The Sub-Max Step Test
Heart rate training can mean the difference between an effective workout and an exercise in futility.
With a heart-rate monitor and a step bench, you can determine your maximum heart rate with what many experts now feel is a more effective measure.
Just three minutes on a step bench will give you your maximum heart rate -- the information needed to work out effectively.
To Perform the Test:
Step up and down on an 8-inch step for three minutes without pausing. Check your heart rate during the thrid minute. Then, add to that the "estimate factor" for your fitness level:
- Poor shape equals 55
- Average shape equals 65
- Excellent shape equals 75
The total is your estimated maximum heart rate.
To Burn Fat
For most beginners, the maximum fat-burning zone is 70 percent to 80 percent of their maximum heart rate.
Note:
As you get more fit, you will have to work harder to get to your maximum heart rate zone, but it is best not to go over 90 percent.
Courtesy of FitnessandFreebies.com
Back to Previous Page
|