In the ZONE!

We have all seen the little heart rate chart on the side of the treadmill telling us where our “fat burn zones” and “cardio zones” are… but what do they mean? Why can’t you just get on the treadmill, run a few miles and be done? Do these numbers translate to other pieces of cardio equipment? These are all things that need to be understood in order to effectively do cardiovascular exercise. If you are currently doing cardio without seeing the results you want then you could be overdoing it just as likely as underdoing it. Knowing how to manipulate your heart rate can give a more scientific approach to fat loss and help you hit your goals faster and more effectively.

 

The body has five heart rate zones in which it functions in. The first three zones (roughly 40%-85% of your max heart rate) are aerobic, meaning “with oxygen”. The last two zones (over 85% of your max heart rate) are anaerobic, meaning “without oxygen”. The primary fuel used by the body during aerobic training is fat, while the primary fuel used during anaerobic activity is carbohydrates. It is important to understand that both fuel sources are burned simultaneously in most zones, but knowing the primary source will help us determine where we want our heart rate based on our goal. This helps clarify what the heart rate charts mean by “fat burn zones”. Staying in the lower heart rates will allow you to exercise in the zones in which your body utilizes primarily fat for fuel. This could be anything from a fast paced walk, jog, or light run depending on your conditioning. The benefits from staying in these zones are not only to burn fat but to actually build your zone’s capacity. Your heart will get bigger as you train and become more efficient, allowing for higher heart rates to be reached and more calories to be burned in each zone. Pushing up into zone 4 and 5 will kick in the carbohydrate burn. This is why you see many endurance athletes carb loading or popping carb chews during long runs. While functioning in zone 5, sprinting for example, is only possible for a very short amount of time; but you can train your body to stay in zone 4 for a much longer period. In this zone you will not burn any fat but will burn significantly more calories than your lower zones due to the higher work load. During zone 4 work you should be very short of breath and find it difficult to talk (aka running or a spin class).

So, what does all this mean and how do we figure out these zones? The basic idea is that zones 1, 2, and 3 are the zones in which you burn fat but fewer calories, zones 4 and 5 you burn more calories but only carbs no fat. In your lower three zones you be able to work on weight loss and building an aerobic base, making the body more efficient at utilizing oxygen (resulting in more calories and fat burned per minute). In your higher two zones you will be able to work on cardiovascular endurance and performance, and also shed weight as long as you don’t overdo it on the calorie burn. Now, how do we find this info? The only truly accurate way to find your heart rate zones is to do a metabolic test that monitors your heart rate and oxygen levels during a short treadmill session. Many of you have done this with me at Life Time, known as a Cardiopoint. This type of test gives us accurate information specific to you not an average or formula based off of age. If you have access to this I suggest it over any other option, and if no Life Time Fitness clubs are near you, your doctor can tell you where to have it administered. A far less accurate option is using the max heart rate formula then using percentages of this number to determine your zone, which is what the chart on the treadmill does. The main problem with this is the fact that it’s not specific to the individual. It only takes into account your age so imagine three people are thirty years old, one is Lance Armstrong, one is you, and the other is 100lbs. over weight. According to this formula, all three would have the same zones and need to do the same intensity cardio to see results. If we followed this method in our scenario Lance would fall asleep, you would probably get a decent workout, and the overweight person would need to have a hospital close by. Point being just because three people are the same age doesn’t mean they all need to exercise at the same heart rate. Using this method can be used as a general guideline you just need to understand how to adjust for your level of conditioning. The max heart rate formula is simply 220-age, giving us the highest heart rate you should ever get to (keeping in mind that it’s easy to go higher if you are in better shape.) Once we have this number we can break it down to find our zones.  Here is a chart of how it will look and what each zone does.

% of Max Heart Rate	Type of Metabolism	Training in This Zone is Good For
Zone 1: 50 - 60%	Aerobic Fat	Getting Fit, Warming Up, Burning Fat
Zone 2: 60 - 70%	Aerobic (mainly Fat, some Carbohydrate)	Burning Fat Losing Weight
Zone 3: 70 - 80%	Aerobic (mainly Carbohydrate, some Fat)	Building Aerobic Endurance
Zone 4: 80 - 90%	Aerobic / Anaerobic Threshold	Raising Lactic Threshold
Zone 5: 90 - 100%	Anaerobic Carbohydrate	Increasing Maximum Aerobic Capacity

Now that we know all cardio is not the same and that being at different heart rates has different effects on the body, we should be able to better our cardio programs to hit our goals! Use this in correlation with last week’s blog to know what heart rate to be at for each goal. While doing HIIT you will definitely want to hit around 90% during your working portion, low intensity will be 50-70%, and during high intensity you will stay between 70-85%. BUT….remember that these percentages may need to be adjusted as you get better, that’s why it’s so important to have the metabolic test ran and take the guess work out. Also if you are exercising outdoors you will need a heart rate monitor to assure you stay in these zones. Polar and Garmin make some of the best ones; they come in all sorts of shapes and colors.

POLAR

 

GARMIN

If you would like to order one or discuss which one is a good fit for your needs please feel free to contact me for more info. It’s time to get serious and stop all the meaningless wondering around on the treadmill or elliptical! Your time is too valuable to waste doing cardio incorrectly so know your ZONES and your goals and get there! Get off your damn cell phones and iPads and focus on hard work, it’s time to BRING IT!!!

Cardio Conundrum!

Over the past couple of months we have focused on getting our nutrition on point and even looked at some supplements that could benefit us in achieving our goals, but now that we have all of that in order--what’s next? What are we supposed to do when we get to the gym or when we start our training program? Over the next few weeks we will dive deep into the exercise side of things but it’s best to start with the basics, CARDIO! Cardio is one of the most dreaded and confused words in all of fitness. Many of us think that just going on a walk or hopping on a treadmill aimlessly will take us to our fitness goals, then after six months nothing has changed, we wonder why or just give up. Sure, it’s fun to bounce around effortlessly on the elliptical for an hour and call it a workout, but what have you actually accomplished?

When we think of cardio it needs to be more than just a time or distance. We need to be thinking in terms of what goal we are trying to accomplish. For the purpose of simplifying we can break cardio up into 3 sub-categories: LOW intensity, HIGH intensity/endurance, and high intensity interval training. Low intensity would be classified as walking, a slow bike ride, or any activity that your heart rate doesn’t elevate very high or you don’t feel is too difficult to maintain for an hour. Usually you can carry on a conversation during this type of training. Calories burned will be at a minimum but the calories you do burn in your lower heart rate zones will be mostly from fat. (We will go into greater depth in next week’s blog about heart rate zone training and what you burn in each zone, just use this week’s info as general guide lines to get started.) With high intensity cardio you should be pushing yourself a lot harder whether it be running for long distances, swimming, or a group fitness class. It should be a pace that is difficult to maintain for over 30 minutes and you should not be able to carry on a conversation. When your body hits this heart rate zone you will be burning predominantly sugars/carbs. Even though the calories burned are not from fat you will burn more calories here than in low intensity. And then we have high intensity interval training or HIIT. This is to be done in shorter amounts of time, never lasting over 30 minutes total. During HIIT you will elevate your heart rate very high then let it recover quickly over and over again. The benefits of this are to train your body to become more efficient at utilizing oxygen which will in turn make calorie burn more efficient. HIIT has also been shown to increase your RMR (as we discussed in previous blogs) for up to 24 hours after finishing, making your body a calorie burning machine for long after you are done exercising. A good example of a beginner HIIT program would be 30 second sprints (100% effort) then 30 seconds of rest (0-50% effort) then repeat the cycle for 15-30 minutes. As you get better, move up to a 60 second working time with a 30 second rest. You can do this with any type of cardio, not just running, so feel free to add cycling, burpees, or stairs. The point is to put in maximum effort during the working portion. Now, let’s look at how these correlate with some common fitness goals.

                Muscle Gain: You will most likely want to stay in the low intensity range. Like we talked about, the body will burn fewer calories in these zones helping to preserve the muscles. The calories will be mostly burned from fat so it will help keep your body fat low while dieting to bulk up.

                Weight Loss: This goal will need a nice mix of all three! Losing weight cannot be accomplished by just cardio and it surely cannot be accomplished by just walking twice a week! Depending on how deconditioned you are it may be necessary to start out slower but as your stamina builds up you have to push yourself into the higher intensity ranges. This will help in re-boosting your metabolism and help train the body to burn calories as efficiently as possible. Also try adding the HIIT in on days that you are short on time. A good split would look like: low intensity on days you weight train, high intensity on off days and HIIT once a week.

                Increase Fitness Level: Mix high intensity cardio with HIIT. This will help increase your body’s oxygen utilization the fastest allowing you to increase your cardiovascular endurance. You will burn a ton of calories training like this so make sure your diet is up to speed or you will hit a wall quickly. I would do HIIT 2-3 times per week with high intensity cardio on the other 2-3 days. If training for any kind of distance run or race remember to start low on the mileage and work your way up so you don’t injure yourself.

Now that we have some basics established, try to incorporate them into your routine. If you are currently trying to lose weight but not really pushing yourself then step it up! Next week we will break down the five heart rate zones and how each one affects the body to give us a little better idea on how to make our cardio exact. This also will require you to have a heart rate monitor so look into getting one ASAP. If you have questions about which ones are good or want to order one please contact me directly. Make this week the week it all starts! No more excuses, get your butt on a treadmill or outside running and BRING IT!!!!!!

Supplement Shake-Down!

We hear millions of claims daily on TV or in magazines about a certain vitamin or herbal supplement being able to cure our ailments or drastically improve our lives. Unfortunately, the info we are given is usually unclear or the product is just a fad to make money. We have all been inside of a vitamin or health food store just to see what is was all about, but how many times have you walked out confused or with something that you still have no idea what it does? The sheer number of supplements available can seem overwhelming, and it’s hard to know which offer genuine health benefits and which are merely giving false promises. This has created many skeptics about whether any of these products really work or are they all just scams? Supplementation has also often been associated with “dieting” or “getting big”, which creates an “I don’t work out so I don’t need those” mentality. But with so many options there has to be something that could help your daily life or make you feel better? Right?

The answer is yes! Supplements don’t just have to be for weight loss or a new fad (Beyonce’s lemonade cleanse) that you want to follow; they can help correct a lot of common problems in your life. We all know that when you have a cold Vitamin C can help you get over it quicker by boosting your immune system, but what else is there to help us? We will break down a few other common supplements that may improve your daily function.

Vitamin B- B vitamins can help the body’s natural energy production and metabolism function. They can also help with your hair, skin, and nails in the form of Biotin. B vitamins can help with cell division and growth of red blood cells making the immune system and nervous system better. Folic acid is a B vitamin that has been shown to decrease the risk of numerous birth defects in pregnant women. There are 8 typical B vitamins so make sure you choose the one that fulfills your needs whether it’s more energy or shinier hair.

                 

Fish Oil- Fish oils are an excellent way to supply your body with the healthy fats that it needs. The benefits are endless. They help with healthier hair, skin, and nails, joint lubrication, cardiovascular health, to lowering your cholesterol. The American diet also consists of almost all omega 6 fats and with the body needing a equal balance of omega 6 and omega 3, fish oils become the best tool for evening them out. Be careful with fish oils though, this is one product you don’t want to buy the cheapest on. The purity level of the product goes a long way in the effects.

                

Probiotics- Probiotics are the good bacteria in our digestive system that aid in the processing of our food. Adding a good probiotic supplement can take away a lot of digestive problems and even help lactose intolerance. They can also reduce the risk of yeast infections among women. Having your stomach work properly can also go a long way in helping your diet and weight loss. If taken with a fiber supplement they can also work as a cleansing tool and aid in keeping you regular.

Glucosamine – Glucosamine is often found in conjunction with chondroitin and MSM. The function of this product is to decrease joint pain and help strengthen the cartilage. For all of you that have “bad knees” this product is a must have and should remain in your regimen for life. The rebuilding capabilities won’t necessarily fix any injury but it will definitely help prevent your joints from getting worse and make them much stronger.

Melatonin- Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body to aid in the sleep cycle. Having already learned in previous blog’s the effect of hormone imbalances; this may be a product that is good for you if are having trouble sleeping. It’s not going to knock you out like a prescription sleeping pill but it could help get your hormone production back on track, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Many products combine melatonin and tryptophan together for an extra sleep aid.

These are just a few basic supplements but there is something for everything and everyone out there so before you self diagnose a chronic illness or knee pain, try out some products that may help your symptoms. Example: if you are a heavy drinker and feel your liver hates you every Saturday and Sunday morning try adding Milk Thistle in to promote liver health or if you hate milk or dairy, add a calcium/vitamin D supplement to assure healthy bones. Our bodies need a lot of things to function properly and in this day and age of processed foods and poor diets we most likely can’t get them all from whole foods so look at what you are lacking and supplement it in. If you have any questions about supplements or nutrition, please feel free to contact me. These can be great tools to assure you stay your best and keep BRINGING IT in life!!!!!!