Cardio is something alot of us hate to do. Admit it. We all dread it… even I hate doing it, but at the same time, at the corner of our mind, we do realise that it is important and a must if you want to improve your fitness levels. Some of us do it to shed some pounds, and some do it to keep the fat off and the abs fully visible. However, how do we get the most out of our time on a treadmill/stepper, etc and at what intensity do we need train at?
I’ve touched on the topic of intensity before, but here’s a neat method to roughly determine if you’re on the right track without the need for any fancy calculations. This should help the totally clueless get some direction while they do their cardio.
Although you could determine your target heart rate with some effort and calculations over a few observations, there are ‘other ways’ to monitor your exercise intensity. Please be advised, that this is not a guaranteed accurate method to determine if you’re exercising at the required intensity, but a fairly sufficient gauge to see if you’re on the right track. If you’re a beginner, this is an excellent way to gauge your intensity without having to crack your brain in dealing with numbers.
Firstly, what is THR?
Target Heart Rate (THR) : The ideal intensity level at which your heart is being exercised but not overworked. Determined by finding your maximum heart rate and taking a percentage of it (60 to 85 percent, depending on fitness level).
With that covered, let’s move on. Known as the TALK TEST, it is basically your ability to TALK during your cardio workout, and believe it or not - it can actually help you determine how hard you’re working. Sounds too simple? That’s because it actually is.
When doing your cardio, you should aim for an intensity that allows you to talk comfortably. If you can talk comfortably, you’re probably somewhere around the lower range of your target heart rate zone, which is kinda okay, but you should aim for better. Try singing or reciting a few lines from a favorite song (do it too loud, and you’ll look like an idiot). If it’s VERY VERY easy to do, you should bump up your intensity a bit and try again after a few minutes. If it gets too difficult to sing or talk, slow down to get into a better zone. The goal is to get to an intensity level where its comfortable to talk, but yet, you’re unable to hold a really long conversation and long sentences without having to pause for deep breaths.
If you’re exercising at a rate where you’re almost breathless, well.. then you’re pushing it, cos you shouldn’t be breathless during your workouts, UNLESS you’re doing interval training, HIIT (High-intensity interval training) or a short, high intensity workout, and that’s a totally different topic.
Of course, with all this in mind, please don’t throw your common sense out of the window too. If you ever feel dizzy, or lightheaded, you should slow down or stop exercising.
If you’re keen on exploring and wish to determine your Target Heart Rate more accurately, see this writeup by the American Council of Exercise on Monitoring Exercise Intensity Using Heart Rate. Alternatively, I’m sure a helpful Personal Trainer at your gym could help you out. If he/she isn’t willing.. well, then you need a new gym.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
yeap…the talk test…works everytime.
as for personal trainer…a lot of them are not qualified ppl…i could easily tell them what to do and what not to do!
A lot of people tend to forget that the most important equipments before you start to run is your pair of running shoe. Even my current running shoe is not suitable for me. I need to go to do a foot scan, find out my foot condition and then get a pair of running shoe that suits me.
A suitable pair of running shoes will prevent the runner from injury. To know about shoes for runners, go to:
http://www.runnersworld.com
Click on Shoes and Gear.
chong, agree, a lot of ppl buy the shoes just because of the rband and also because, well, the design…
shoes are nowadays not functional anymore, but more of a fashion icon.
Chong: Running shoes only applies to those who are going to be spending time on the treadmill, where they run. For those on other cardio machines, of course you dont really need running shoes, but a decent pair of shoes is always a good thing. For weight training exercises that involve footwork, such as Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts, a FLAT sole is always the best thing. The worst you could do is SQUAT in Basketball sneakers or other fancy ones which have soles as thick as a subway sandwich. I only know of one brand that makes shoes for weight training, its called OTOMIX. I doubt they have it on sale here in Malaysia though.
hello..can i use futsal school to be used in gym?coz its really flat and quite suitable for my foot…
Hi, I’ve just read about heart rate monitors in the form of watches (Polar). Do you think these HRMs are necessary tools? Any brand you would recommend?
Thanks & just wanna let you know you’re doing a great job inspiring/motivating people to keep exercising.
polar
timex
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