Do you know about working within your heart range?????

[anniet]

Some of you may already know this and I did share it with my buddies yesterday, but wanted to share with all of you in case you didn't know.

I was working out with a trainer yesterday and after training she said "jump on a treadmill with me" so we got on the treadmills side by side. I began "running" which for my little legs happens at 4.5mph and my heart rate went above my range. She said "slow down and walk" I said "Huh? How am I ever going to learn to run, if I don't run?"

Here's her explanation.

To get your heart stronger you must do cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise WITHIN your range. If you go ABOVE that range, you will never be able to sustain it for long, you will have to slow down and you will not increase your aerobic capacity. It's NOT the proper way to increase your heart/lung capacity. To train your heart properly you must work WITHIN your range. As your heart becomes stronger you will THEN have to work harder (i.e. run faster) to get your heart within the bottom end of the range.

I found an article on the internet that explains this pretty well. I really wanted to pass this info along especially for those who are training for the half marathon, because I thought to learn to run I had to run and run hard- running harder had to be better for me right? WRONG! If I had continued to train the way I was I NEVER would be able to run the hm (which I hope to do) because I wasn't doing what I should be to make my heart and lungs stronger (staying within my range).

Hope you find this useful.

http://www.usmc-mccs.org/SemperFit/fithlth/Physical Fitness/Handouts/Pulse, THR.doc

 

[minniecarousel]

I only found this out once I started going to Curves. They have a large chart on the wall, with 10 second heartbeat times. (We pause and take our heartbeat every 10 minutes.) It's funny how it didn't take very long to get to my target heartrate when I first started to exercise - takes a little longer now!

 

[MelanieC]

Hmm,
Maybe thats my problem. I bumped my running up to 5 miles an hour from 4.7. Maybe I am getting my heart rate up too high and thats why running feels so difficult. I want to run most of the HM too, but I am afraid because I really am hating to run right now. I am buying a heart rate monitor. Maybe I will have to sit down tonight and just order it. That will help me figure out where my heart rate is while I am exercising. It beeps if you go below or above your range.

Thanks for the info. Very interesting.

 

[AlreadyexcitedGrammy]

AnnieT just bought one too. I like the fact that you said it beeps. I will never be able to "read" the darn thing while exercising -don't forget I am a Grammy and along with that, comes those "fashionable" half glasses necessary for reading

so in short -I don't mind "riding your coattails" of your research - if you don't mind telling

thanks