
acid from your muscles quickly enough, we reach what is known as our anaerobic
threshold (AT). The more we train within this zone the better we develop our
lactic acid system, thus delaying our AT for a longer period of time.
So now you know which heart rate zones you need to be
training within in order to achieve your specific goals, how do you go about
monitoring them? First and foremost, you need to invest in a watch with a built
in heart rate monitor, to usually be strapped around your chest.
Whilst training there are certain factors which can affect
your heart rate quite significantly, these need to be taken into account and include:
Dehydration – Increases the heart rate by up to 7.5%
Altitude – Increases the heart rate by up to 20%
Humidity – Increases the heart rate by up to 10 beats per
minute
This is why it is incredibly important to stay rehydrated
during a workout, especially when training at high altitude or in hot and humid
conditions.
Although heart rate monitors can be expensive, it is most definitely
worth investing in one, especially if you have a specific goal which you intend
to work towards. They are easy to get hold of; HR watches can be purchased from
almost all sports stockists and vary in price.
So next time you train, train smart; know what goal you are
working for and be one step ahead of the rest. Whether it’s a marathon, a
competition or a simple body fat reduction you are after, get stuck into your
training confidently with the knowledge that you will finally get the results
you have always desired.
