Yesterday you decided that today you were going to commit yourself to a new workout program. Whether you are novice or advanced, you have finally decided that you want something different out of your body. Now the question is how do you get there? There are many variables that contribute to a well-rounded fitness program: your nutrition, your frequency, your duration, the intensity level and last but not least your recovery time. You have decided to meet with our dietitian to get your caloric intake to be able to work out 5 days a week for an hour each time. It seems as though each workout you push yourself but have not seen the results. What could be the reason?
I meet with many members from novice to advanced athletes with this same concern. Usually when I sit down with them, they either aren’t eating adequately to support their activity level or they aren’t working out in the appropriate heart rate zones to see the results they are looking for. In order to be a healthy and fit individual, ACSM guidelines are to complete at least two full body strength training workouts per week and either 75 minutes of vigorous (80-99%) cardiovascular activity or 150 minutes at a moderate(70-79%) intensity level. We have Ashley, our dietitian, to help with the nutrition part, but how do you make sure you are putting forth the effort needed to get what you want out of your workouts? A great measuring tool that I use personally as well as encourage my clients to use is a heart rate monitoring system.
The #1 fitness trend, according to the ACSM report is wearable technology. This includes wrist watches or chest straps and is the best tool in helping you make sure that you are working out at the appropriate intensity level to see the results you want. This is measured based on your age predicted heartrate max so that your heartrate zones are calculated to be in a safe range for those that are healthy but is also safe to use for those that may have a heart condition. What I really like about using our MYZONE system is that it helps me to push myself to the next level. There are times when I think that I am pushing myself only to look at my intensity level to be at 70% which is only at a moderate level. I love the accountability along with the daily report that I receive after a workout to make sure that I am within the guidelines of achieving my goals. Is one better than the other? Yes, wearing a chest strap allows you to track all types of exercise and is 99% accurate where as a wrist watch is only 85% accurate and will only track exercises that move your wrist. Many of you enjoy our Team Training classes or are one of our personal training clients, don’t you want those burpees to count
Our goal as coaches is to make sure that you are pushing yourself at a safe level. We don’t want you to go too hard too fast because that would increase chances of injury or you might never come back. On the flipside, we want you to achieve your goals and the best way for us to monitor your progress is to make sure that you are working out at the right intensity. Starting in July, our coaches will be incorporating heart rate training in our Team Training programs to make sure that you are working out at the right intensity. Don’t be surprised if they tell you to either take it easy or pick up the speed!
If you have any questions about heart rate training or would like more information on the MYZONE system please contact me.
