EKHO is a leader in the heart rate monitor industry, a force in personal wellness, weight management and the fight against obesity. In addition to a full line of high-quality heart rate monitors and pedometers all covered by the best warranty in the industry. EKHO offers a clean and concise line of assessment products that are easy to understand, simple to use at an affordable price.
EKHO monitors are used for health navigation across all ages and fitness abilities and Physical education programs that use fitness development tools to teach kids and adults about the importance of being healthy.
Heart rate training zones are calculated by taking into consideration your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). Within each training zone, subtle physiological effects take place to enhance your fitness.
Zone 1 (50 - 60% of MHR) The lowest level you can exercise in and still increase fitness levels. For beginners or people who have not exercised for a long period of time. This zone can be for just improving your overall health. It can also be a good recovery zone for people who are over-training and need to take a break. This mode is also good for people who want to lose weight as the main source of fuel used by the body is fat stores.
Zone 2 (60 - 70% of MHR) This is the zone where the heart begins to benefit. Training in this zone will begin improve your hearts ability to pump blood and improve the muscle cells ability to utilize oxygen. In this zone stored body fat is the primary source of energy utilized hence this zone is referred to as the weight management zone. This is a good zone for long slow distance exercise as the body becomes more efficient at feeding the working muscles more efficiently especially with fat as the main fuel source.
Zone 3 (70 - 80% of MHR) This zone is the most effective for overall cardiovascular fitness and is often called the "aerobic zone" or "target heart rate zone". This is the optimal zone to workout in to increase your cardio-repertory capacity or the body's ability to transport oxygenated blood to the muscle cells and carbon dioxide away from the cells. After a while you will be able to cover more distance during workouts in less time. Your body will burn less glucose and more stored fat as fuel thereby working more efficiently. This zone is also effective for increasing overall muscle strength. Zone 4 (80 - 90% of MHR - 85-90%= Anaerobic Threshold) This level is where you cross over from aerobic training to anaerobic training which is called the anaerobic threshold or AT. This is the point where the body cannot effectively remove lactic Acid from the working muscles quickly enough. Lactic Acid is a by product of glycogen consumption by the working muscles. This zone is primarily for people who want to increase their performance levels. You would characterize this zone as hard. During this zone your muscles are tired, your breathing is heavy and your fatigued. The benefit of training in this zone is you can increase your body's ability to tolerate and deal with lactic acid for a longer period of time as the enzymes in your muscles responsible for anaerobic metabolism are increased. For competitors it is good to know your anaerobic threshold as many fit athletes can compete at or about their anaerobic threshold.
Zone 5 (90 - 100% of MHR - VO2 Max) You will only be able to train in this zone for short periods of time. You should not train at this level unless you are very fit. In this zone lactic acid develops very quickly as you are operating with oxygen debt to the muscles. The value of training in this zone is you can increase your fast twitch muscle fibers which increase speed. You will not be able to stay at this level very long and should be used in intervals or sprinting work at the track.
Heart rate variations for a given intensity A reduction in heart rate for a given intensity is usually due to an improvement in fitness but a number of other factors might explain why heart rates can vary for a given intensity:
1. Dehydration can increase the heart rate by up to 7.5%.
2. Heat and humidity can increase the heart rate by 10 beats/minute
3. Altitude can increase the heart rate by 10 to 20%, even when acclimatized
Resting Heart Rate
To determine your resting heart rate (RHR) is very easy. Find somewhere nice and quiet, lie down and relax. Position a watch or clock where you can clearly see it whilst lying down. After 20 minutes, remain where you are and determine your pulse rate (beats/min). Use this value as your RHR. Using your EKHO Heart Rate Monitor then put it on before you lie down. After the 20 minutes check the recordings and identify the lowest value achieved. Use this value as your RHR.
Your appropriate training zone can be determined by using the formulas shown below:
Max for Beginner (220 - your age) x 60%
Max for Intermediate (220 - your age) x 70%
Max for Advanced (220-your age) x 85%
*Note: The most accurate means of calculating your max hr for your ideal training zone is to have an exercise stress test taken by a sports medicine specialist.
For a more accurate measurement, use the Karvonen formula below:
Your max heart rate can be determined by subtracting your age from 220 for men and 206 for women.
Subtract your resting heart rate from 220 or 206.
Multiply by .70 for 70%.
Add your resting heart rate which gives you your 70% level.
Repeat the following step to find 60% or 85% levels.
For example, using the chart and formula, a 50 year old man has a resting heart rate of 75 exercising at a 70% intensity level calculates as follows
220 - 75 - 170 (max HR)
170 - 75 = 95 * 95 x .70 - 66.5
66.5 + 75 - 141.5 (70% Training Heart Rate)
Using the same formula and chart an 85% intensity level is 155.75. His 70 - 85% training zone is from 141.50 to 155.75. (A 60% intensity level is 129 beats per minute.) The Aerobic Workout: Each workout should consist of a 5-10 minute warm-up followed by 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise, and then a 5-10 minute cool-down.
Warm-Up: The purpose of a warm-up is to gradually increase ones heart rate preparing the muscular and circulatory systems for the upcoming training period. This also helps prevent injury to muscles, ligaments, and joints.
Training period: The training period should consist of exercising for 20-30 minutes in your 70-85% training zone. Individuals out of shape or just beginning should train at 60-70% level.
Cool-Down: After the training period, gradually lower your exercise intensity level before stopping. This allows your system to return gradually to normal and prevents dizziness and nausea.
Train 3-5 Times a Week to achieve a healthy level of fitness.
Training Activities:
The best activities to improve cardiovascular fitness are ones that increase blood flow through the heart and large muscle groups continuously, rhythmically, and are aerobic in nature, such as: jogging, swimming, cross-training, stair climber, etc.
Training Heart Rate Target:
Your training heart rate target depends upon your fitness level. Healthy individuals are recommended to train at 70-80% of their max heart rate to improve cardiovascular fitness (Training below 70% target heart rate is ineffective and above 85% is potentially unsafe.) A 60-70% training heart rate might be more appropriate, comfortable, and safe for individuals just beginning or out of shape.
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