See 3.24. Pairing PODs and sensors for instructions on how to pair an HR sensor with your
watch.
3.18. Intensity zones
Using intensity zones for exercising helps guide your fitness development. Each intensity
zone stresses your body in different ways, leading to different effects on your physical fitness.
There are five different zones, numbered 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), defined as percentage
ranges based on your maximum heart rate (max HR), pace or power.
It is important to train with intensity in mind and understand how that intensity should feel.
And don't forget, regardless of your planned training, that you should always take time to
warm up before an exercise.
The five different intensity zones used in Suunto Spartan Sport are:
Zone 1: Easy
Exercising in zone 1 is relatively easy on your body. When it comes to fitness training, intensity
this low is significant mainly in restorative training and improving your basic fitness when you
are just beginning to exercise, or after a long break. Everyday exercise – walking, climbing
stairs, cycling to work, etc. – is usually performed within this intensity zone.
Zone 2: Moderate
Exercising at zone 2 improves your basic fitness level effectively. Exercising at this intensity
feels easy, but workouts with a long duration can have a very high training effect. The majority
of cardiovascular conditioning training should be performed within this zone. Improving basic
fitness builds a foundation for other exercise and prepares your system for more energetic
activity. Long duration workouts at this zone consume a lot of energy, especially from your
body’s stored fat.
Zone 3: Hard
Exercising at zone 3 begins to be quite energetic and feels like pretty hard going. It will
improve your ability to move quickly and economically. In this zone, lactic acid begins to form
in your system, but your body is still able to completely flush it out. You should train at this
intensity at most a couple of times per week, as it puts your body under a lot of stress.
Zone 4: Very hard
Exercising at zone 4 will prepare your system for competition type events and high speeds.
Workouts in this zone can be performed either at constant speed or as interval training
(combinations of shorter training phases with intermittent breaks). High-intensity training
develops your fitness level quickly and effectively, but done too often or at too high intensity
may lead to overtraining, which may force you to take a long break from your training
program.
Zone 5: Maximal
When your heart rate during a workout reaches zone 5, the training will feel extremely hard.
Lactic acid will build up in your system much faster than it can be removed, and you will be
forced to stop after a few minutes at most. Athletes include these maximum-intensity
workouts in their training program in a very controlled manner, fitness enthusiasts do not
require them at all.
Suunto Spartan Sport
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