Some clarity please

bryant28408

I have a polar HRM and want to use it correctly. Here are my ranges:

Age 53 (almost)
Weight 296
Resting 68
Max 168
Fat Burning 118-143
Fitness 143-153

At the moment, I hit my fitness range pretty quickly. On an elliptical I am at 144 within a couple of minutes and maintain it for about 10 minutes. My primary goal is weight loss but endurance is a strong second goal.

Do I strive to stay in the 118 range?

Should my HR decrease for the same effort as my fitness increases?

Any thoughts, suggestions or directions would be helpful.

Thanks!

SideSteel

Hey there,

First of all, as it pertains strictly to fat loss, I wouldn't worry too much about heart rate and whether or not that corresponds to greater fat loss. Substrate utilization during the actual training bout doesn't necessarily tell us what happens over greater time periods.

http://www.alanaragon.com/myths-under-the-microscope-the-fat-burning-zone-fasted-cardio.html

Regarding your heart rate -- neither of us are well versed on various topics relating to cardio, but having said that, one recommendation NASM makes would be to stay in the neighborhood of 65-75% (of your max HR) until you can sustain that for 30 minutes, assuming you're training steady state cardio.

That being said, if any other well versed cardio people (haybales?) would like to chime in, have at it.

Sarauk2sf

Tagging

JeffseekingV

What are your goals? 10 min of cardio is only going to burn certain amount of calories.

If it's weight loss, you might have to strive for a longer time vs being about to stay in a XX heart rate for 10 min. If cardiovascular fitness is more important then your optimum HR might be more important

bryant28408

Thanks for the replies.

Given my current out of shape condition I think weight loss should be my primary goal. But I also want to develop increased endurance and generally improved health. I couple the cardio with weight training and usually spend about a hour to an hour and a half in the gym three days a week.

I am diabetic and both the cardio and resistance training help to make me more insulin sensitive which is working.

The 10 minutes is where I am now. As I can, I plan to increase that up to the 30 minutes. I could do much longer on the treadmill but the elliptical is more challenging. Maybe I have the cart before the horse.

Long term, I want to be able to hike the woods and trails again like I did in younger years. All of my goals, weight loss, improved blood sugars, hiking, etc. seem to complement one another. Any suggestions and criticisms are deeply appreciated.

JeffseekingV

I'm not an expert but IMHO only:

1) Please stay with the weight lifting to minimize muscle loss during your weight loss. It will also help your core, bone density, strength, muscle mass. I'm 46 so keeping what I have is important.

2) Maybe change things up and just to easier cardio for a longer time. It might end up burning more calories and helping your weight loss. At least give you some leeway to your calorie allotment everyday.

3) Try doing some core exercises on your off day while relaxing at home. I need to do more of this!

Good Luck

hoyalawya2003

The 10 minutes is where I am now. As I can, I plan to increase that up to the 30 minutes. I could do much longer on the treadmill but the elliptical is more challenging. Maybe I have the cart before the horse.

I am no help with the heart rate thing, but I just want to say that I couldn't even do 10 min on the elliptical when I started. And I think you are on the right track--the elliptical is easier on your joints starting out, while you are losing. I can now run on the treadmill for 30 minutes and do the elliptical for longer than that (although I rarely do because I get bored on it). So keep on keeping on, and you will be taking your long hikes soon!