Conditioning Guidelines, Training Zone

CONDITIONING GUIDELINES

The following guidelines will help you to outline a personal exercise program. Remember that

adequate rest and good nutrition are essential for successful results. Before beginning this or any exercise program, consult your physician.

EXERCISE INTENSITY

To maximize the benefits of exercising, it is important to exercise with the proper intensity. The proper intensity level can be found using the heart rate as a guide. For effective aerobic exercise, your heart rate should be maintained at a level between 70% and 85% of your maximum heart rate as you exercise. This is called your "training zone°" You can find your training zone by consulting the table below_ Training zones are listed for both conditioned and unconditioned persons, according to age.

	UNCONDITIONED	CONDITIONED			UNCONDITIONED	CONDITIONED
J TRAINING ZONE		TRAINING ZONE			TRAINING ZONE	TRAINING ZONE
AGE	(BEATSIMIN)	(BEATS/MIN)	AGE		(BEATS/MtN)	(BEATSiMIN)
1	(BEATSIMIN)
20	138-'167	133-162	55		t27-155	122-149
25	136-166	132-160	6O		126-153	t21-147
3O	135-164	t30-158	65		t25-151	119-145
35	134-162	129-156	70		123-150	118-144
40	132-161	127-155	75		122-147	117o142
45	131-159	125-153	80		120-146	115-140
50	129-156	'124-150	85	I	1t8-144	114-139

During the first few weeks of your exercise program, keep your heart rate near the low end of your training zone_ Over the course of a few months, your heart rate can be increased gradually until it is near the high end of your training zone.

You can find your heart rate using the pulse mode of the electronic monitor (see the Electronic Monitor

Operation Guide). Exercise for at least four minutes, and then measure your heart rate immediately, if your heart rate is above your training zone, decrease the intensity of your exercise. If your heart rate is below your training zone, increase the intensity. WARNING: The pulse earctip is not a medical

device. Various factors, including your movement during exercise, may affect the accuracy of

heart rate readings. The earclip is intended only as an exercise aid in determining heart rate trends in general.

WORKOUT GUIDELINES

Each workout should consist of three basic parts: a warm-up, 20 to 30 minutes of training zone exer-

cise, and a cool-down. Warming up prepares the body for exercise by increasing circulation, deliver- ing more oxygen to the muscles alld raising the body temperature. Begin each workout with 5 to 10 minutes of stretching to warm up. Follow the warm-up with a few minutes of light exercise. Next, in- crease the intensity of your exercise to raise your heart rate to your training zone for 20 to 30 minutes. Finish each workout with 5 to 10 minutes of stretching to cool down. This will help to develop flexibility as well as offset muscle contractions and other problems caused when you stop exercising suddenly°

To maintain or improve your condition, work out 2 to 3 times per week as described above. A day of

rest between workouts is recommended. After several months of exercise, the number of workouts can be increased to 4 to 5 per week° The key to achieving successful results is CONSISTENCY°