To measure your
heart rate, stop exer-
cising and place two
fingers on your wrist
as shown. Take a
six-second heartbeat
count, and multiply
the result by ten to
find your heart rate.
For example, if your
six-second heartbeat
count is 12, your heart rate is 120 beats per second.
Burning Fat
To burn fat effectively, you must exercise at a relatively
low intensity level for a sustained period of time. During
the first few minutes of exercise, your body uses easily
accessible carbohydrate calories for energy. Only after
the first few minutes of exercise does your body begin
to use stored fat calories for energy. If your goal is to
burn fat, keep you heart rate near the low end of your
training zone as you exercise.
Aerobic Exercise
If your goal is to strengthen your cardiovascular sys-
tem, your exercise must be “aerobic.” Aerobic exercise
is activity that requires large amounts of oxygen for
prolonged periods of time. This increases the demand
on the heart to pump blood to the muscles, and on the
lungs to oxygenate the blood. For aerobic exercise,
keep your heart rate near the middle of your training
zone during exercise.
Toning Your Upper Body
The SOFTSTRIDER™ includes wrist weights that let
you add upper body exercise to your workouts. The
included workout video demonstrates several exercises
that can be performed with weights.
WORKOUT GUIDELINES
Each workout should include three parts: (1) a warm-
up, (2) training zone exercise, and (3) a cool-down.
• Begin each workout with five to ten minutes of stretch-
ing and light exercise to warm up. A proper warm-up
increases your body temperature, heart rate, and cir-
culation in preparation for strenuous exercise.
• After warming up, increase the intensity of your exer-
cise until your heart rate is in your training zone for 20
to 30 minutes. Breathe regularly and deeply as you
exercise—never hold your breath.
• End each workout with five to ten minutes of stretch-
ing to cool down. This will develop muscle flexibility
and will help to prevent post-exercise problems.
To maintain or improve your condition, complete three
workouts each week, with at least one day of rest be-
tween workouts. After a few months, you may complete
up to five workouts each week if desired.
20 138-167 133-162
25 136-166 132-160
30 135-164 130-158
35 134-162 129-156
40 132-161 127-155
45 131-159 125-153
50 129-156 124-150
55 127-155 122-149
60 126-153 121-147
65 125-151 119-145
70 123-150 118-144
75 122-147 117-142
80 120-146 115-140
AGE
Unconditioned Conditioned
TRAINING ZONE (Beats/Min.)
WARNING: Do not perform
advanced exercises with weights at speeds
higher than a walk. Using weights and not
holding the handrails may compromise your
ability to maintain your balance. Advanced
exercises using weights should be
attempted only by experienced users.