Life Fitness x3i Home Gym User Manual


 
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6. THE WORKOUTS (CONTINUED)
6.1.13 HILL
The Life Fitness patented Hill workout offers the ideal configuration for
interval training: periods of intense aerobic activity separated by regular
intervals of lower-intensity exercise. The computerized interval training
workout has been scientifically demonstrated to yield greater
cardiorespiratory improvement than steady-pace training. Not only does
the Hill workout offer the challenge of alternating periods of high and low
intensity, but the levels of intensity become progressively more difficult
during the course of the workout. The longer the Hill workout, the more
amount of time spent on top of a hill and at the bottom of a valley.
PHASES
Each Hill workout session comprises the following phases:
(1) Warm-up, (2) Plateau, (3) Interval Training, and (4) Cool-down.
NOTE: Check the pulse at the Heart Rate (HR) Check Points (following the Plateau and Interval Training phases) to ensure
that the heart rate has entered and remained within the target heart rate zone.
Warm-up: Gradually brings the heart rate into the lower portion of the target heart rate zone, increasing respiration and blood
flow to working muscles.
Plateau: Increases heart rate so that it is within target zone. Check the heart rate to ensure that it has entered the target zone.
Interval Training: A series of hills and valleys. During this portion of the workout, the user is confronted with a series of
successively steeper hills, each separated from the next by a valley or recovery period. Check the heart rate to ensure that it
has remained within the target zone.
Cool-down: The cool-down allows the body to begin removing accumulated by-products of exercise, such as lactic acid, which
build up in muscles during a workout and contribute to muscle soreness.
Effort and recovery periods are simulated on the display console by columns of red lights in the workout Profile window. Each
column represents one interval and 20 intervals comprise the workout. The columns move from right to left during the workout.
The higher the column, the higher the resistance. Consequently, the effort must be increased to continue training.
1 to 9 minutes: Because workouts with durations of less than 10 minutes are insufficient for the Hill workout to complete all four
phases adequately, the workout condenses at various stages in order to meet the chosen workout time.
10 to 19 minutes: The interval durations are initially set at 30 seconds for a 10-minute workout. For every additional minute of
workout duration, the Hill workout lengthens each interval by three seconds. Thus, a 15-minute Hill workout will feature 20
intervals of 45 seconds each.
20 to 99 minutes: All intervals last 60 seconds. As minutes are added, additional hills and valleys are presented beyond the
initial four of the interval training phase. The additional hills and valleys will follow the form of the first four, dropping back down
to the level of the very first hill encountered and progressing in height every two minutes until the highest hill is reached again.
This process repeats until the workout duration is met.
6.1.14 CROSS-TRAIN AEROBIC (X3i ONLY)
This workout makes the most of the Life Fitness Cross-Trainers total body workout capabilities by leading the user through a
varied workout that exercises all the major muscle groups.
For an upper body workout that works all the muscles in the arms, the console directs the user to push and pull the handlebar
arms at various times. The console will also vary the workout between total body and lower-body-only workouts, during which
the user rests his or her hands on the stationary handlebar.
To maximize a lower-body workout, forward and reverse motions and speeds are alternated, working all the muscles in the
legs during a single exercise session.
This Cross-Trainer workout uses one, selectable resistance level. However, it can be made into a variable resistance workout
by selecting the Hill, Manual or Random program first, then, pressing the Aerobics Mode key on the console.
6.1.15 CROSS-TRAIN REVERSE (ALL MODELS)
To vary the Cross-Trainer exercise and maximize the lower-body workout, the Cross-Train Reverse workout directs the user to
use a forward motion for five minutes followed by backward motion for two minutes. By making the most of the Life Fitness
Cross-Trainers forward and reverse feature, this program provides an effective workout for the thighs,
calves, hips and buttocks.
NOTE: This Cross-Trainer workout is a single resistance program. However, it can be made into a variable resistance
workout by first selecting the Hill, Manual or Random program, then, pressing the Reverse Mode key on the console
after starting the workout.