Operation Manual

64
The decision you make concerning the
frequency (how often), the duration (how
long) and the intensity (how intensively) of you
workout will directly in uence your workout
results.
How Often.
If you want to make serious progress in terms
of your  tness, lose weight and create a good
basis for your workout, you have to perform
the cardiovascular exercises three to six times
per week.
If you are just starting a programme or
are out of shape, do not allow yourself
to be demotivated or misled by these
recommendations. Keep in mind that a
cardiovascular workout twice or three
times a week also results in a considerable
improvement in  tness and health bene ts.
Your long-term goal is building up to
exercising your heart on almost every
weekday.
How Long.
The length of your workout depends on your
current level of  tness. If you are just starting
a programme or are out of shape, do not
strictly follow the recommendations of text
books. Instead, start with 5–10 minutes once
or twice a day.
You will notice considerable improvements
in your  tness. Your long-term goal is to
work up the duration of your cardiovascular
workout to 30 to 60 minutes on almost
every day of the week.
How Intensively.
The guidelines for the intensity of aerobic
activities are generally applied at 60–85 % of
the heart rate. But, if you are out of shape,
keep in mind that a moderate to low level and
consistent cardiovascular training – signi cantly
below the standard recommendations – can
signi cantly and bene cially in uence your
health and cardiovascular stamina.
You can use the following calculation to
determine the heart rate you are working
with:
% heart rate = (220–age) x %.
This means for example:
A 70-percent heart rate of a 40-year old
would be (220–40) x 70 % or 126.
As such, this person would have to reach
126 heart beats a minutes in order to attain
a 70-percent heart rate.
The information speci ed above only
represents guidelines. Persons with
medical limitations should discuss
this formula with their physician.
How Often, How Long and How Intensively
03355_DE-GB-FR-NL_V6.indb 64 06.07.11 09:12