Does fitness level determine cardio rate?

**KingMike** · 07-28-2006, 08:10 AM

Been doing morning cardio for 50 minutes every morning at 140 BPM and it is like doing nothing almost. I barely break a sweat. When I firwst started the cardio it was hard to get HR to 140. Does cardio have to be done a little harder as you get in more shape or is "fat burning rate" standard for everyone.

6'/178/13% 32 YRS.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-28-2006, 08:20 AM

as you get fitter it should get harder to get your heart rate up as your resting rate will get lower. Are you taking any stims like eca or clen . If so this will make it easy to bring your heart rate up with less effort.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-28-2006, 08:24 AM

140 is too high for you anway. the sum is 220 minus age * .6 and the same but*.7 this will give you two figures . stay between those. 112-131 is your fat burning zone.

**KingMike** · 07-28-2006, 10:31 AM

Are you kidding me. 140 seems like I am walking to the mailbox to get mail. Should I slow down so much that it is like doing nothing to get better results?

What I am saying about fitness level is for example.

Will Lance armostrong burn fat doing fasted morning cardio at 120 BPM even though he is in unreal fitness condition.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-29-2006, 09:06 AM

yes he will. And if you go over this then you risk eating muscle. I keep my cardio at 130 for 40mins and i am sweating buckets at the end. I am not unfit and have a resting HR of 56 which is pretty damn good. How are you measuring your HR because it sounds like you are getting an incorrect reading if you are finding it THAT easy.

**novastepp** · 07-29-2006, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by KingMike

Are you kidding me. 140 seems like I am walking to the mailbox to get mail. Should I slow down so much that it is like doing nothing to get better results?

What I am saying about fitness level is for example.

Will Lance armostrong burn fat doing fasted morning cardio at 120 BPM even though he is in unreal fitness condition.

are you using the incline?

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-29-2006, 09:13 AM

just read your other posts and it states you drink too cups of strong coffee before cardio. This will be why you find it easy to get your HR up. You will still be fat burning.

**KingMike** · 07-29-2006, 09:20 AM

My resting HR is 58-64 depending on the time of the day.

I drink 2 cups of coffee then start walking on my road for 10 minutes or so and my HR gets to 140 VERY EASY and the reading is manual and is correct. I then head to the stationary bike and SLOWLY pedal and my HR stays in the 130-140 range VERY,VERy easily. I can go for 2 hours if I wanted and I get a little sweat on the forehead but that is it, of course it is outdoors and I am wearing a t and shorts and it is about 72 degrees or so.

This morning I went at 130 BPM for 1 hour and it was like doing nothing but 3 hours later I feel so much leaner. I guees since I have been on the cardio kick for a year, it is just very easy to me, that is why I am keeping it at 30-40 minutes while I bulk.

**novastepp** · 07-29-2006, 10:16 AM

sounds like something is wrong here

**novastepp** · 07-29-2006, 10:18 AM

im lucky if i get my heart rate anywhere above 100 when i'm walking. if i walk fast i can hit 110 or SLIGHTLY above that.

**novastepp** · 07-29-2006, 10:19 AM

king, are you seriously out of shape?

**KingMike** · 07-29-2006, 10:43 AM

Out of shape? I do not think so. When I first started morning cardio ayear or so ago it was difficult to keep cardio in the 130-140 BPM range but the last month or so it takes abot 10 minutes of fast walking then just slowly ride it out on the stationary bike. If I put forth any effort my HR goes to about 170 BPm very easily. When I am doing heavy lifts (squats, deads, etc..) I have checked my HR 1 minute after the lift and it is about 200-220 BPM.

This does mean something is wrong does it? My buddy says that since I am already 6', 178 pounds and 32 years old and around 13% BF or so that I should drop all cardio and just lift weights for about 3-4 months, He says that I have built up some form of immunity to cardio, I do not think he is correct.

**novastepp** · 07-29-2006, 10:51 AM

nahh man, the better shape you are in teh harder it is to get your heart rate up. im not calling you stupid, but you're sure you're measuring correctly? what exactly do you do for cardio? like fast walking on fast ground?

**novastepp** · 07-29-2006, 10:52 AM

and cardio done at a target heart rate zone will always burn fat. you don't get "immune" it mkay become difficult to get your heart rate to that area, but when there it will burn fat.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-29-2006, 10:57 AM

agreed

**KingMike** · 07-29-2006, 11:06 AM

Flat ground with a couple hills to get my HR to 130-140. If I just walk at a regular faster pace on flat ground it gets to about 110. Could all this lifting and cardio for the past 5-6 months have put me in a serious overtrained state and I need to cut back for awhile. I have noticed that before I lift in the evening I jog for about 3-4 mintues to warmup and I get really winded fast, this only started since I have been cutting and doing alot of work.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-29-2006, 11:14 AM

If that was happening to me i'd visit the doctor. You are either measuring your HR wrong or there is something not right with you bro cos those figures do not seem normal. Fast walk on the flat im like between 70-80. I have to bust my ass on the incline or elliptical to get up past 120

**KingMike** · 07-29-2006, 11:36 AM

Can overtraining bring it on? I mean 4-5 months of lifting 5 days a week for 1 hour plus 45 minutes cardio sessions 6 days a week is alot while eating low carb and taking in 2100 calories. I think I should take 4-5 days off everything and start back up on a nice lean mass diet and lay off cardio for awhile and see how I feel. I mean I feel great but if you guys say something is wrong, then it might be.

**KingMike** · 07-29-2006, 12:30 PM

I have been dipping Copenhagen during cardio, can that bring your HR up faster?

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-29-2006, 01:26 PM

what is copenhagen?

**KingMike** · 07-29-2006, 01:34 PM

Chewing tobacco. Just talked to a guy on the soccer team at the local college and he said that if you do alot of cardio and other activities that my situation is normal. He said once cardio was hard but after a year by body is just used to the fact of getting your HR to a certain point and keeping it there.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-29-2006, 02:01 PM

That is complete BS mate. The fitter you get the HARDER it is to get your HR up. IF a fat slob does cardio his HR will go up to like 180 if lance armstrong did the same cardio it would be half that. Like I said before you either have a problem or you are measuring it wrong but you carry on chewing your tobacco and listening to crap advice.

**KingMike** · 07-30-2006, 08:25 AM

Here is my HR status this morning:

10 minutes after waking I checked HR- 56 BPM

Had 1 cup of coffee for 20 minutes then proceded to walk on flat road for 5 minutes and my HR got to about 100 BPM. I started waliing faster for 5 more minutes until HR reached 140 BPM. I then SLOWLY rod a stationary bike for 40 more minutes at 130-138 BPM and it was very easy.

I had a Protein shake with flax 30 minutes later and checked my HR and it was back down to 56 BPM.

There is NOTHING wrong with me and I think it is very normal to have slow cardio be very easy once you get your HR to where it should be.

***perfectbeast2001*** · 07-30-2006, 09:31 AM

ok good luck

**KingMike** · 07-30-2006, 10:11 AM

Thanks for all the help beast, do you think that I sound normal? If that is not normal I am going to cut the volume WAy down on lifting and cut cardio down to twice a week.