My Fitness

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Are You Intense Enough?

Any movement is beneficial to you and your body, so get moving. One concept of exercise is intensity. Intensity refers to the degree a person has to exercise to improve or maintain fitness. It is the one component most ignored by individuals, but yet is the most important. If an individual doesn't push himself/herself hard enough, he/she will miss out on many benefits of exercise including the significant number of calories burned during a workout. The other side of the spectrum is that if an individual pushes himself/herself it could lead to injuries or even inhibit progress.

The easiest way to monitor your intensity is the talk test. You should be able to carry on a conversation while you are exercising. If you are so out of breath that you can't talk, you need to slow down. If you could sing a song at the top of your lungs, you need to pick up the pace.

Another method of monitoring intensity is measuring your heart rate. This method entails more than taking your pulse. Target Heart Rate gives you a range to aim for while performing cardiovascular exercise. If you are going to take the time to workout, why not gain the most benefit out of your valuable time. Target Heart Rate is your way to ensure you gain the most from your workout.

Target Heart Rate (Training Zone): 50-85% of maximum heart rate

220- age= _____(estimated maximum heart rate)

Estimated maximum heart rate x .50= 50% of maximum heart rate

Estimated maximum heart rate x .85= 85% of maximum heart rate

For a 40 year old individual:

220-20= 200

2000 X .50= 100

200 X .85= 170

So the target zone for a 40 year old is 100-170 beats per minute.

When a person is working out, they should take their pulse after the warm-up to ensure that they are in their training zone. If they aren't, they need to increase their intensity. If they are above their 85% they need to decrease their intensity. At the half way mark of the workout another pulse check should be done.

Now you will be able to figure out if you are intense enough!