Download training zones

Finishing off Unit 1.1.4…
Physical Activity as part of your
healthy active lifestyle
Learning Objectives
Do I know what a PAR-Q is and why I should
complete one before I take part in a training
programme?
Can I compare types of exercise describing the
difference between aerobic and anaerobic?
Do I know what training thresholds, the target zone
and recovery rates are?
PAR-Q Physical Activity Readiness
Questionnaire
• Before taking part in an exercise programme
you must make sure you are ready to do so. A
personal trainer would ask you to fill out a form
like the one below to help them plan a
programme suitable for you.
• Before you take part you should consider your
medical history: any medical conditions,
respiratory problems or other concerns. You
should also be quite clear about previous
sporting or exercise knowledge.
Comparing types of training
You need to be able to explain the role of aerobic
and anaerobic activity in relation to
exercise. Below are the definitions from the
glossary of terms. You need to know these.
• Aerobic activity ‘with oxygen’. If exercise is not
too fast and is steady, the heart can supply all
the oxygen the muscles need.
• Anaerobic activity ‘without oxygen’. If exercise
is done in short, fast bursts, the heart cannot
supply blood and oxygen to the muscles as fast
as the cells can use them.
Comparing types of training
The terms relate to the intensity of the activity or how hard
you are physically making the body work.
For example, the 100m sprint is an anaerobic activity
because you work as hard as you can (maximal level).
When we work at this rate it is not possible to supply the
muscles with the oxygen they need to release energy for
the exercise, so we woth without oxygen anaerobically
and repay oxygen debt once the exercise is completed.
The only problem is that because of the lack of oxygen
we can work at this level only for a limited period of time,
therefore longer events such as the 3000m are mainly
aerobic.
Aerobic and Anaerobic
An extreme example of the anaerobic
activity is the 100m sprint. An extreme
example of an aerobic activity is the
marathon, although aspects of the
marathon will be anaerobic, e.g., the sprint
finish. Similarly, many team games will
have aspects of aerobic and anaerobic
activity within them.
Target Zones and Training
Thresholds
• In order for training to be beneficial the heart rate must
be raised to an appropriate level above its resting state.
• To calculate your target training zone you take 220 –
age, e.g. 220 – 15 = 205.
• Your target training zone will be 60–80% of this figure,
i.e. 60% = 123 80% = 164
• At the lower end you will be working AEROBICALLY, i.e.
creating energy with the presence of oxygen so work is
of low intensity.
• At the upper end you will be working ANAEROBICALLY,
i.e. creating energy without oxygen so work is of high
intensity.
• Your recovery rate is important. The quicker your pulse
returns to normal, the fitter you are.
Graph
• The top line on the graph represents the
maximum heart rate values for the age groups
specified.
• The middle line represents the maximum
training threshold (80%)
• The lower line represents the minimum training
threshold (60%)
• The area between the minimum and maximum
training thresholds is called the target zone – the
area that you should try to work within so that
your body is working hard enough to cause it to
adapt but not so hard that training has a
negative effect
DEFINITION
TARGET ZONE
This provides the range of heart rate values
the performer should work within in order
for training intensity to be effective.
Recovery Rates
One of the immediate effects of exercise is an
increase in heart rate. A person’s recovery rate
is the amount of time it takes for their heart rate
to return to its resting rate after they have
finished exercising.
The reason the heart rate remains high is that it is
continuing to deliver an increased amount of
oxygen to the muscles (paying back oxygen
debt) to reduce lactic acid content and to
transport carbon dioxide to the lungs.
The quicker your heart rate returns to its resting
value, the fitter you are thought to be