NordicTrack Walkfit 5500 Treadmill English Manual - Page 15

Monitoring Your Heart Rate Monitoring your heart rate is a crucial part of any exercise program. There are three key terms to understand when nionitoring3rour heart rate: resting heart rate, maximum heart rate and target heart rale. Resting Heart Rate Take your heart rate beibre you begin to out. 'TI'his is your resting heart rale. After you have finished your aerobic workout and cool-down, take your heart rate again. If you have cooled down properly, your heart rate should have nearly returned to its resting heart rate. It is very important that you cool down slowly in order to return to your resting heart rate. As you become more fit. your resting heart rate may actually decrease. You may also notice that your heart rate begins to return l() its resting heart rate more quickly during your cool-down. Taking Your Heart Rate (Pulse) Touch your left wrist. one-iborth of an inch from the wrist joint at the base of ihumb. with the index and middle fingertips of your right hand (Figure 1). Relax your fell Ii iamb and roll your hand so your palm is lacing up. Your right index and middle fingers should remain flat along your left wrist. Apply minimal pressure with both fingers let the beat come to your fingers. Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) Your maximum heart rate is the maximum number of limes that your heart can "pump- during a minute. To determine .your approximate maximum heart rate. subtract your age (in years) from 220. This will give you a fairly accurate maximum heart rate number, but only clinical stress testing can provide a precise MHR reading, Target Heart Rate Your target heart rate is expressed as a percentage of your maximum heart rale. lAte recommend that you strive to exercise at 71)% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. Reginning exercisers, 11O1ViArt!t, May need to start Out with a target heart rate of (-)0% to 70% of their maximum heart rale. The chart on the next page shows target heart rale ranges for beginner. intermediate and advanced exercisers. Use the chart to determine the proper target heart rate For your workouts. We recommend that you cheek your target heart rate at least twice during each aerobic conditioning session. First. check it to be sure that you have reached the proper intensity. Then. check it near the end of your workout to verify that you have Maintained your target bead rale far the recommended period of time. Figure 1 Helpful Hints • tower your wrist below your heart level. This will make your heart rate stronger and easier to feel. • If you cant find your pulse. try using the opposite wrist and hand.