Aquatic
Exercise Heart Rate Zones
Heart Rate Monitors Make a Splash!
By Joanne Maybeck
- Part Three
This
is the third article about using a Polar heart rate monitor as a fitness tool
in aquatic exercise classes and personal training.
Article One
· Article Two
In Part One, we learned the basics
about heart rate monitors, and where to get one. In Part Two, we learned how to
calculate an aquatic target heart rate and why aquatic heart rates are lower
than comparable land-based exercise.
So, what else can a heart
rate monitor do for you and other aquatic exercise class participants?
You can use it to tailor workouts to
your fitness level, and to work out in the correct aquatic exercise zones. To understand how to do this, lets
start by revisiting that target heart rate chart hanging on the pool
wall
Such charts generally display 60 to
90% of maximum heart rate, for various age groups (20, 25, 30, and so on). For a 30 year-old, the 60 to 90% range
is from 114 to 171 beats per minute. Thats a very wide range!
Lets take our understanding to the
next level, with a better alternative to that wide range: To create tailored workouts, break the
wide range into five smaller Heart Zones, each with its own benefits. This
concept was created by world-class athlete and heart rate monitor guru Sally
Edwards. Sally calls this multiple
zone approach Heart Zone Training.
What are the five Heart Rate Zones?
Zone 1 – the Healthy Heart Zone: 50
to 60% of Maximum Heart Rate
For beginners
For recovery sessions for fitter
people
For after lay-off or injury
Land example: easy
walk
Zone 2 – the Temperate Zone: 60 to
70% of Maximum Heart Rate
Moderate, comfortable
exercise
Burns high percentage of fat
Gains muscle mass
Increases resting metabolism
Land
example: Brisk walk or easy jog
Zone 3 – the Aerobic Zone: 70 to 80
% of Maximum Heart Rate
Cardiovascular improvements
Increased size and
strength of heart
Increased blood pumped with each
heartbeat
Increased ability to deliver oxygen to
muscle
Increased size and number of blood
vessels
Endorphins released
Land example:
Step aerobics class
Zone 4 – the Anaerobic Zone: 80 to
90% of Maximum Heart Rate
Improves tolerance to lactic acid
High performance
training
Land example: Race pace, time trials
Zone 5 – the Redline Zone: 90 to
100% of Maximum Heart Rate
Near
max
Near total exhaustion
Land example: Sprints to finish line in a
race
How do I calculate the five
zones for aquatic exercise?
1.
Use the Best Fit Formula from Part 2 of this series to estimate maximum
heart rate.
2.
Calculate the five Heart Zones for land exercise, by applying the
percentages for each Heart Zone against the estimated maximum heart rate from
Step 1.
3.
Subtract 13% or 17 Beats per minute from each land Heart Zone, to
calculate the five aquatic Heart Zones.
How else can
monitors help?
Many of
today’s heart rate monitors have a number of features that are especially
well suited to Heart Zone Training in multiple smaller zones:
Programmable zones
Above and
below zone alarms
Records exercise time
Records time in zone, above
zone, below zone
Additional conveniences include:
Calculates calories burned during
workout
Wristwatch functions such as day, date, night light
Sports
watch functions such as laps/splits
Ability to upload monitor data to a
personal computer, to track progress
Joanne Maybeck is a fitness instructor and
personal trainer in New York City.
She is certified by ACSM, ACE, AEA, and AAAI/ISMA. Joanne presents the CEC workshop
Aquatic Heart Zone Training and will soon offer on-line heart monitor
education. She believes in training with heart! For more about Joanne, please visit her
Internet web site or email her at
FitNYC@aol.com |
