True Fitness 725, 700, 600 manual F.I.T. Formula

2-23 The F.I.T. Formula The F.I.T. Formula 2-24

UNDERSTANDING THE F.I.T. FORMULA

The workout portion of your exercise program consists of three major variables: Frequency, Intensity, and Time.

FREQUENCY: How Often You Exercise You should exercise three to five times a week

Increase the speed and/or incline on the treadmill to raise your heart rate to the level recommended by your doctor. The incline feature can be used to greatly increase the workload without increasing speed. The chart below indicates how much the effort changes with each percent of grade at popular speeds for a person weighing 155 pounds.

BEGINNING FITNESS PROGRAM

If you cannot sustain 12 continuous minutes in your target heart rate zone, exercise several times a day to get into the habit of exercise.

Try to reach and maintain 60-65% of your maximum heart rate. Alternate exercise with periods of rest until you can sustain 12 continuous minutes of exercise at 60-65% of your maximum heart rate.

¥Exercise four to five times a week.

¥Try to reach and maintain 60-75% of your maximum heart rate with moderate exercise.

¥Exercise for 30-45 minutes at 60-65% percent of your target heart rate.

Here are some tips to achieving your weight management goal:

¥ Consume most of your dietary calories at

to improve your cardiovascular and muscle fitness. Improvements are minimal with less frequent exercise.

INTENSITY: How Hard You Exercise Intensity of exercise is reflected in your heart rate. Exercise must be sufficiently rigorous to strengthen your heart muscle and condition your cardiovascular system. Only your doctor can prescribe the target training heart range appropriate for your particular needs and physical condition.

¥ Start with exercise that stimulates you to

breathe more deeply.

METS

One MET is the amount of energy your body uses when youÕre resting. If a physical activity has an equivalent of 6 METS, its energy demands are 6 times that of your resting state. The MET is a useful measurement, because it accounts for differences in body weight.

MPH	2.0	2.5	3.0	3.5	4.0
Minutes	30	24	20	17	15
per mile
	METS	METS	METS	METS	METS
Grade %
0	2.5	2.9	3.3	3.7	4.1
1	2.8	3.3	3.7	4.2	4.6
2	3.1	3.6	4.1	4.7	5.2
3	3.4	3.9	4.5	5.1	5.7
4	3.7	4.3	5.0	5.6	6.3
5	3.9	4.7	5.4	6.1	6.8
6	4.2	5.0	5.8	6.6	7.4
7	4.5	5.3	6.2	7.1	7.9
8	4.7	5.7	6.6	7.6	8.5
9	5.0	6.0	7.1	8.0	9.0
10	5.3	6.4	7.5	8.5	9.6
11	5.6	6.7	7.9	9.0	10.1
12	5.9	7.1	8.3	9.5	10.7
13	6.1	7.4	8.7	10.0	11.2
14	6.4	7.7	9.1	10.5	11.8
15	6.7	8.1	9.5	10.9	12.3
16	7.0	8.4	10.0	11.4	12.9

Begin exercising in three to five minute sessions.

ESTABLISHING AEROBIC FITNESS

If you can sustain 12 but not 20 continuous minutes of exercise in your target heart rate zone:

¥	Exercise three to five days a week.
¥	Rest at least two days per week.
	Try to reach and maintain 60-75% of
	your maximum heart rate with moderate
¥	rhythmic exercise.
	Begin with 12 continuous minutes.
	Increase your time by one to two minutes
	per week until you can sustain 20

	breakfast and lunch, and eat a light dinner.
¥	Do not eat close to bedtime.
	Exercise before meals. Moderate exercise
¥	will help suppress your appetite.
	Take exercise breaks throughout the day to
	help increase metabolism (calorie
	expenditure).

ATHLETIC TRAINING

When you are training to improve strength and performance:

¥	Exercise four to five days a week.
¥	Alternate exercise days and intervals of

¥	Alternate periods of moderate and easy
	exercise to help your body adapt to new
	levels of exertion without unnecessary
	strain.
¥	If you are just beginning an exercise
	program, you may be most comfortable
	walking at a speed of 1-2 MPH. As you
	use your treadmill regularly, higher speeds
	may be more comfortable and more
	effective.
¥	Inability to maintain a smooth, rhythmic
	motion suggests that your speed and/or
	elevation may be too great.
¥	If you feel out of breath before you have
	exercised 12 minutes, you are probably
	overdoing it.

As your fitness level improves, you will need to increase your workload in order to reach your target heart rate. The first increase may be necessary after two to four weeks of regular exercise. Never exceed your target heart rate zone.

TIME: How Long You Exercise

Sustained exercise conditions your heart, lungs, and muscles. The longer you are able to sustain exercise within your target heart range, the greater the aerobic benefits.

¥To begin, maintain two to three minutes of steady, rhythmic exercise, then check your heart rate.

¥The initial goal for aerobic training is 12 continuous minutes.

¥Increase your workout time approximately one or two minutes per week until you are able to maintain 20-30 continuous minutes at your training heart rate.

USING THE F.I.T. FORMULA

The F.I.T. formula and chart are designed to help you begin a program tailored to your needs. You may wish to keep an exercise log to monitor your progress.

continuous minutes.

MAINTAINING AEROBIC FITNESS

If you can sustain 20 continuous minutes in your target heart rate zone, begin to increase the length and intensity of your workout:

¥Exercise four to six days a week or on alternate days.

¥Try to reach and maintain 70-85% of your maximum heart rate with moderate to somewhat hard exercise.

¥Exercise for 20-30 minutes.

MANAGING WEIGHT

Consistent aerobic exercise will help you change your body composition by lowering your percentage of body fat. If weight loss is a goal, combine an increase in the length of your workouts with a moderate decrease in caloric intake. For weight control, how long and how often you exercise is more important than how hard you exercise.

hard to very hard exercise with easy to

moderate exercise.

¥ Exercise for 30 minutes or longer.

THE F.I.T. CHART

	FREQUENCY	INTENSITY	TIME
BEGINNING	2-3 times/week	60-65% of MHR*	3-5 minutes
EXERCISE
PROGRAM
ESTABLISHING	3-4 days/week	60-75% of MHR*	12-20 minutes
AEROBIC
FITNESS
MAINTAINING	4-6 days/week	70-85% of MHR*	20-30 minutes
AEROBIC
FITNESS

*MHR = maximum heart rate

WARNING: These strategies are intended for average healthy adults. If you have pain or tightness in your chest, an irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath or if you feel faint or have any discomfort when you exercise - STOP! Consult your physician before continuing. Remember, every workout should begin with a warm-up and finish with a cool-down.