Always consult a doctor before starting any exercise programme or returning to exercise
after a break. In order to get the best out of your equipment, and ensure that you are
exercising at an optimum level, it is important to monitor your heart rate as you exercise.
Horizon Fitness equipment has built in monitors to help, but knowing what your heart
rate should be whilst exercising is vital.
The intensity of an exercise is expressed as a
percentage of maximum heart rate.
Always seek advice from your doctor on a safe range that allows you to benefit from exercise without risk.
Maximum Heart Rate
This is calculated as 220 beats per minute minus your age.
So, for a 40 year old, this would work out at a maximum
heart rate of 180 beats per minute.
Target Heart Rate
For someone without medical restrictions, a target heart rate is
typically 50-85% of maximum heart rate depending on fitness.
This is the level you should aim to achieve. At the beginning aim
for the 50% level and increase gradually. For a 40 year old this
would represent 90 beats per minute (50% of the 180 beat
maximum) rising to 153 beats (85% of the maximum) when
fitter. After about six months of regular exercise it should be
possible to operate at 85% of maximum heart rate comfortably.
Resting Heart Rate
Typically this is around 70 beats per minute. Check your
resting heart rate before and after exercise using the built in
monitor. The faster your heart returns to its resting rate the
fitter you are becoming. It’s a great way to measure
cardiovascular improvement.
Heart Rate Training (HRT)
Heart Rate Training programmes appear on selected models
and enable the user to set a heart rate target, for example
120 beats per minute. The machine will then keep you within
a ten beat range of this target (plus or minus 5 beats). When
your heart rate drops below 115, the machine will make your
exercise harder to increase your heart rate. If you go over
125 beats the machine will decrease your intensity to make
your training easier and lower your heart rate. This is done by
changes in elevation, or where there is two heart rate
programmes, speed and elevation changes.
Heart Rate programmes are a great way to ensure that you
exercise with enough intensity to derive real health benefits,
but not so hard as to over exert yourself. They can help put
you in a safe and comfortable zone whilst training.
There are two methods of monitoring your heart rate whilst
exercising and in order to benefit fully from the HRT function
on some of our machines, you will need a chest strap (not
included):
Chest Strap
The use of a chest strap in preference to Hand Grip Pulse
Sensors has the advantage that a user does not have to
slow down to a walking pace to obtain a heart rate reading.
Hand Grip Pulse
The Hand Grip Pulse has to be held constantly to obtain a
reading. It should only be used at walking pace; attempting to
hold the Hand Grip Pulse Sensors can prove awkward and
could cause loss of balance (treadmills only).
Horizon Fitness are leaders in fitness equipment and gym equipment. Our range includes treadmills, exercise bike, rowing machines, elliptical trainers and multigyms. , , , , , , , horizonfitness.co.uk, , ,
