{"id":453,"date":"2021-09-07T15:20:04","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T15:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kiwifit.ie\/?p=453"},"modified":"2021-09-07T15:20:04","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T15:20:04","slug":"i-go-for-a-walk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kiwifit.ie\/index.php\/2021\/09\/07\/i-go-for-a-walk\/","title":{"rendered":"I go for a walk\u2026\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Science of Cardio<\u00a0How It Works
\n<\/strong>Forget everything you currently believe about cardio work. Forget keeping your heart rate in some \u2018fat burning zone\u2019. Forget plodding along with the vague goal of increasing the distance you can plod. Instead of training like a plow-horse, start training like a thoroughbred.
\n<\/strong>You\u2019ll only work at the same effort level for an extended period of time, as you would with traditional cardio exercise on recovery days. But you\u2019re going to take the time you typically spend on cardio and develop the ability to perform at a more intense level. You\u2019ll improve your energy levels, gaining physical strength and stamina without investing additional time.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to head to the track and train like a middle-distance runner, (although it\u2019s not a bad place to do your work.) For convenience, you\u2019ll probably want to work on a stationary bike, cross trainer, or treadmill at the gym. An outdoor alternative would be to find a hill or stairwell somewhere nearby. If you\u2019re city bound, parking garages are perfect for uphill running; sprint up the ramps and walk down.<\/p>\n

The bottom line: Instead of slow, plodding workouts, effective cardio workouts will have your muscles, nervous system, and hormones acting together into efficient movement patterns that help your body work as efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n

Building Your Energy Systems<\/p>\n

There are three different energy systems that are important for you to understand and know how they work:<\/p>\n

1. Lactate threshold<\/p>\n

\u2013 This is your capacity to do high-intensity work for up to 3 minutes. The part of your training program is a form of interval training in which you will alternate between periods of intense exercise with less strenuous periods.<\/p>\n

2. Lactate power<\/p>\n

\u2013 This is your body\u2019s ability to do high-level work for periods of up to 12 seconds.<\/p>\n

3. Aerobic system<\/p>\n

\u2013 The ability to work beyond 3 minutes and help you recover from your bouts with the lactate threshold. For instance, if you\u2019re sprinting up hills and walking down, you\u2019re using the lactate system on the way up and the aerobic system on the way down. In this case, the aerobic system enhances your recovery from these intense bursts of energy.<\/p>\n

The 3 Heart Rate Zones<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll work within three heart-rate \u201czones.\u201d To calculate your maximum heart rate, begin by subtracting your age from 220 (this isn\u2019t exact but will give you a good measure of where you\u2019re working). For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is 180. (It may actually be higher than that, but this is a close enough estimate to allow for productive workouts.) Multiply that rate by 60 and 70 percent for zone 1. Multiply it by 71 and 80 percent to determine zone 2, and multiply by 81 and 90 percent to determine zone 3.<\/p>\n

Zone 1 Lower Limit = (220 \u2013 Your Age) \u00d7 60%<\/p>\n

Zone 1 Upper Limit = (220 \u2013 Your Age) \u00d7 70%<\/p>\n

Zone 2 Lower Limit = (220 \u2013 Your Age) \u00d7 71%<\/p>\n

Zone 2 Upper Limit = (220 \u2013 Your Age) \u00d7 80%<\/p>\n

Zone 3 Lower Limit = (220 \u2013 Your Age) \u00d7 81%<\/p>\n

Zone 3 Upper Limit = (220 \u2013 Your Age) \u00d7 90%<\/p>\n

These are general guidelines that will tie in with the three training zones.<\/p>\n

Age Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3<\/p>\n

20 120 to 140 142 to 160 162 to 180<\/p>\n

25 117 to 137 138 to 156 158 to 176<\/p>\n

30 114 to 133 135 to 152 154 to 171<\/p>\n

35 111 to 129 131 to 148 149 to 167<\/p>\n

40 108 to 126 127 to 144 145 to 162<\/p>\n

45 105 to 122 124 to 140 141 to 158<\/p>\n

50 102 to 119 121 to 136 138 to 153<\/p>\n

55 99 to 116 117 to 132 134 to 150<\/p>\n

60 96 to 112 114 to 128 130 to 146<\/p>\n

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Workout Phases:<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nZone 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zone 1 focuses on steady-state aerobic work. Aerobic simply means that your body will use oxygen to provide a steady and consistent, low level of energy for a long time, without building up any waste products in the body that hinder performance. Think of it as a low-horsepower, highly fuel-efficient, four-cylinder engine that can run all day but does not generate a whole lot of power. A good rule of thumb for Zone 1 is that you should be able to carry on a conversation when you are in the aerobic zone. Some of the best activities for this are:<\/p>\n

Outdoors: Brisk walking, walking up hills, biking, swimming, rowing<\/p>\n

Indoors: Biking, treadmill climbing\/walking, elliptical trainer<\/p>\n

Using the aerobic zone during this level will improve your cardiovascular system and prepare your muscles for the greater speeds of Zones 2 & 3. This lower-level work will let your movement patterns, muscles and joints adapt and prepare for the more intense training coming in these next phases.<\/p>\n

When you get into Zones 2 & 3, you\u2019ll perform interval training, where there will be bouts of harder effort mixed with easier-effort periods to give your body time to recover. You\u2019ll use the lower-intensity Zone 1 aerobic work in these higher Zones as a recovery tool.<\/p>\n

Interval training increases your body\u2019s release of positive hormones, which builds lean body mass and signals your body to dump fat. At the same time, it keeps your heart rate from dropping out of the aerobic zone.<\/p>\n

Zone 2<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Zone 2 will introduce interval training by mixing moderate intensity with bouts of easy-intensity aerobic work to allow you to catch your breath and recover from the slightly more intense intervals.
\n<\/strong>You will normally find that this work is a mixture of work and rest activities; we call this the work-to-rest ratio. The greater the rest, the higher quality the work should be. The lower the ratio\u2014for instance, 1 second of rest per 1 second of work (1:1)\u2014the bigger the challenge, since the body has less time to recover. That increases your capacity to do work.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll know you\u2019ve reached Zone 2 moderate intensity if you would find it difficult to carry on a conversation. You could, but you wouldn\u2019t be able to say much more than a couple of words at a time. Some of the best activities for this level are:<\/p>\n

Outdoors: Running-to-jogging\/walking, jogging-to-walking<\/p>\n

Indoors: Bike, elliptical trainer. treadmill, stair climbers<\/p>\n

Level 3
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Zone 3 you will work harder, performing intervals that include time spent in Level 2as recovery periods. Typically the work periods and rest periods both decrease in this zone and are usually the shortest of the intervals. Don\u2019t be intimidated by more intense work; you\u2019ll be ready for it. In fact, you will be looking for a greater challenge. At this level you will ride, run, or climb as hard as possible for between 10 and 30 seconds. In order to get the most out of Level 4, you\u2019ll need to pack as much power and energy into these segments as possible.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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Some of the best activities for Level 4 are:<\/p>\n