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Are you burning fat, or burning time? Check out our new heart rate training program!

Anaerobic Threshold (AT) Heart Rate Training.

The heart is a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly to be strong and efficient.  Your heart rate (heart beats per minute) provides a constant measure of your exercise intensity.  Exercising at the right intensity for the right amount of time is the key to getting the most out of your workouts and meeting your fitness goals.

What is heart rate training?  Heart rate training is simply using heart rate training zones to guide your fitness program.  If you’re interested in weight loss, it balances the best use of your fuel (fat vs. carbohydrates) with the need to increase calories burned.  If you’re interested in athletic performance, it balances the need to build an aerobic base and endurance with the need to improve your ability to maintain higher intensity exercise.

What are the benefits of heart rate training?

• Improved results:  Heart rate training will help you lose weight or increase your speed and the amount of activity you can do.

• Different workout types make exercise fun:  A heart rate monitor is your cardiovascular dashboard, continually providing feedback on your workout.

• Increased metabolism:  Heart rate training provides the right mix of aerobic (longer time spent) and anaerobic (higher intensity) exercise to increase your fitness level and the amount of time spent using fat for fuel.

• Helps you avoid overtraining:  A heart rate monitor provides the feedback necessary to show you if you are over exercising and should slow down.

What is Anaerobic Threshold?  Your Anaerobic Threshold (AT) is the exercise intensity level at which exercise becomes noticeably difficult, but still 10-20% below your maximum output.  Breathing becomes heavier and talking is challenging.  As your heart rate increases and reaches AT, the muscles are no longer getting enough oxygen and lactic acid begins to accumulate.  Because of this, the major source of fuel is carbohydrate and glycogen already stored in the muscles.  A beginner can only exercise for a few minutes at this intensity.  A very fit individual can exercise at or above AT for thirty minutes or more.  Your AT continues to improve with exercise and is the best way to measure your personal fitness level.

Why should AT be used to create heart rate training zones?  As your fitness level improves, you are able to do more work at the same intensity or the same amount of work at a lower intensity.  What was once hard is now moderate and what was moderate is now easy.  The change in your ability to exercise, i.e., your fitness level, requires that your heart rate zones change too.  AT is the best measure of fitness level as it changes with fitness improvements.  If you are just starting your program, you should test your AT every 4-6 weeks.  A fit individual should re-test every 3-4 months.

What is my target heart rate or target zone?  There is no single target heart rate or heart rate zone.  It is important to use a variety of zones in your fitness program.  The zone or zones for a given workout may vary depending on the goal of the workout and your fitness program.  As you train in lower zones, you teach your body to burn a higher percentage of fat. Training in higher zones allows you to burn more total calories and increases your AT.  Consult with your Fitness Together professional to find the best program for you.