exercising will show after just a few weeks. If you’re very unfit, start with a 20 minute workout. Once your condition improves, you can train for 30-60 minutes depending on your goal.
EXERCISE LEVEL
The best training to improve your general fitness is properly efficient, not too heavy and not too easy. It’s good to sweat while working out, but important still to be able to talk comfortably. This type of exercise is called aerobic or endurance exercise and your body produces the required energy by burning body fat with the aid of oxygen. This in turn leads to a reduction in fat tissue. No matter what your goal, you’ll get the best results by training at the right level of effort, and the best measure is your own heart rate. First find your maximum heart rate i.e. where the rate doesn’t increase with added effort. If you don’t know your maximum heart rate, please use the following formula as a guide:
208 – 0,7 X AGE
The maximum varies from person to person. The maximum heart rate diminishes on average by one point per year. If you belong to one of the risk groups mentioned earlier, ask a doctor to measure your maximum heart rate for you. We have defined three different heart rate zones to help you with targeted training.
BEGINNER • 50-60 % of maximum heart rate Also suitable for weight-watchers, convalescents and those who haven’t exercised for a long time. Three sessions a week of at least a half-hour each is recommended. Regular exercise considerably improves beginners’ respiratory and circulatory performance and you will quickly feel your improvement.
TRAINER • 60-70 % of maximum heart rate Perfect for improving and maintaining fitness. Even reasonable effort develops the heart and lungs effectively, training for a minimum of 30 minutes at least three times a week. To improve your condition still further, increase either frequency or effort, but not both at the same time!
ACTIVE TRAINER • 70-80 % of maximum heart rate
Exercise at this level suits only the fittest and presupposes long-endurance workouts.
Rest is as important as exercise in a fitness program. If you for instance exercise conscientiously for three weeks, it’s good to make the following week a little lighter.
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O W N E R ' S M A N U A L • C 4
MEASURING HEART RATE
Pulse is measured by sensors in the handlebars. Pulse is measured when the user of C4 is touching both sensors simultaneously. Reliable pulse measurement requires that the skin is constantly touching the sensors and that the skin is slightly moist. Too dry or too moist skin weakens the reliability of hand pulse measurement.
The C4 meter has a heart rate receiver compatible with Polar equipment, so you can also use Polar uncoded heart rate transmitter belts for heart rate measurement. The transmitter belt may be purchased as an accessory.
TELEMETRIC HEART RATE MEASUREMENT
The most reliable way of measuring the heart rate is telemetric measurement using a transmitter belt. If you want to measure your heart rate this way during your workout, moisten the grooved electrodes on the transmitter belt with saliva or water. Fasten the transmitter just below the chest with the elastic belt, firmly enough so that the electrodes remain in contact with the skin while pedaling, but not so tight that normal breathing is prevented. If you wear the transmitter and belt over a light shirt, moisten the shirt slightly at the points where the electrodes touch the shirt. The transmitter automatically transmits the heart rate reading to the meter up to a Total Counts of about 1 meter. The heart rate value is displayed in the meter. Follow your heart rate during the training.
REMARKS ON
TELEMETRIC MEASUREMENT
If the electrode surfaces are not moist, the heart rate reading will not appear on the display. If the electrodes are dry, they must be moistened again. Allow the electrodes to warm up properly to ensure accurate heart rate measurement. If there are several telemetric heart rate measurement equipments next to each other, the Total Counts between them should be at least 1.5 m. Similarly, if there is only one receiver and several transmitters in use, only one person with a transmitter should be within transmission range. The transmitter is switched to an active state only when it is being used for measurement. Sweat and other moisture can, however, keep the transmitter in an active state and waste battery energy. Therefore it is important to dry the electrodes carefully after use.
When selecting training attire, please note that some fibers used in clothes (e.g. polyester, polyamide) create static electricity, which may prevent reliable heart rate measurement.
