Are you Sleeping or Working Through You're Cardio Workout?

Are you working hard or hardly working when you are doing your cardiovascular workout? When you’re walking, jogging, swimming, or using a piece of cardio equipment at the gym are you merely strolling or sleeping through your workout?

As a health professional for many years, the number one question I’m always asked is, “I do so much cardio why am I not losing weight?” I’ve seen people, including my clients, in a full blown conversation or barely moving on the cardio equipment. That’s a prime example of someone not working hard enough. Unless your doctor has suggested you start a cardiovascular program slow, you are extremely overweight and/or nursing an injury, you have to work hard to burn those calories. One needs to burn 3,500 calories in a week to burn one pound of fat. So how do you know if you’re working to reap the benefits of your workout time? To maximize and improve your cardiovascular program, there’re formulas and basic methods that can guide and help determine what level you need to be working at in order to see the improvements or results in you’re seeking.

Karvonian Formula

The Karvonian method is a mathematical formula that determines your target heart rate zone. Below is an example of the Karvonian formula for a healthy 41year old with a resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute. For this method to be accurate you will need to know your resting heart rate. You can determine your resting heart rate by taking your pulse for 1 minute the first thing in the morning. To receive the most accurate RHR take your pulse 3 consecutive days and get an average.

206.9 – (0.67 x 41(age) ) = 179

179 – 60 (resting heart rate) = 119

119 x 65% (low end of heart rate zone) = 77

119 x 85% (high end of heart rate zone) = 101

77 + 60 = 137

101 + 60 = 161

The target heart rate zone for this individual is 137-161

Borg’s Perceived Exertion

Borg’s perceived exertion scale is 6-20, where 6 being no effort and 20 maximum exertion. This scale gives you an idea of how easy or hard you are exercising. When using the scale you want to be as honest to your current state of exercise. You should grade yourself on fitness effort, breathing, fatigue and stress. Use the scale below on your next cardiovascular workout and determine if you are in fact truly working hard.

6 No exertion at all
7 Extremely light
8
9 Very light - (easy walking slowly at a comfortable pace)
10
11 Light
12
13 Somewhat hard (It is quite an effort; you feel tired but can continue)
14
15 Hard (heavy)
16
17 Very hard (very strenuous, and you are very fatigued)
18
19 Extremely hard (You can not continue for long at this pace)
20 Maximum exertion

Talk Test method

Talk Test is one of the simplest methods to determine the intensity level an individual is exercising at any given moment. If you can engage in a full conversation, you are exercising at a level that is too easy. You want to exercise at a level where you want to improve cardiovascular endurance, just barely responding in a conversation.