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CONDITIONING GUIDELINES
The following guidelineswillhelp you to plan your
exercise program.Remember that proper nutrition
and adequate restare essentialfor successfulresults.
EXERCISE INTENSITY
Whether yourgoal is to bum fat or to strengthenyour
cardiovascularsystem, the key to achievingthe
desiredresultsis to exercise with the properintensity.
The properintensitylevel can be found by usingyour
heart rate as a guide. The chert below shows recom-
mended heart rates for fat burning,maximum fat
burning,and cardiovascular(aerobic) exercise.
165 155 145 140 130 125 115
145 138 130 125 118 110 103
125 120 115 110 105 95 90 e_
20 30 40 50 60 70 SO
To findthe proper heart rote for you,firstfindyour age
at the bottomline ofthe chart (ages are roundedoff to
the nearest ten years). Next, findthe three numbers
above your age. The three numbersare your"training
zone." The lowest number isthe recommendedheart
ratefor fat burning;the middle number isthe recom-
mended heart rote for maximumfat bumiog;the high-
est number is the recommended heart rate for aerobic
exercise.
Fat Burning
To burn fat effectively,you must exercise at a relative-
ly low intensitylevelfor a sustained periodof time.
During the firstfew minutesof exercise, yourbody
uses easily accessible carbohydratecalories for ener-
gy. Only after the firstfew minutesof exercise does
your body begin to use stored fat caloriesfor energy.
Ifyourgoal isto burn fat, adjustthe intensityof your
exercise until yourheert rate is near the lowestnum-
her in yourtraining zone as you exercise. For maxi-
mum fat burning, adjustthe intensityofyour exercise
untilyourheart rate is near the middlenumber in your
training zone as you exercise.
Aerobic Exercise
If your goal is to strengthenyour cardiovascular sys-
tem, yourexercise must be "aerobic." Aerobic exer-
cise is activitythat requireslarge amountsof oxygen
for prolongedperiodsof time. This increasesthe
demand on the heart to pumpbloodto the muscles,
and on the lungsto oxygenatethe blood.For aerobic
exercise, adjust the intensityof yourexercise until
your heart rate is near the highest number in your
training zone.
HOW TO MEASURE YOUR HEART RATE
To measure your
heart rate, first
exercise for at least
four minutes.Then,
stop exercisingand
place twofingers
on your wrist as
shown. Take a six-
second heartbeat
count, and multiplythe resultby 10 to findyour heart
rate. For example, ifyour six-secondheartbeat count
is 14, your heart rate is 140 beats per minute. (A six-
second count isused because yourheart ratewill
drop rapidlywhen you stop exercising.)
WORKOUT GUIDELINES
Each workout shouldincludethe followingthree parts:
A warm-up, consisting of 5 to 10 minutesof stretching
and lightexercise.A properwarm-up increasesyour
bodytemperature, heart rate, and circulationin prepa-
rationfor exercise.
Training zone exercise, consistingof 20 to 30 min-
utes of exercisingwith yourheart rote in yourtraining
zone. Note: Dudng thefirstfew weeks of yourexer-
cise program, do not keep yourheart rate in your
trainingzone for longerthan 20 minutes.
A cool-down, with 5 to 10 minutesof stretching.This
will increasethe flexibilityofyour musclesand will
helpto prevent post-exerciseproblems.
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