Cardio training involves exercises that help promote cardiovascular health. This includes running, brisk walking, swimming, jump rope, cyclin,g and many more. And just like strength training, cardio training requires a certain level of intensity, duration, mode, and frequency.
Last Sunday in Aptitude.club Sundays live, the team discussed the target heart rate formula and how you can incorporate cardio exercises on your daily routine. In the episode, we’ve learned that:
- There are different vascular zones that your heart gets into when doing cardio. And depending on your goal, whether you wish to burn fat or just try to improve your cardiovascular activity, there is a specific vascular zone associated with that.
- To ensure that you are hitting the right vascular zones fitted for your goals, you need to know your target heart rate or your THR.
- To calculate your heart rate, you can subtract your age from 220. For example, you are 25 years old, subtract it from 220 and you get a maximum heart rate of 195.
- Calculate your resting heart rate is best done early in the morning or as soon as you wake up and before coffee. To do this, you could count how many beats you’ll have within 15 seconds multiplied by 4 or beats per minute.
- Once you have your Resting heart rate (RMR), multiply it by 70% or 85% (maximum potential for vigorous exercise intensity recommended by the American Heart Association)
- Add your resting heart rate and you’ll get two numbers which should be your average target heart rate zone.
How Not to Make Excuses for Cardio Workouts
- Some people may not be aware or may have forgotten the formula or say, they may not be able to check their resting heart rate first thing in the morning. This is not an excuse to not get your cardio.
- It costs almost nothing to do cardio. Even a simple ‘go out and run around the block’ will do. It costs you no money to jump rope in your driveway. Others will invest for a cardio machine inside their homes or buy gym or CrossFit memberships though but at the end of the day, cardio is all about having the willpower to do it.
- If you are someone who is aware of your target heart rate, then you may be able to preserve muscle and focus on fat-burning zones (depending on your overall goal). The key is to remain active to get up off the couch.
- London Spivey adds that you can always keep cardio a fun exercise to do. Be it your goal to hit your target heart rate and challenge yourself to work harder ‘coz when you do, you get better and stronger.
- You can do cardio exercise in-betweens, say, for example, you got bored in the middle of the job, so you stand up and start skipping or doing high knees.
Burpee Challenge winners receive $100 each!
DID YOU KNOW? You can do burpees for cardio!
It was indeed a fun episode of learning, sweating, and giving! Our first episode with two categories for our fitness challenge was a memorable one with Saleha Sajid winning the beginner’s category while we had Jacqueline Clarke and Silvia Martinez tying up in the first place for the advanced category for 25 minutes of burpees!
That’s right! You heard it right! 25 minutes — should we say they are Burpee Queen Beasts?
Let’s get to know our winners more!
Saleha Sajid
“It feels great to win the challenge. It’s inspiring me to keep pushing and keep improving”
Saleha works as a full-time nurse and comes home to her toddler with the energy to last playtime until bedtime! She trains with Dewayne twice a week and does an additional 30-minute workout session during the week. On weekends, she sees to it that she can go for a walk. Aside from this active lifestyle, she also follows the meal plan created by Dewayne. According to her, with this right meal plan and consistency, she was able to shed almost all of her baby weight.
Silvia Martinez
“The challenge was so amazing and lived up to its name it was definitely a CHALLENGE to complete those burpees!! I love to have something to look forward to during this time and really enjoyed the informative talk before and after the challenge.”
Silvia is 34 years old — from Monterrey Mexico living in Space City! She used to train for fitness competitions but now, she’s just looking to train for overall health and wellness. She tries to do something active at least six times a week, with a few of those working with Dewayne in the gym. Silvia enjoys running outside and writing HIIT workouts to do with friends outdoors or at home gyms.
Jacqueline Clarke
“There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell; ourselves about what it means. If your story is telling you you are not good enough, not smart enough, too old, too young, or can’t do it, your subconscious will believe you. What story are you telling yourself?”
Perhaps, we knew Jacqueline Clarke from last week’s Aptitude Fitness Challenge. Yes! She was the one who nailed the jump rope challenge and now, she’s claiming the other crown as the burpee queen (advanced category) along with Silvia!
And for someone who’s committed to being a “YES” girl in trying out new things, she’s definitely killing it still at 52!
Like these strong women, you too can have your chance of winning amazing prizes by joining our fitness challenges!
Every Sunday at 2 pm, Central Time. To register, click on Aptitude Challenge Registration.
THIS SUNDAY, August 16, 2020: Aptitude.club Sundays live will run another Jump Rope category with an advanced group and a beginners group! Join us!
