Principle No. 1 of Heart Zones Training: Your sneakers are fitted; your training should be, too.
Every fitness plan has the holy ground of principle: “Thou shalt not allow a cookie to cross thine lips”…“Thou shalt run ‘til thou drop”…“Thou shalt suffer pain, then gain.” Heart Zones Training, too, has its principles, but there are only five of them, and they’re decidedly user friendly.
One size doesn’t fit all. Yet we pick up books and magazines or turn on the television, and we see prepackaged programs that are guaranteed to work for everyone, from waif-like super models to gargantuan body-builders. And you, too. What’s wrong with this picture?
And what about group exercise – all those aerobic classes or mass bicycle rides? Group exercise, historically, has always been the gold standard. Fill a swimming pool, a workout studio, a stadium or a gym with a group of exercisers and have them follow the leaders. Take an aerobics class – and we all have. Ever notice how the class breaks down into two groups? The ones at the front in the newest outfits – the fittest – compete with the instructor for the crispest move and least body fat; in the back are the ones struggling and just trying to survive. They’re drooling from overwork, sweating like crazy, doing a harder workout because their training load is greater, struggling to catch up.
In-between these two groups are the poor folks who reluctantly got pushed forward from the back of the class or former front-of-the-classers who were forced back by absenteeism. All too frequently, before anyone gets out of the back or moves up to the front, she or he quits the exercise program. On the average, most last no more than 6 weeks in a group exercise class. Only a few do really well, and the rest just hang on.1. Your sneakers are fitted; your training should be, too.
Heart Zones Training, HZT, is individualized training. Success is built around you and your abilities, interests, personality, and other important characteristics, such as body type, genetic makeup, mental stamina, and muscle structure. What works for someone else may not work as well for you. What we want to do is to make Heart Zones Training fit your abilities and goals, because if we don’t, success will always be just out of reach. Each of us is a whole person, with likes and dislikes, with limitations on our time.
Heart Zones Training is a program that is based on your individual fitness levels, your individual interests, your individual history, goals, needs, etc. It’s totally about you. It allows you to move at your pace, and to get fit at your rate. Whether you want to accelerate that pace or keep the cruise control set, it’s up to you, not the group leader.
The outcomes of individualized training are real and noticeable. Your benefits are based on goals you set and realize. The doer in you does what you enjoy, stimulating your interests. You start at whatever fitness level you’re on and watch yourself improve, because you’ll be seeing, feeling, touching, watching the metamorphosis of your body lead to your increased personal power. As for time one of the greatest benefits of Heart Zones Training is that you’ll get more fitness in less time. You can train as little as ten minutes a day and see measurable benefits. Now that’s revolutionary!
More to come ..
Keep your eyes peeled as we continue to release excerpts throughout upcoming weeks. If you want to read the entire book, make sure to swing by our online store and grab a copy: The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook.