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advise on training, technique, and exercise physiology. Your dealer can also
recommend good books on these subjects.
To help you get started in planning and carrying out your fitness program, this
section provides some basic information on aerobic exercise—such as how
hard you should workout, how long each session should be, and how often you
need to exercise to benefit from a regular program.
How Hard Should I Exercise?
Studies show that to achieve the benefits of aerobic exercise, it is necessary to
work out hard enough to raise your heart rate to a certain minimum level, called
the “training zone.” Your training zone depends on your age and level of fitness.
Refer to Diagram 6 to determine your training zone. Keep in mind that this zone
is an approximation, to be used as a guideline—individual heart rates vary
according to several physiological factors. To determine your training zone, or
Diagram 6
Training zones
target heart rate, find your age and fitness level on the diagram, and then find
the line where they intersect. For example, if you are 35 years old, your training
heart rate at the intermediate fitness level is 157 beats per minute. Remember
this number—this is the pulse rate you should try to maintain as you work out.
To determine your heart rate, take your pulse at a place that you can reach
easily and comfortably while you exercise. Typical places for measuring heart
rate are directly over the heart on the left side of the chest, on either side of the
YOUR AGE
YOUR HEAR
T RA
TE
MAXIMUM A
TTT
AINABLE HEAR
T RA
TE
85%
90%
100%
70%
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
195
200
190
102
105
108
112
115
119
123
126
130
133
136
140
123
128
132
136
140
145
149
153
157
162
170
166
131
135
139
144
148
153
157
162
175
180
171
166
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
80
90
100
110
120
130
150
140
160
170
180
190
200
Advanced
Intermediate
Beginner
HEART RATE TRAINING ZONES