Exercise Questions

[Sphexi]

What's the best target heartrate to hit and hold during cardio?

Is it better to have a higher heartrate for less time, or a slightly lower heartrate for longer?

Is it important to get the whole body moving while the heartrate is up?

It's currently like 85F-90F here, while I'm working out is it okay to have a fan pointed at me to keep me cooled off, or does that decrease the effect of my body working out? Would it be better to simply deal with the heat and let my body heat up a lot more, rather than keep myself cool with a fan?

Do you find it easier (harder to be distracted) listening to music, or watching a movie/TV, or just in silence?

Mostly just curious, I personally get my heartrate up to about 165 on a magnetic recumbant(?) bike, hold that for half an hour or so a day. Lately I've been using the fan because it's so warm, I figure that's just cooling off my skin, internally I'm still heating up from the workout. I try to do some arm exercises at the same time with small free-weights, but not always. Just wondering what other people do for cardio workouts, how frequently, stuff like that.

 

[Landroval]

Multiple methods

 

[Goosemaster]

her [insert orfice name here]

 

[edro]

Add weight lifting to the pole. Weight lifting usually keeps my average heart rate at ~120 bpm for 1.5 hours. Leg days I get 130 bpm average for 1.5 hours. (I wear a good heart rate monitor)

 

[archiloco]

running gets boring after a while....so vary with racketball and tae-bo

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
her [insert orfice name here]

Yeah, but effective cardio requires keeping your heartrate up for like 20-30 minutes or more, not 30 seconds


EDIT:

Added weights to the pole.

 

[alwayspokey]

it really depends on your goals, whether it is to lose weight or build muscle. In general for cardio fat burning you are looking at between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate. If it is for intensity training you are looking at 80% and over of your maximum heart rate (once again it changes depending on your particulars)

A very rough estimate of maximal heart rate is 200 - your age

The optimal heart rate (between lower and longer or higher and shorter) also depends on your goal. Either way its most likely better to maintain a longer workout.

The fan in the heat wont effect your calorie burning quantity with any huge significance, best bet is to do whats comfortable so you can perform longer.

Personally I have to in the very least listen to music while working out or I get bored, though anytime you divide your attention between two tasks you perform lower at both, but I think its better to perform a little lower than to bore yourself to death.

Like I said it varies for the individual, but I have taken many classes on nutrition and exercise bio and these are the things I have learned...

 

[cjgallen]

Treadmill/Running

 

[EmperorIQ]

i recommend running, but switch it up, do distance one day, timed another day, and intervals another day.

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Swimming and running

 

[Turkish]

I don't run. I will still need my knees when I am 70 or something. Since I do an hour of cardio 6 days a week, I use the elliptical machine. It doesn't put pressure on my knees and I can usually burn around 1000 calories in 60 minutes at 15 degree angle with 230 strides per minute.

Then I lift 6 days a week too. You got to do them together and you need a balanced diet formed of unprocessed natural foods.