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STARTING YOUR WELLBEING & FITNESS JOURNEYINTRODUCING MYZONECHAMPNEYS MOVEMENT SCREENCHAMPNEYS GAIT ANALYSISBEFORE AND AFTER PHOTO SESSIONSPECIAL PERSONAL TRAINING OFFERSPECIAL SPA TREATMENT OFFERBODY COMPOSITION ANALYSISDIET & NUTRITION PROGRAMMEFAMILY & FRIENDS OFFERCARDIO TRAININGMYZONE TESTRESISTANCE TRAININGFORGOTTEN HOW THINGS WORK?WHERE TO FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEEDUSEFUL INFORMATION
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MEET YOUR CLUB MANAGER
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THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS TO ADDING CARDIO EXERCISE TO YOUR FITNESS PROGRAMME

  •  It helps you burn fat and calories
  •  Makes your heart stronger
  •  Can help with your mental health & dealing with stress
  •  Helps you sleep better
  •  Can improve your overall confidence and make you feel good


Whether you're doing cardio exercise for health, fitness, or weight loss, it's important to work at a certain level of intensity based on your heart rate. Your heart rate is one of the best indicators of how hard your body is working during a workout.

  • Frequency is easy to understand: it's how many times you exercise per period of time, for example per week
  • Duration is simple too: it's how long you exercise at a time, usually counted in minutes
  • Intensity is a bit more complicated – and that's where the heart rate zones come in

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An effective training programme will include different types of workouts with varying frequency, duration and intensity spaced out so that you have time to recover.

This means that some workouts should be short and intense, some long and light, some can even be long and tough. It's the variety that makes your training effective.

FINDING YOUR TARGET HEART RATE ZONES

Your exercise heart rate is split into 5 heart rate zones based on the intensity of training with regard to your maximum heart rate.

Your target heart rate numbers will depend on your age and fitness level. There are a few ways to determine these starting with your maximum heart rate estimated as 220 minus your age.

Even more conveniently, heart rate detection is now featured in many activity monitors as well in the Myzone technology used at Champneys. This device will ask you for your age and determine your heart rate zones for you. During exercise, the Myzone belt will indicate which heart rate zone you are in so you can increase or decrease your exertion. As well, our treadmills, stationary cycles, and Cross Trainers will have handgrip heart rate detectors that allow you to monitor your heart rate zones.

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KNOW YOUR NUMBERS: MAXIMUM AND TARGET HEART RATE

There are different ways to specify your heart rate zones. One simple way is to define them as percentages of your maximum heart rate. The table below shows target heart rate zones for different ages. Remember your maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age.

In the age category closest to yours, read across to find your target heart rates. Target heart rate during moderate intensity activities is about 50-70% of maximum heart rate, while during vigorous physical activity it's about 70-85% of maximum. However this can vary from individual to individual so please see a Personal Trainer for guidance.

The figures are averages, so use them as a general guide.

HIT THE TARGET: FIND YOUR HEART RATE

Now that you have a target, you can monitor your heart rate to make sure you're in the zone. As you exercise, periodically check your heart rate. The Myzone tracker makes this super easy.

LOW INTENSITY: 40-50% OF MAXIMUM HEART RATE

The low-intensity heart rate zone keeps you at a comfortable heart rate and is a good choice for beginners or as a warmup. You should always start an exercise session with a couple of minutes in the low-intensity zone to get your blood circulation going. Beginners may start with low-intensity cardio to build exercise tolerance and get used to walking, cycling, or using cardio equipment.

At low intensity, you are getting the benefits of being active rather than sedentary. Sitting for long periods can raise health risks. The drawback of staying in this zone is that you are not getting the extra benefits of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise in reducing health risks or achieving the minimum amount of exercise recommended each day.

Examples of a low-intensity cardio workout are to take a walk at a comfortably easy pace or use a stationary cycle with little tension in pedalling.

MODERATE INTENSITY: 50-70% OF MAXIMUM HEART RATE

Experts often recommend working at a moderate intensity to build fitness and lose weight. Cardio workouts in the moderate-intensity exercise zone improve your body's ability to transport oxygen and condition your heart. You'll burn more calories and fat in this zone, as well. To reduce your health risks, you should get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week, with workouts of at least 10 minutes in this zone. The workouts should be spread throughout the week.

Examples of moderate-intensity cardio workouts include brisk walking, easy jogging, bicycling under 10 mph, and water aerobics.

HIGH INTENSITY: 70-85% OF MAXIMUM HEART RATE

Working in the high-intensity heart rate zone takes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to burn more calories. You build aerobic fitness in this zone, improving your VO2 max (your maximum rate of oxygen use). Consistent high-intensity workouts can raise your anaerobic threshold (or lactate threshold), which is the point at which your body must use less-efficient pathways to generate energy for your muscles.

To reach the minimum recommended amount of exercise each week you need 75 minutes in bouts of at least 10 minutes in this zone at a time, preferably spread throughout the week. A combination of high-intensity and moderate-intensity exercise will also meet the guidelines.

Examples of high-intensity cardio workouts include running, lap swimming, cycling faster than 10 mph, and high-intensity aerobic intervals workouts.

MAXIMUM EFFORT: 85-100% OF MAXIMUM HEART RATE

Working at this level means you're working as hard as you can, as in all-out sprints or very high-intensity interval training. Most people can only sustain this level of effort for a short period of time, making this the toughest zone and more appropriate for advanced exercisers. A sprint interval workout is an example of training at maximum effort with rests in between work intervals. A drawback of exercising at maximum intensity is that you are above the anaerobic threshold and producing lactic acid. This by-product leads to "feeling the burn" in your muscles and post-exercise muscle soreness.

Enjoying workouts in each of the heart rate zones will help you build physical fitness in different ways. It's good to mix it up for variety rather than thinking there is one best kind of workout.

Important Note: Some drugs and medications affect heart rate, meaning you may have a lower maximum heart rate and target zone. If you have a heart condition or take medication, ask your healthcare provider what your heart rate should be.