The Five Heart Rate Zones
Zone 1: Healthy Heart Zone
… Easiest, comfortable
… Criticized: total calories, sweating, VO2
… Benefits: body fat, blood pressure, cholesterol, muscle mass, risk for degenerative diseases, safety, weight stabilized
… Exercise Law of Diminishing Returns
… Fuels Burned: 10% Carbohydrates, 85% Fat, 5% Protein
Zone 2: Temperate Zone
… 70% of all calories from fat as the fuel
… Benefits: healthy heart plus gain muscle mass and lose fat mass
… Training your fat mobilization; get the fat out of the cell
… Training your fat transportation; get the fat to the muscle
… Training your muscles to burn fat; increase in mitochondria
… Fat burns in oxygen and not in high lactic acid concentrations
… Train your fat cells to increase the rate of fat release
… Maintain high blood flow to fat cells for transport
… Controversial name: Comfort Zone, Cruise Zone, Fat Burning Zone
… Fuels Burned: 25% Carbs, 70% Fat, 5% protein
Zone 3: Aerobic Zone
… Transition zone from two health zones to fitness to two performance zones
… Still feels comfortable, you break sweat, no burn
… Metabolize fatty acids and still spare carbs
… Functional capacity enhanced; increase in the number and size of blood vessels, increased vital capacity, respiratory rate, max pulmonary ventilation, pulmonary diffusion, increase in difference in arterial-venous oxygen.
… Endorphins
… Shift in fuel ratio utilization towards carbs
… Fuels burned: 60% carbs, 35% fat, 5% protein
Zone 4: Anaerobic Threshold Zone
… Benefits: improved VO2, and higher lactate tolerance ability (OBLA)
… High total calories, high carbs as source of calories
… At-About-Around AT HR training principles
… Fuels burned: 80% Carbs, 15% fat, 5% protein
Zone 5: Redline Zone
… Interval Training
… Limited time in zone; always a two zone workout
… Lactate junkies love it here
… Also called a "Lactate Tolerance Zone"
… Highest total calories and lowest percentage of fat calories
… Painful, injury zone, interference w/ coordination, increased RBC destruction rate from acidosis, diminished ATP energy renewal, damage to aerobic capacity if too much time in zone.
… Fuels burned: 90% carbs, 5% fat, 5% protein