Week 7: Commit 2 Be Fit / Measure Your Exercise Intensity

Measuring Your Exercise Intensity


In November of '99 the US Surgeon General Office released its very first report on Physical Activity and Health that stated: "Lack of physical exercise is detrimental to your health." The report went on to site that more than 60 percent of adults do not achieve the recommended amount of regular physical activity. In fact, 25 percent of all adults are not active at all. Statistics revealed that sedentary living is comparable to smoking 1 pack of cigarettes a day. According to the report 250,000 persons suffer death annually due to lack of physical activity (approximately the same number who die prematurely from smoking) and those numbers are nearly doubled a decade later. Further research has shown that poor diet and lack of physical activity has lead to 65 percent of the American adult population being obese. However, through a decrease in caloric intake and an increase in daily activity, most Americans can improve their health and quality of life.


What it takes to improve quality of life all depends on where your starting from. The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for aerobic exercise is a minimum of 20-60 minutes of continuous aerobic activity, 3-5 days per week at 55-85% of your heart rate reserve (based on resting heart rate). I know that you have heard this from me before, but the reason I am mentioning it here again is because there is a parallel relationship between cardiovascular fitness and your resting heart rate response. Periodically checking your resting heart rate, for one full minute prior to rising in the morning, will help to establish the strength and efficiency of your stroke volume as well as the efficiency of your exercise program.

Karvonen Heart Rate

To find your personal target heart rate subtract your age from 220 (maximum heart rate), subtract your resting heart rate, multiply by the desired range (55% - 85%), add in your resting heart rate, divide by 6 to obtain a ten (10) second count.

Age ___________ Resting Heart Rate (RHR) __________

1) 220 - ______ age = ________ Maximum Heart Rate
2) ______ MHR - ______ RHR = _______ Formula Heart Rate
3) ______ FHR x .55 = ________ Intensity / Low End
4) ______ I/Low + _____ RHR = _______ Target Heart Rate /Low
5) ______THR ÷ 6 = _________ 10 Second Count

Repeat steps #3, 4 and 5 for High End.

3) ______ FHR x .85 = ________ Intensity / High End
4) ______ I/High + _____ RHR = _______ Target Heart Rate/High
5) ______ THR ÷ 6 = _________ 10 Second Count


Your personal cardiovascular target heart rate zone is between
____________ to ____________ beats for a ten (10) second count.


Although use of the Karvonen formula is the most accurate way to determine your actual training heart rate, it may not always be practical. The following are two other forms, although less accurate, of determining whether or not you are training efficiently.

Rate of Perceived Exertion

How hard do you think your working out? In 1986, the American College of Sports Medicine released the revised BORG scale or RPE scale that follows a scale of 1-10 (much like a doctors pain scale).

RATING / DESCRIPTION
0 - nothing
1 - very light
2 - light (walking)
3 - moderate
4 - somewhat hard
5 - heavy (feel it but can continue)
6 - " " "
7 - very heavy(very strenuous)
8 - " " "
9 - very, very heavy (fatigued)
10- sub-maximal (can't continue)


If you still can't figure the above RPE scale out, here it is in layman terms:

RATING / DESCRIPTION
1 - I'm watching TV and eating bon bons
2 - I'm comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
3 - I'm still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
4 - I'm sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
5 - I'm just above comfortable, I'm moist around the edges, but can still talk easily
6 - I can talk, but am slightly breathless

7 - I can talk, but I don't want to. I'm sweating like a pig
8 - I can grunt in response to your questions
9 - I am probably going to die
10-Too late...I'm dead

Talk Test

This is a simple but effective adjunct to heart rate or RPE methods. You should be able to talk and breathe comfortably, deeply, and rhythmically during any and all portions of the aerobic activity.

Although these are fairly easy assessments of exercise intensity, most people generally OVER ESTIMATE how hard they are actually working out. Therefore, the tried and true method still involves your heart rate response. So take your pulse and do the math. Find out how hard you should be working and how hard you are actually working. Time is precious and when it comes to exercising there is no sense in just spinning your wheels!



Written by: W