Cardio questions

You talk about "peak heart rate" and going over. What do you mean by peak heart rate? If you mean max heart rate...well you can't go over that, that's why it's the max.

Cardio exercise is good for you heart. Walking 6-7 miles per day is awesome for your heart, your lungs, your muscles, your tendons and your mind. 120 bpm seems like a pretty good HR for hiking.

BTW, I'm confused...you say you don't run yet, but then you talk about running outside vs. on a treadmill. Do you mean you just don't run trails yet? By the way, if you like hiking, and you like running, put them together and run on trails. It is awesome!!! You'll be slower and it will feel harder, but it's better for you because your running on softer surfaces and your form has to change to match the trail, which reduces the change of overuse injuries.

On a treadmill you don't have to propel your body forward, you're just moving your legs to remain in place. You also don't have the friction of moving through air and wind when you're on a treadmill. Those I've read studies that say a treadmill run burns just as much calories as an outdoor run, almost universally people agree that treadmill runs are easier...at least physically...mentally they're torture for me and I refuse.

I don't know your medical history or why you're concerned about your HR spiking but you may want to talk about your concerns with a doctor. In healthy people, pushing your heart to near max is fine if you gradually build up to it but maybe there's something in your history which would give you pause to do that?

If you want to improve your running...both your speed and distance...run slower. That's no typo. Running hard is a recipe for injury and fatigue, particularly for beginners. Running slow and easy will allow you to run farther, reduce the chance of injury, and allow your body to made the adaptations required to allow you to run farther and faster. You should be running at what is commonly called a conversational pace. This is the pace at which you could carry on a conversation, or sing a song, while running, without running out of breath. If you're new to running this is going to slow. You may even have to do run/walk intervals at first (which it seems you have been doing, which is great!). Soon you'll see your endurance increase and your pace increase. And it will feel awesome!!

Check out the Couch to 5K (C25K) plan, available as a free app on your phone. I've not used it but many have when they start and it does a great job gradually building up your running endurance.

Good luck to you and your quest to become a cop! A very noble profession!

As said above, run slower. I would argue you're running too hard. I would focus on keeping your hr under 130, just a swag. Google "aerobic range" just for reference, about 6 months ago I did this exact thing and couldn't string 20 mins together at 4.2 mph. I would walk and keep my hr below 130. I can now run approximately 9:00 min/MI and keep my hr around 135 avg for about an hour. And that's in the midst of training... Not a "race pace."

Of course the biggest bang for your buck is dropping weight.

Leoturi wrote: »

As for the running confusion, I can only jog at the moment. 5.0 speed or 12 minute for a mile on a treadmill is about as fast as I can go. Any faster and I'm really out of breath and tired quickly, and my legs start hurting. At the 5.0 speed though if I am feeling decent, I can usually do that for around 14-16 minutes before I'm exhausted and then I do incline walking for the rest to keep my heart rate up. I go for 30 minutes total, then a 5 min cool down and then machines or weights for 15-30, depending fatigue.

I would just like to point out a technicality here. Physiologically speaking there is no such thing as jogging. You are either running (there is a point in your stride where both feet are off the ground) or you are walking (there is always one foot in contact with the ground at any time). So, it doesn't matter how fast or slow you are going, you are running, lol. According to the monthly running challenge group I participate in on the forums here, the only thing that makes you a jogger is if you find a dead body (in newspaper articles it's ALWAYS a jogger that finds a dead body, lol).

Leoturi wrote: »

I got a couple questions to ask about heart health and exercise. For the last couple months, I've been exercising everyday for the most part, doing 30 minutes of cardio a day, and then some weights after for a bit then relaxing the rest of the day. My question is, how hard should I be pushing my heart everyday. I usually take it up right to about the peak and then taper off a little so I don't go over, and keep it right 4 beat range of my peak heart rate, which is 157 according to fitbit. So usually my bpm is 152-156 for roughly 30 minutes, give or take a min. Is that good, or smart for my heart?

Another question is, is it good for my heart to be walking 6-7 miles a day with a range of only 120ish bpm? I sometimes go for a long walk down a hiking trail and back and forth ranges from 6-7 miles depending what route I take. I don't run yet, and my heart rate is usually in the 110's and 120's. Should I be making my bpm go up some by jogging or is that fine?

Another odd question, is why is it so much harder to jog/run outside vs a treadmill? My heart went crazy yesterday when I tried to jog a 1/4 mile, whereas when my legs don't hurt, I can usually go for about a mile at 5 on the treadmill. It only took a minute or so for my heart rate to spike into peak, which worried me a bit so I started to walk again. I went back and forth with jogging as my heart would allow to get a 13 minute time for a mile, but on the treadmill I'm usually 12 minutes, and if I push, 11. Anything I can do to ease or train myself better to handle it?

Lastly, I've noticed when I do jog on the treadmill, my lower legs, on the sides hurt. I am assuming the muscles there aren't used to it, but I was curious if there is anything I can do to help with it not happening, or strengthening it so they can handle it. I want to start learning to run more, as I'm trying to get myself in shape to maybe one day become a cop. The test times for a 1.5 mile means I need to be capable of running for a good distance at a good pace. I'm no where near there yet but it is a goal for me, and I want to do all I can to achieve it.

Thanks for the help and advice.

You are doing fantastic working out. Some things to check into to help you train for running.

meet-your-running-goals.com/target-heart-rate-chart.html

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapmyfitness.runtrainer&hl=en

runnersworld.com/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapmyrun.android2&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.c25k&hl=en

Leoturi wrote: »

7lenny7 wrote: »

fit_chickx wrote: »

You are doing fantastic working out. Some things to check into to help you train for running.

meet-your-running-goals.com/target-heart-rate-chart.html

This is a perfect example of why you should ignore equations (or charts) which try to tell you what your max heart rate is, and sets the "zones" based on that.

According to this chart, since I'm 50 my max HR is estimated to be 172. I've recorded it as high as 185 within the last few months during the end of a 5K race (so max is probably a few beats higher). If I were to use this chart my HR would be way off.

I've read where the typical Max HR equations only apply to half the population or less. It's too important to get this right to depend on an equation or chart which is wrong as much as it is right.

And this is why someone new to all this can get easily confused. I'd assume to find your max heart rate, you should be doing that with a doctor I'd imagine. Otherwise, that seems highly unsafe to get up to the max you can go. I will look at the website you recommended on the aerobic thing and see what that is all about, and I do appreciate the advice.

What do you mean by cross training? Wouldn't walking and riding a bike be in the same vein as cardio work? If I'm to rest in between, does that mean I'm supposed to rest my heart, or just my muscles that I'm using to run? Also, in that vein, on the off days, would it be smart to be lifting weights and using exercise machines, that aren't related to cardio work? I try to do some benching twice a week, and usually do machines that work my arms and abs and such. I try not to mess with my legs too much, seeing as running and walking puts stress on them as it is.

You can do actual running activities as a max heart rate test, but yeah, I wouldn't recommend messing around with that right now.

Cross training helps you to maintain a more well-rounded level of fitness and strength. Running is a very repetitive activity that works the same muscle groups in the same ways. Cross-training helps to make sure that you aren't developing weaknesses in other areas, that perhaps aren't utilized as much in running, but which could lead to injury. And I do very much recommend including weight lifting, including legs as well. You don't necessarily want to hit the legs super hard the day before a long run, lol, but strength training your legs can actually aid in injury prevention with the running. For example, this is what I do. I lift 2 days a week, scheduled around my running days. The day after my 'A' day is not a running day, so I don't worry about going heavy on the squats. Now, I am by no means a weight lifting expert, but I find that this hits a bunch of the important muscle groups, and includes the big compound lifts.

A
squat
bench press
abs
leg curls
dumbbell row
shoulder press
pull-downs
calves

B
deadlift
leg press/extension
cable rows
lateral raises
straight-arm pulldowns
facepulls
bicep curls
skullcrushers

Leoturi wrote: »

And this is why someone new to all this can get easily confused.

I agree! That's exactly why I suggest you make it simple and just run at a "conversational pace". Take note of your HR while you do so, but use conversational pace as your guide. The conversation pace rule applies no matter what your age or fitness is.

As far as cross training, I see two things from your posts. The desire to be active and the concern for your HR getting to high. Walking and biking allow you to be active every day if you wish, but not put as big of a strain on your heart as running every day. When I walk or bike, my HR doesn't get nearly as high as when I run. I'll grant that you certainly could get your HR up as high when biking, but I don't bike that hard. Strength training is also a fantastic way to cross train, particularly if you're working on your core because that will help your running.

Leoturi wrote: »

7lenny7 wrote: »

fit_chickx wrote: »

You are doing fantastic working out. Some things to check into to help you train for running.

meet-your-running-goals.com/target-heart-rate-chart.html

This is a perfect example of why you should ignore equations (or charts) which try to tell you what your max heart rate is, and sets the "zones" based on that.

According to this chart, since I'm 50 my max HR is estimated to be 172. I've recorded it as high as 185 within the last few months during the end of a 5K race (so max is probably a few beats higher). If I were to use this chart my HR would be way off.

I've read where the typical Max HR equations only apply to half the population or less. It's too important to get this right to depend on an equation or chart which is wrong as much as it is right.

And this is why someone new to all this can get easily confused. I'd assume to find your max heart rate, you should be doing that with a doctor I'd imagine. Otherwise, that seems highly unsafe to get up to the max you can go. I will look at the website you recommended on the aerobic thing and see what that is all about, and I do appreciate the advice.

Which is where you get to the school of thought that as a new runner there is very little value in overcomplicating things. I'm much more inclined to recommend perceived effort as a guide, allowing you to concentrate on your form and posture.

The observation is make is that several factors influence HR, and it takes a degree of experience to recognise some of those.

Coaching a running group I'd generally suggest that the talk test is a good indicator that can work for everyone, and helps cohesion. If you can talk in complete sentences then that's a reasonable training pace.

What do you mean by cross training? Wouldn't walking and riding a bike be in the same vein as cardio work? If I'm to rest in between, does that mean I'm supposed to rest my heart, or just my muscles that I'm using to run? Also, in that vein, on the off days, would it be smart to be lifting weights and using exercise machines, that aren't related to cardio work? I try to do some benching twice a week, and usually do machines that work my arms and abs and such. I try not to mess with my legs too much, seeing as running and walking puts stress on them as it is.

X-training is just other training that's complimentary to the running. Cycling, swimming, some form of strength training are all good options. Plyometrics can be useful.

You can easily do additional CV work without issue, but things that balance muscle pairs and compensate for areas where running isn't a comprehensive activity all help.

I'd again support the alternate days suggestion. Any knowledgeable coach would steer you away from overdoing it.

Leoturi wrote: »

If I were to be getting a bike, should I be getting a regular bike, or should I be getting one of those 700cc thin and tall tire bikes? I've been considering getting one for a bit now, and if cycling will help me, then I'm all for it. The ones I usually see at walmart are mountain bikes and the 700cc ones. Or should I be getting something different all together?

Different type of bike have different strengths and weaknesses, with the most appropriate depending on what type of riding you're likely to do.

Road bikes are fast, and can be fun, but they're intolerant of poor surfaces and lack some flexibility.

Mountain bikes are heavier, slower, but they're much more forgiving of surface quality and more adaptable.

Hybrids are a compromise, as are Cyclo-cross.

If you're clearer about where you'll be riding you can get more specific advice.

Personally i have a road bike, mountain bike, Cyclo-cross, folding commuter and use them all in different situations.

Leoturi wrote: »

Mainly a paved trail in the woods. It is more or less a road for a 1.3 miles. I've seen people using those and mountain bikes, so wasn't sure if one was better or not. Also wasn't sure if the bike itself would effect how much exercise you would get from it, as one is harder or easier to pedal, that kind of thing.

On a paved trail, either bike would be fine. The 700 cc will be faster for less input power from you. If you ever plan to ride other places, the mountain bike gives you more flexibility because it can handle a variety of surfaces. If you decide on a mountain bike, I would recommend only getting the kind with front suspension only (unless you are actually planning on doing serious mountain biking). It makes the bike a little lighter and is plenty for dirt trails or badly maintained streets.

Not a runner, but I use a cardio machine in my basement. I frequently put supper in the oven to warm and go do my 50 minutes. When I eat first, I usually wait a little before getting on, but I'm not sure how necessary it is.

I have 700c wheels and run compass cycles' stampede pass tires (32 wide, a true 32). It's a misnomer to think a thicker tire is slower. The wind drag from your bike tires is negligible when you factor in a high center of mass which impacts wind drag 99%. Rolling resistance is related to the suppleness of the rubber and has to do with energy absorbed through the hysteresis cycles. Once you go wide, you never go back. That was supposed to rhyme...but I've ridden my stampedes on gravel roads for 100+ mile outings. Pricey, but well worth it if you have a reasonable frame that will fit them.