Cardio too intense?

**Glutamine77** · 06-07-2005, 12:55 PM

I'm 21 so that would mean 70% of my MHR would be 140 right? but that means I'm not even jogging, it means I walk a little faster then normal.. it seems that my idea of cardio should be at least a light jog.. I could be wrong..) so basically is my cardio to intense to lose fat (around 80-85% most of the time) and could that higher intensity cardio interfere with muscle growth? thanks in advance for the input guys!

**bad_man** · 06-07-2005, 12:57 PM

At 80-85% you are in your aerobic zone, not your fat burning zone. And yes, it can also be catabolic at that intensity.

**4U2NV** · 06-07-2005, 01:00 PM

65 - 75% of MHR is the reccomend intensity for fat burning. Anything above that you start using carbs as your main substrate (fuel). So your heart rate between 129 - 149 is where you should try to maintain. Also yes high intensity cardio can interfere with muscle growth.

**Motion** · 06-07-2005, 01:24 PM

I'm 24 and I do a "brisk" walk(3 mph) on the treadmill with an incline every morning and its been working great. I noticed a visible difference in less than 2 weeks when I first started this routine.

**4U2NV** · 06-07-2005, 01:26 PM

Determation and persistence thats what it takes. keep up the good work Motion

**Motion** · 06-07-2005, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by 4U2NV

Determation and persistence thats what it takes. keep up the good work Motion

Thanks man. Your definitely right, sticking with your routine is the hardest part. You gotta want it.

**furiousburn** · 06-07-2005, 01:33 PM

Your calculations are based on the Cooper formula, also known as the "simple" formula. This is a conservative calculation that only takes into consideration age. It's often used for beginners.

A more accurate way to calculate target heart rate is to use the Karvonen formula which goes by your resting heart rate. Your resting HR is the minimum amount of beats you will always be "using" and the formula is then to "use" a percentage of your heart rate reserve, or if you will - leftover available heartbeats.

For the sake of this example lets say your resting heart rate is 70.

220 - age - resting HR= Heart rate reserve
( 220-21- 70 = 129 HRR)

Heart rate reserve x intensity + resting HR = estimated training heart rate
(129 HRR x .7 = 90.3 + 70 = 160.0 beats/minute to train at 70% of your aerobic capacity)

These numbers will be higher than when calculating with the simple formula but it is data that is more specific to YOUR engine.

To find your resting heart rate you can a) sleep with a heart rate monitor on and record the number before you get up b) have someone take your heart rate manually while you are sleeping or c) manually take your own heart rate in the morning when you wake up before getting up. However you get the data you should average the results from three mornings.

I hope this helps - Bad Man and 4U2NV are right - don't go higher than 75% if you want to remain primarily fat burning.

**se11** · 06-07-2005, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Motion

I'm 24 and I do a "brisk" walk(3 mph) on the treadmill with an incline every morning and its been working great. I noticed a visible difference in less than 2 weeks when I first started this routine.

how long do you walk for?

**Motion** · 06-07-2005, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by se11

how long do you walk for?

I started at 20 minutes a day and worked my way up to 45 minutes a day. Personally I wouldn't recommend jumping right into 45 min/day if your not used to doing alot of cardio. Especially on a treadmill, can you say shin splints?

**Glutamine77** · 06-07-2005, 10:17 PM

:bump:

**se11** · 06-14-2005, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by Motion

I started at 20 minutes a day and worked my way up to 45 minutes a day. Personally I wouldn't recommend jumping right into 45 min/day if your not used to doing alot of cardio. Especially on a treadmill, can you say shin splints?

how does your stomach look?