BH FITNESS LK500UiB Manuel Du Propriétaire page 5

OXYGEN UPTAKE
The effort that you can exert over a prolonged period of time is limited by your ability to deliver
oxygen to the working muscles. Regular vigorous exercise produces a training effect that can increase
your aerobic capacity by as much as 20 to 30%. An increased VO2 Max indicates an increased ability
of the heart to pump blood, of the lungs to ventilate oxygen, and of the muscles to take up oxygen.
THE TRAINING THRESHOLD
This is the minimum level of exercise which is required to produce significant improvements in any
physical fitness parameter.
OVERLOAD
This is where you exercise above your comfort level. The intensity, duration and frequency of exercise
should be above the training threshold and should be gradually increased as the body adapts to the
increasing demands. As your fitness level improves, the training threshold should rise. Working
through your program and gradually increasing the overload factor is important.
PROGRESSION
As you become more fit, a higher intensity of exercise is required to create an overload and therefore
provide continued improvement.
SPECIFICS
Different forms of exercise produce different results. The type of exercise that is carried out is specific
to 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 group 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 calisthenic 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.
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HEART RATE
As you exercise, your heart beat increases. This is often used as a measure of the required intensity of
an 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 when developing an exercise program for you. When starting,
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 about 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 Target Heart Rate 25
10 Second Count
Beats per Minute
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 seconds
is long enough for accuracy, (b) the pulse count is to approximate your BPM rate at the time you are
exercising. Since heart rate slows as you recover, a longer count isn't as accurate.
The target is not a magic number, but a general guide. If you're above average with your fitness, you
may work comfortably a little above that suggested for your age group. The following table is a guide.
Age Target Heart Rate 25
10 Second Count
Beats per Minute
Don't push yourself too hard to reach the figures on this table. It can be very uncomfortable if you
over exercise. Let it happen naturally as you work through your program. Remember, the target is a
guide, not a rule, a little above or below is just fine.
Two final comments: (1) don't be concerned with day to day variations in your pulse rate, being
under pressure or not enough sleep can affect it; (2) your pulse rate is a guide, don't become a slave
to it.
LK500UiB v3
30 35 40 45 50 55
23 22 22 21 20 19 19
138 132 132 126 120 114 114
30 35 40 45 50 55
26 26 25 24 23 22 22
156 156 150 144 138 132 132
60 65
18 18
108 108
60 65
21 20
126 120
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LK500UiB v3