Precor EC 850 owner manual Heart Rate Training Zones, How Hard Should I Exercise?

advise on training, technique, and exercise physiology. Your dealer can also recommend good books on these subjects.

To help you get started in planning and carrying out your fitness program, this section provides some basic information on aerobic exercise—such as how hard you should workout, how long each session should be, and how often you need to exercise to benefit from a regular program.

How Hard Should I Exercise?

Studies show that to achieve the benefits of aerobic exercise, it is necessary to work out hard enough to raise your heart rate to a certain minimum level, called the “training zone.” Your training zone depends on your age and level of fitness.

Refer to Diagram 6 to determine your training zone. Keep in mind that this zone is an approximation, to be used as a guideline—individual heart rates vary according to several physiological factors. To determine your training zone, or

Diagram 6

Training zones

	200
	190
	180
RATE	170
	160
HEART
	150
YOUR	140
	130
	120

110

100

90

80

HEART RATE TRAINING ZONES

200
	195
		190
			185
180	175			180
		171			175
					170
170	166		166	Advanced		165
		162		162	157	160
							155
			157	Intermediate149				145
				153	153	148		150
					145	144	139
140
	136			Beginner		140		135
		133				136
			130				132	131
				126				128
					123
								123
					119	115
						112	108
								105
								102

20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

YOUR AGE

100%

90%

85%

70%

MAXIMUM ATTTAINABLE HEART RATE

target heart rate, find your age and fitness level on the diagram, and then find the line where they intersect. For example, if you are 35 years old, your training heart rate at the intermediate fitness level is 157 beats per minute. Remember this number—this is the pulse rate you should try to maintain as you work out.

To determine your heart rate, take your pulse at a place that you can reach easily and comfortably while you exercise. Typical places for measuring heart rate are directly over the heart on the left side of the chest, on either side of the

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