Important Facts About Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Intensity is key to improving cardiorespiratory fitness, or CR. The intensity of aerobic exercise has a direct impact on CR fitness. The intensity of aerobic exercise has a direct correlation with how much energy is expended per hour. Your heart rate is a good indicator of your effort. You can only determine how intense your workouts are by monitoring your heart rate.
In other terms, your ability monitor your heartbeat is crucial for CR training. Two methods were developed by U.S. Army fitness professionals to calculate THR. The first method is percent maximum heart rate (%MHR), but it is much easier than the second one, percent reserve heart rate (%HRR). The estimated maximum heart rate is used to calculate the THR. The MHR (maximum heart rate) can be estimated by subtracting your years from 220. Your age from 220 can be used to calculate your maximum heart beat (MHR). A 20-year-old in good physical condition would have 160 beats/minute (BPM). THR for a 30 year-old in good health is 152 beats per hour (BPM). 220 – 30 =190 *.80=152 BPM. An older person in poor health will have a THR (temporary beat rate) of 126 BPM. The %HRR MethodIs a more precise way to calculate your THR. The THR range between 60 and 90 %HRR represents the range where people should exercise to improve CR fitness. Knowing your CR fitness level will help you determine the right HRR for you. To illustrate, an individual in great physical condition may start at 85% of his HRR. An individual in moderately good health might start at 70% HRR. An individual in poor physical condition would start at 60% HRR. If a person is in good health, a higher HRR might be beneficial.
The heart, muscles, lungs, and brain will not benefit from a workout at a lower rate than 60 percent HRR. It is dangerous to exercise at a higher than 90% HRR. Before any aerobic training begins, it is essential to know the THR (the heart rate at that a person must exercise to see a beneficial effect). The following example illustrates how to calculate the THR with the resting beat rate (RHR), age, and heart rate reserve. This example is for a 20-year-old in good physical condition.
STEP 1: Add your age to 220 to calculate the MHR. MHR is equal to two hundred, since it is calculated by subtracting 20 from 220.
STEP 2 – Determine the resting beat rate (RHR), in beats/minute (BPM) using a 30-second count of the resting pulse. Add two to the count. It is possible to use a shorter duration, but it is more accurate to use a count of 30 seconds. You should take this count while you are fully relaxed and well rested. This example uses a RHR of just 69 BPM.
STEP 3: Subtract the RHR from your estimate MHR to determine the heart rate reserve (HRR). i.e. The heart rate, as measured in beats per minute, is equal to 131, which is the result of subtracting 69 from 200.
STEP 4. Calculate THR. You multiply the HRR times the relative fitness percentage as a percentage. Our 20-year-old male in good health will exercise at 70% HRR. (1).70 * 131 = 91.7(2) 91.7 + 69 = 160.7
An average 20-yearold with a normal heart rate (RHR), of 69 BPM can set a training goal of 161 BPM. This is the time to monitor your heart rate and determine whether you are in the right range for your THR. You should decrease the intensity of your exercise if your pulse rate exceeds the THR.
