Note: Swimmers should use a heart rate target of 75% of the maximum and then subtract 12 beats per minute. The reason for this is that swimming will not raise the heart rate quite as much as other sports because of the so-called "diving reflex," which causes the heart to slow down automatically when the body is immersed in water.
|
TARGET HEART RATES FOR A ONE-MINUTE PULSE COUNT |
||
|
Age |
Low |
High |
|
(50% max.) |
(75% max.) |
|
|
20 |
100 |
150 |
|
30 |
95 |
142 |
|
40 |
90 |
1135 |
|
50 |
85 |
127 |
|
60 |
80 |
120 |
|
Source:American Heart Association |
||
VO2 Max. Serious exercisers may use a VO2 max calculation, which measures the amount of oxygen consumed during intensive, all-out exercise. The most accurate testing method uses computers, but anyone can estimate V02 without instrumentation (with an accuracy of about 95%):
- After running at top pace for 15 minutes, round off the distance run to the nearest 25 meters.
- Divide that number by 15.
- Subtract 133.
- Multiply the total by 0.172, then add 33.3.
Olympic and professional athletes train for VO2 max levels above 80. But for the average person interested in fitness, a VO2 max equaling between 50 and 80 is considered an excellent score for overall fitness.
 | Click the icon to see an image on exercise and heart rate. |
Warm-Up and Cool-Down
Warming up and cooling down are important parts of every exercise routine. They help the body make the transition from rest to activity and back again, and can help prevent soreness or injury, especially in older people.
- Warm-up exercises should be practiced for 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning of an exercise session. Older people need a longer period to warm up their muscles. Low-level aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, swinging the arms, or jogging in place, is the best approach.
- To cool down, you should walk slowly until the heart rate is 10 to 15 beats above your resting heart rate. Stopping too suddenly can sharply reduce blood pressure, and is a danger for older people. It may also cause muscle cramping.
-
Stretching may be appropriate for the cooling down period, but it must be done carefully for warming up because it can injure cold muscles. (There is no clear evidence, however, that stretching reduces muscle injuries.)
Previous Section
