User's Manual

13
ex ercise helps train muscles t o
handle lact ic acid. I t is
adv isable t o st ructure these
sessions.
However , t rain sensibly at t he
upper limit s. Exercising
regularly at a heart r ate
intensity t hat is too high does
not produce addit ional aerobic
benefit s and increases t he
possibility of an athlet ic injur y.
Ex am ple: Taking a 30 year old
j ust st arting on an exercise
program me with t he aim of
get t ing fit t er would st art
ex ercising at a gentle int ensit y
of 50-59% of MHR (50% of
190= 95 bpm, 59% of
190= 11 2bpm) . I f t hey wanted
to lose weight , t hen a slightly
higher intensity of 60-6 9%
MHR ( 114 t o 131 bpm ) would
be required. I f t he sam e 30
year old is already fit and
wants t o improve aerobic
capacit y or athlet ic
per form ance, a higher intensity
of 70-79% MHR ( 133 t o 150
bpm) is required. I f interval
tr aining sessions is
incorporat ed into the tr aining
program me, this should be
done in the anaerobic threshold
zone, which lies bet w een 80-
89% MHR (152 to 169 bpm) .
The F.I .T.T Met h od
( Fr equency, I nt ensit y , Time
and Type of exercise)
Fr e que n cy of Exe r cise
Exercise in the zone t hat you
have set at least 3- 5 t im es per
week, with no m ore t han 48
hours bet w een sessions. Even
on 'rest day s' gentle exer cise
such as a leisurely w alk can be
beneficial.
I n t en sit y of Exe r cise
Select a zone that is both
within your capabilit y and in
which you can achieve
consist ency. St udies show t hat
people who exercise at t oo high
an int ensit y , especially in the
init ial st ages of their
program me, drop out sooner,
have m ore inj ur ies and tend t o
dev elop a negat ive im pression
towards exer cise in general. If
necessar y, st art in lower zone.
Tim e ex e rcising
Aim for 20-60 m inut es of
continuous ex er cise in y our