| First,
we will explain the theory behind building an accurate,
safe and effective running program for you. Next, we will
have you build it, so that you can have your own, customized
starting point!
Running or jogging
is one of the most effective cardiovascular exercises available.
Nothing has the potential to burn as many calories and raise
your heart rate in the way that running does. As you are
planning to begin a running program, the trick is to find
the best starting point. You can do it through trial-and-error
and risk injuring yourself or wasting your time with something
that is too easy. Or, you can take a professional approach
to it.
By starting a
well-constructed running program, you should experience
improvements in your fat burning capacity, respiration and
oxygen transporting ability, strengthening of your muscle
fibers, tendons, bones and ligaments, heart and circulatory
system.
There is a threshold
or minimum level where you need to exercise in order to
make changes in your fitness level, and body composition.
If you adjust your intensity (how fast/hard your aerobics
program is), duration (how long you exercise for) and your
frequency (how many days per week you exercise) you can
work at the right threshold and get the most out of your
running program.
INTENSITY
First, you will need to determine your fitness level in
order to figure out what intensity will be most beneficial
to you. This requires a test whereby you walk one mile and
record a few things. We will have you conduct the test below
in order to customize your walking program.
Let's
say you are a 45 year old man at a low fitness level. This
would mean, according to our calculators below, that you
should optimally try to keep your heart rate between 105
beats/minute and 131 beats/minute. That represents 60% to
75% of your age/gender predicted maximal heart rate.
To monitor
your heart rate, you can use a heart rate monitor which
will give a constant reading of your pulse rate at the glance
of a watch. If not, you can track it the old fashioned way
by checking your pulse at regular intervals (every 2-3 minutes).
If you do not know how to do that, click here
to learn how.
You
should repeat this fitness
level test every so often to upgrade your fitness level.
Re-test yourself when your running program becomes too easy.
DURATION
This is simply the time it takes to perform the running
program, the amount of calories burned or the distance traveled.
Click here to learn roughly
how many calories are burned in relation to duration of
a running program as well as other cardiovascular exercises.
Most studies have shown that you should perform your any
aerobic exercise for no less than 30 minutes and no more
than 60 minutes at a time to improve fitness and for weight
control. Greater than 90 minutes can have an adverse effect,
as you have basically used up all of your energy stores
at that point resulting in a breakdown of muscle tissue
for energy use.
If you
are just starting out, it might be better to begin closer
to 20 minutes just so that you can gradually build up to
a strong running routine.
FREQUENCY
| Heart
Rate |
Calories
Burned per Minute |
| 100 |
4.64 |
| 110 |
5.57 |
| 115 |
6.03 |
| 120 |
6.50 |
| 125 |
6.96 |
| 130 |
7.43 |
| 135 |
7.89 |
| 140 |
8.35 |
| 145 |
8.81
|
| 150 |
9.28 |
| 155 |
9.74 |
| 160 |
10.20 |
| 165 |
10.65 |
| 170 |
11.10 |
| 175 |
11.55 |
| 180 |
12.00 |
|
You
know your fitness level, you know how intense you
should work out (your target heart rate range). Now
you simply have to adjust your duration and frequency
to burn however many calories you need to burn.
Let's say
you want to burn 200 calories for each exercise session.
In our example the intensity range for target heart
rate was between 105 and 131 beats/minute. Find those
numbers on the chart in the left-hand column.
If your
heart rate falls somewhere near the middle of that,
you should be burning roughly 6.50 calories per minute.
It would take approximately 31minutes at that intensity
to burn 200 calories.
If you
do this 5 times per week, that is 1000 calories per
week you are burning with exercise.
Remember
to start recording your duration AFTER you have warmed
up and once your heart rate is in its target range.
When you
have decided how frequently you are going to work
out, try to divide it evenly over the week as shown
in the example. |
It is most beneficial
to exercise more frequently. Remember, you need to train
at least three days a week to reap the benefits. Trying
to burn all the calories of your weekly goal in one workout
dangerous. Plus, with every day you train, you are keeping
your metabolic rate elevated.
SAMPLE
PROGRAM
In order to give you an accurate program, we
first need you to take the following test: Perform a timed,
one mile walk as fast as you can without causing any great
discomfort. At the completion of this mile, you take
your pulse and record the time (in minutes) it took
for you to walk the mile.
Then, come back and fill in the following form:
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