H
ILL
The Life Fitness-patented
HILL
workout offers a variety of configurations for interval training. Intervals
are periods of intense cardiovascular exercise separated by regular periods of lower-intensity exer-
cise. The WORKOUT PROFILE window represents these high and low intervals as columns of light,
which together have the appearance of hills and valleys. The computerized interval training workout
has been scientifically demonstrated to promote greater cardiorespiratory improvement than steady-
pace training.
The
HILL
workout goes through four phases, each marked by different intensity levels. The WORK-
OUT PROFILE window displays the progress of these phases. As noted in the descriptions below,
the heart rate should be measured at two stages in the workout to gauge its effectiveness. Wear the
chest strap or continuously grip the Lifepulse
TM
handles. The MESSAGE CENTER does not display a
request for a heart rate measurement, as it does with
CARDIO
and
FAT BURN
.
1 Warm-up
is a phase of low, gradually rising resistance, which brings the heart rate into the
lower end of the target zone and increases respiration and blood flow to working muscles.
2 Plateau
increases the intensity slightly, and keeps it steady, to bring the heart rate to the low
end of the target zone. Check the heart rate at the end of this phase.
3 Interval Training
is a series of increasingly steeper hills, alternating with valleys, or stints of
recovery. The heart rate should rise to the high end of the target zone. Check the heart rate
at the end of this phase.
4 Cool-down
is a low-intensity phase that allows the body to begin removing lactic acid, and
other exercise by-products, which build up in muscles and contribute to soreness.
Each column, as seen in the WORKOUT PROFILE WINDOW and the chart above, represents
one interval. The overall duration of the workout determines the length of each interval. Each
workout is made up of 20 intervals, so the duration of each interval is equal to the duration of
the entire workout divided by 20.
1 to 9 minutes:
A workout with a duration of less than 10 minutes is insufficient for the
HILL
program to complete all four phases adequately. The program, therefore, condenses a workout
of this duration at various stages.
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