iCandy Fitness: The Cardio Low-Down
With the world cup going on and millions of arm chair supporters yelling at the screen, fella’s can sometimes forget that the woman sitting next to them is paying attention to the 22 men running around the pitch with as much fervour as a guy with the England flag painted on his face. And it ain’t because the players have skill with the ball. Its because they’re fit. Fact. Wanna get your missus fantasising about your rock hard ab’s instead of Ronaldo’s? Then you need to get a little cardio in your life. Strip away that layer of fat and reveal the rippling muscle mass beneath the surface!
Read on for a cardio low down from our resident fitness coach Derek Pabi…
Cardio Vascular Training can bring results to anyone at any level: beginners, intermediates or advance.
You should have an idea of what level you are, if you do not consultant a professional!
Its fair to say a large portion of people tend to go for
- long distance runs
- long distance outdoor/ indoor cycling
- or swim lengths in the pool
All of this is great but these are generally moderate intensity sessions. This month I want to focus on the High Intensity Session (HIS). The HIS will push you to greater fitness levels, quicker results and create the lean muscle mass physique which footballers typically have.
How
So how do you do this? Pay attention because here comes the science bit….
First you need to work out your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
Here is the formula
220 minus Your Age = Your MHR (According to the American College Sport Medicine (ACSM) 220 is the number given to structure of the human body)
For example my mate Mike’s MHR works out like this
220 – 29 (Mike’s Age) = 191 Mike’s MHR
Mike’s Maximum Hear rate is 191
Now you have your MHR we can work out our training intensities
Training zones are based on a percentage of the MHR
Heart rate is measured by BPM (beats per minute)
To measure your bpm accurately get hold of a heart rate monitor watch and strap (I recommend polar.fitnessmegastore.co.uk)
To measure intensity we are going with the 1-10 RPE scale (Rate of Perceived Exertion) where
1 – 4 Easy
5 – 6 Moderate
7 – 8 Hard
9 – 10 All out Power! This is when you give it all you’ve got.
Now you can easily work out your training zones. See Mike’s below:
Training Zones
90 – 100% Maximal
Effort level of intensity 9 – 10
172 – 191 bpm
70 – 80% Peak Aerobic Zone
Effort level of intensity 7 – 8
134 – 152 bpm
50 – 70% Moderate
Effort level of intensity 5 – 7
96-134 bpm
Now you’ve got what you need its time to put it into practice and hit the gym! Here is a mini dpfitness Cardio Vascular Power Session program but remember be sensible fella’s, if you are unclear about anything to do with this fitness programme email me at info@dpfitness.co.uk
CARDIO VASCULAR POWER SESSION
Beginners have a fitness instructor present whilst participating in the 4 exercises.
Level Sets
Beginners 3
Intermediate 4 – 5
Advanced 5 – 7
Rower
- Set your resistance to level 10 on the side
- Blast out the blocks sustaining the rapid speed for 10 to 15 seconds
- Allow for a recovery time of 3x time the duration of exercise. I.e. 10 seconds training, 30 seconds rest. This allows the body to recover for the next set
Cross Trainer AKA Elliptical Rider
- Boys load the resistance up to your level 10 (bearing in mind most a cross trainers resistance level goes up to 20+ so what you would be doing is measuring your intensity level 10 not the machines level 10.)
- Power on the arm pulleys and legs rotating as fast as you can. sustain this for 10 – 15 seconds and rest at 3 times the amount that you exercise.
Upright Bike
- Become a cycle enthusiast and load the resistance on the bike to your level 10
- Sprint for a max of 15secs
- Allow for a recovery time of 3X time the duration of exercise. i.e. 10 seconds training 30 seconds rest
Running
- Mark out fifty metres and sprint the length
- Rest period is a ratio of 1:3, for example if you sprint for 8 seconds, rest for 24 seconds.
Complete this and pat yourself on the back. Repeat a mix of these sessions 3-5 times a week for maximum impact.
All four sessions are designed to increase the body’s creatine phosphate energy system. The same system used when lifting heavy weights.
Mix this cardio vascular training with your resistance training if you want to build muscle size as well as increase cardio vascular fitness.
Let me know how you get on!
dp
info@dpfitness.co.uk
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