Your heart responds to fitness training much like the rest of your muscles. Over time, your heart becomes more efficient and stronger and is able to recovery quicker from exercise. During exercise, your heart rate increases. After exercise, your heart rate slows to the pre-exercise level. The amount of time it takes for your heart rate to slow is known as the recovery heart rate. Your recovery heart rate is measured 10 seconds after you finish exercising and again one minute later. The difference between the two numbers represents your recovery heart rate. The higher the number, the fitter your heart. Your heart becomes healthier and recovers faster from exercise when you use cardiovascular, endurance types of activities such as jogging for your workouts.
Continuous Training
Step 1
Use your target heart rate to determine your exercise intensity levels. Subtract your age from 220 to determine your MHR. Multiply your MHR by the percentages in the workouts to elevate your heart rate to a safe and effective range.
Step 2
Jog continuously for 30 to 60 minutes at 70 to 75 percent of your MHR. Multiply your MHR by .7 and .75 to determine your level for this endurance run.
Step 3
Use a 20-minute, short-distance jog at 80 to 90 percent of your MHR to increase your workout intensity level and improve your heart rate response.
Step 4
Improve your aerobic power and keep your heart rate elevated by jogging intervals. Jog for three to five minutes at a high heart rate intensity of 90 to 100 percent of your MHR. Recovery jog to lower your heart rate for one minute. Repeat the intensity and recovery intervals for a total workout time of 20 to 30 minutes.
Step 5
Reverse the intervals and jog for short, 30- to 90-second bursts of near maximum heart rate. Alternate your speed jog with a recovery jog of three to five minutes.
Step 6
Cool down with a five-minute walk before locating your pulse and calculating your recovery heart rate.
Step 7
Jog three to five days a week to see improvements in your recovery heart rate.
Tips and Warnings
- Locate your pulse using the first two fingers of your hand. Feel on the opposite side of your neck, or on the thumb underside of the opposite wrist. Count the beats you feel within 10 seconds. Multiply the result by 6. This is your exercise heart rate and should be within your calculated training zones based on your MHR.
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