The anaerobic threshold (AT) is an indication of your cardiovascular fitness level. The higher your AT, the greater the efficiency of your cardio respiratory system, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Your AT indicates the point when your body cannot get enough energy for your muscles from your normal oxygen intake and instead must make more lactic acid than the body can eliminate. This is when you will begin to feel the "burn." Your AT can be estimated from your heart rate, which can then be used in a mathematical formula to determine caloric (energy) expenditure during exercise.
Anaerobic Threshold
Step 1
Determine your anaerobic threshold (AT). You can estimate this number with your average heart rate.
Step 2
Run for one hour at a consistent speed. Monitor your heart rate during your run by either wearing a heart rate monitor, running on a treadmill with heart rate monitor sensors on the handholds or manually taking your pulse periodically.
Step 3
Go to a medical sports center if you want a more accurate determination of your AT.
VO2 Max
Step 1
Warm up slowly by walking at a slow pace or marching in place for five minutes before beginning the test. This is the first step of the Rockport Walking Test or the Rockport Walking Treadmill Test, recommended by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).
Step 2
Walk one mile on a flat track or a treadmill with no incline. Use a stopwatch to record your time if you are not using a treadmill with a console. Walk as quickly as you can at a pace you can walk consistently for the entire mile. Record the speed at which you walk if you are using a treadmill.
Step 3
Record your heart rate as soon as you have completed one mile. Also record the time it took you to walk a mile.
Step 4
Use the following formula to determine your VO2 max from your test results and gender:
For men, 132.853 - (0.0769 --- Weight) - (0.3877 --- Age) + (6.315 --- 1) - (3.2649 --- Time) - (0.1565 --- Heart rate);
For women, 132.853 - (0.0769 --- Weight) - (0.3877 --- Age) - (3.2649 --- Time) - (0.1565 --- Heart rate).
Calculate Calories Burned
Step 1
Use your AT and VO2 max to calculate calories burned.
Step 2
Use the following formula if you a man to determine how many calories you have burned during a workout: (-59.3954 + (-36.3781 + 0.271 x age + 0.394 x weight + 0.404 x VO2max + 0.634 x AT))/4.184.
Step 3
Use the following formula if you a woman to determine how many calories you have burned during a workout: (-59.3954 + (0.274 x age + 0.103 x weight + 0.380 x VO2max + 0.450 x AT)) / 4.184.
Things You'll Need
- Stopwatch
- Calculator
References
- "A Guide to Personal Fitness Training: Aerobic Fitness Association of America;" Mary Yoke, MA; 2003
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training: Course Manual;" National Academy of Sports Medicine; 2008
- Sports Coach: Rockport Fitness Walking Test
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