BH FITNESS XS1 -, Owner'S Manual, Page: 5 / 22

3
BH Fitness • 20155 Ellipse • Foothill Ranch • CA • 92610
www.
BHFitnessUSA
.com • Phone 949-206-0330 • Fax 949-206-0013
XS1
gradually increased as the body adapts to the increasing demands. As your fitness level improves,
the training threshold should be raised. Working through your program and gradually increasing
the overload factor is important.
Specifics
Different forms of exercise produce different results. The type of exercise that is carried out is
specific both t o the muscle groups being used and to the energy source involved. There is little
transfer of the effects of exercise, i.e. from strength training to cardiovascular fitness. That is why
it is important to have an exercise program tailored to your specific needs.
Reversibility
If you stop exercising or do not do your program often enough, you will lose the benefits you have
gained. Regular workouts are the key to success.
Warm Up
Every exercise program should start with a warm up where the body is prepared for the effort to
come. It should be gentle and preferably use the muscles to be involved later. Stretching should
be included in both your warm up and cool down, and should be performed after 3-5 minutes of
low intensity aerobic activity or callisthenic type exercise.
Warm Down or Cool Down
This involves a gradual decrease in the intensity of the exercise session. Following exercise, a large
supply of blood remains in the working muscles. If it is not returned promptly to the central
circulation, pooling of blood may occur in the muscles.
Heart Rate
As you exercise, the rate at which your heart beat increases. This is often used as a measure of the
required intensity of exercise. You need to exercise hard enough to condition your circulatory
system, and increase your pulse rate, but not enough to strain your heart. Your initial level of
fitness is important in developing an exercise program for you. If you are starting off, you can get a
good training effect with a heart rate of 110-120 beats per minute (bpm). If you are more fit, you
will need a higher threshold of stimulation. To begin with, you should exercise at a level that
elevates your heart rate to a bout 65 to 70% of your maximum. If you find this is too easy, you
may want to increase it, but it is better to lean on the conservative side.
As a rule of thumb, the maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. As you increase in age, your
heart, like other muscles, loses some of its efficiency. Some of its natural loss is won back as
fitness improves. The following table is a guide to those who are “starting fitness”.
Age 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
Target heart Rate
10Second Count 23 22 22 21 20 19 19 18 18
Beats per Minute 138 132 132 126 120 114 114 108 108
Pulse Count
The pulse count (on your wrist or carotid artery in the neck, taken with two index fingers) is done
for ten seconds, taken a few seconds after you stop exercising. This is for two reasons: (a) 10
TRAINING GUIDELINES (Cont’d)