Even if you have a few years under your belt, the exciting thing is that won’t hinder you. You can easily compete with any other friend, family member, or gym member with your ‘level of fitness’. Studies of the heart have shown that ‘age’ doesn’t impact ‘recovery’. That means that when you have just completed a class or workout, you can monitor how fast your heart rate returns to normal. The ‘fitter you are’ the quicker your heart rate recovers. And if your mate is 25 and you are 45, it doesn’t matter. It’s a level playing field. Whose heart is recovering faster?
Your resting heart rate also gives an indication of your level of fitness. Recent research is that you no longer calculate a person’s maximum training heart rate with 220 minus your age (new equation below). It’s been discovered that we are capable of more. The new MYZONE system has been based on the latest research, and continually monitors and adapts, as it gets to know YOUR heart’s response to exercise. For instance, if you are new to regular exercise and using MYZONE, your heart rate is shown to elevate faster than someone who has already increased their fitness.
So next time you complete a workout or class, take special note of how quickly your heart rate returns to normal.
Maximum Hear-Rate – see the Hunt Study – the calculation is now 211 minus 64% of your age.
