Heart Rate Programs; Rate Of Perceived Exertion - Spirit XT285 Owner's Manual

Heart Rate Programs

The old motto, "no pain, no gain", is a myth that has been overpowered by the benefits of
exercising comfortably. A great deal of this success has been promoted by the use of heart rate monitors.
With the proper use of a heart rate monitor, many people find that their usual choice of exercise intensity
was either too high or too low and exercise is much more enjoyable by
maintaining their heart rate in the desired benefit range.
To determine the benefit range in which you wish to train, you must first determine your
Maximum Heart Rate. This can be accomplished by using the following formula: 220 minus your age. This
will give you the Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)for someone of your age. To determine the effective heart
rate range for specific goals you simply calculate a percentage of your MHR. Your Heart rate training zone
is 50% to 90% of your maximum heart rate. 60% of your MHR is the zone that burns fat while 80% is for
strengthening the cardio vascular system. This 60% to 80% is the zone to stay in for maximum benefit.
For someone who is 40 years old their
target heart rate zone is calculated:
220 – 40 = 180 (maximum heart rate)
180 x .6 = 108 beats per minute
(60% of maximum)
180 X .8 = 144 beats per minute
(80% of maximum)
So for a 40 year old the training zone would be 108
to 144 beats per minute.
If you enter your age during programming the
console will perform this calculation
automatically. Entering your age is used for the Heart Rate programs. After calculating your MHR you can
decide upon which goal you would like to pursue.
The two most popular reasons for, or goals, of exercise are cardiovascular fitness (training for the
heart and lungs) and weight control. The black columns on the chart above represent the MHR for a
person whose age is listed at the bottom of each column. The training heart rate, for either cardiovascular
fitness or weight loss, is represented by two different lines that cut diagonally through the chart. A defini-
tion of the lines' goal is in the bottom left-hand corner of the chart. If your goal is cardiovascular fitness or
if it is weight loss, it can be achieved by training at 80% or 60%, respectively, of your MHR on a schedule
approved by your physician. Consult your
physician before participating in any exercise program.
With all Spirit Fitness Heart Rate programs treadmills you may use the heart rate monitor feature without
using the Heart Rate program. This function can be used during manual mode or during any of the nine
different programs. The Heart Rate program automatically controls
resistance at the pedals.
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XT285
T readmill

Rate of Perceived Exertion

Heart rate is important but listening to your body also has a lot of advantages. There are more
variables involved in how hard you should workout than just heart rate. Your stress level, physical
health, emotional health, temperature, humidity, the time of day, the last time you ate and what
you ate, all contribute to the intensity at which you should workout. If you listen to your body, it
will tell you all of these things.
The rate of perceived exertion (RPE), also know as the Borg scale, was developed by Swedish
physiologist G.A.V. Borg. This scale rates exercise intensity from 6 to 20 depending upon how you
feel or the perception of your effort.
The scale is as follows:
Rating Perception of Effort
6 Minimal
7 Very,very light
8 Very,very light +
9 Very light
10 Very light +
11 Fairly light
12 Comfortable
13 Somewhat hard
14 Somewhat hard +
15 Hard
16 Hard +
17 Very hard
18 Very hard +
19 Very,very hard
20 Maximal
You can get an approximate heart rate level for each rating by simply adding a zero to each rat-
ing. For example a rating of 12 will result in an approximate heart rate of 120 beats per minute.
Your RPE will vary depending up the factors discussed earlier. That is the major benefit of this
type of training. If your body is strong and rested, you will feel strong and your pace will feel
easier. When your body is in this condition, you are able to train harder and the RPE will support
this. If you are feeling tired and sluggish, it is because your body needs a break. In this condition,
your pace will feel harder. Again, this will show up in your RPE and you will train at the proper
level for that day.
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XT285
T readmill