Calculate Your Maximum Heart Rate & Utilize Cardio Exercise Percentages for Optimal Workouts.
Using an analogy, it is said that exercising without knowing your heart rate is like lifting weights without knowing how much they weigh; it is impossible to properly gauge the intensity and effectiveness of your workout without the necessary information.
However, if you are able to determine your maximum heart rate and heart rate percentages, then you can tailor your cardio activities to help you reach your goals of fat loss, calorie burning and general health.
What is the best heart rate for cardio workouts?
To maintain an even, moderate exercise intensity, staying in the range of 65-70 %of your maximum heart rate for 30-45 minutes per session is recommended. This exercise can improve your aerobic capacity, reduce blood pressure, and help you lose weight. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves short bursts of intense exercise with quick recovery periods in between. During these workouts, your heart rate should reach 80-95 % of your maximum heart rate. The duration of a HIIT session can range from as little as 4 minutes for a Tabata workout to 20 minutes. Both of these types of cardio can be beneficial for improving overall fitness and health; however, they can also have potential drawbacks.What is a normal heart rate?
A resting heart rate is the rate at which a person’s heart beats at rest. It is typically measured in beats per minute (BPM) and can vary from person to person. Generally, a lower resting heart rate indicates good cardiovascular health, suggesting the heart is functioning efficiently. A man’s average resting heart rate is 70 BPM, while the average for a woman is 75 BPM. Generally, a healthy resting heart rate can range from 40 to 100 BPM, although this will differ from person to person. You can improve your cardiovascular fitness and overall health by reducing your resting heart rate.How do I test my heart rate?
Heart rate is an essential metric for your health and fitness goals. To accurately test your heart rate, you can use a heart rate monitor, cardio machine, or smartwatch. Alternatively, you can manually test your heart rate by gently pressing the tips of your index and middle fingers over the radial artery, located in line with the base of your thumb. Please do not use your thumb, as it has its pulse. To calculate your heart rate, either count the beats for one full minute or count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply the result by two. Additionally, it is essential to hydrate and fuel your muscles with BCAAs before early-morning training instead of relying on fasted cardio.Best supplements for muscle growth and strength?
If you are an athlete focused on building strength and muscle, you are likely aware that supplements can help you to get the most out of your workouts and diet.
With so many different brands and types of supplements available, it is easy to become overwhelmed and lose yourself in the digital wilderness of health blogs and personal trainers who may not be giving you the most accurate information.
To help steer you in the right direction, we provide you with a comprehensive guide to the best supplements for your goals.
If you want to become as strong and muscular as possible, these five products will help you achieve your goals.
Knowing which supplements to take, how much to take, and when to take them will be essential to ensure that you get the most out of your efforts and maximize your results.
Glutamine
Taking supplemental glutamine may not bring about dramatic increases in performance or muscle size, but it offers significant recovery and repair benefits.
When you exercise intensely, ammonia builds up in your body and can throw off your acid-base balance.
Glutamine helps to clear this excess ammonia and maintain a healthy balance.
If you are doing weight training exercises with high intensity, double-session workouts, or are in a calorie deficit, you may find that glutamine supplementation provides additional benefits.
Recommended Dosage:
Consume a minimum of 20-30 grams a day, consuming 10 grams post-workout
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine is a supplement used to build muscle and increase power, and it has an outstanding safety record and is backed by many studies attesting to its effectiveness.
Creatine increases the amount of creatine and phosphocreatine (PCr) in the muscles, enhancing their energy levels during strenuous activities such as weightlifting.
Additionally, raising the quantities of PCr helps to speed up the recovery between sets.
Studies have indicated that taking creatine over a more extended period can improve the results of strength training, typically leading to an increase of 5-15 per cent in strength and performance.[1]
Recommended Dosage:
The loading method is the recommended course of action to maximize the amount of creatine in muscle stores.
This involves taking 20 grams of creatine daily for five to seven days, followed by a maintenance dose of 5 grams per day.
An alternative, more gradual approach would be to take 5 grams of creatine per day for 28 days;
However, this method leads to a different 2-4 pound weight gain than the loading method.
BCAA
Consuming BCAAs during your workout can be highly beneficial if you are a weightlifter or bodybuilder.
Not only do they taste great, but research shows that incorporating BCAAs into your routine may help promote faster recovery and healing after a strenuous session.
A 2010 study in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that people who ingested about 9 grams of BCAAs per kilogram (or about 200 pounds for a 200-pound person) experienced significantly less muscle pain and damage following a high-volume squat routine.[2]
BCAAs, particularly leucine, can help to regulate protein metabolism by stimulating protein synthesis and suppressing protein breakdown, which may help the muscles to heal and recover more quickly after resistance training.
Recommended Dosage:
Consume 6 to 10 grams before or during your physical exercise routine.
Whey Protein
After strenuous exercise, consuming fast-digesting protein, such as whey, is beneficial for muscle recovery and adaptation.
A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that supplementing with protein while engaging in resistance-type training over more than six weeks can lead to significantly more significant gains in muscle mass and strength.
A blend of whey and casein proteins promotes muscle growth and body composition more than soy-based proteins.[3,4]
This combination of fast-digesting and slow-digesting proteins helps maintain a highly anabolic environment for an extended period, thus keeping protein synthesis rates high and minimizing any muscle breakdown.[5]
Additionally, consuming carbohydrates with protein immediately after a session of resistance exercise has been demonstrated to raise insulin levels and rates of glycogen resynthesis.[6,7,8]
Therefore, lifters engaging in high-volume or high-intensity resistance-training programs may benefit from carbohydrate consumption post-workout.[9]
Recommended Dosage:
Consume approximately 20–30 grams of whey (or a combination of whey and casein) protein in combination with a high–glycemic carbohydrate after completing a workout.
Fish Oils
Fish oils are an outstanding source of omega-3 fatty acids, offering a wide range of advantages to the body.
For athletes and bodybuilders, the most noteworthy aspect of these fatty acids is their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
During intense strength training, the muscle fibres can suffer minor tears, which leads to muscle damage and inflammation.
While some inflammation is beneficial, excessive inflammation can delay post-exercise recovery.
Studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce post-exercise soreness and accelerate the recovery process, enabling athletes to get ready for the next weight training session.[10,11]
Moreover, when combined with BCAAs and carbs, omega-3s can increase the rate of protein synthesis, leading to improved muscle growth.[12,13]
Recommended Dosage:
1-2 soft gel caps per day post dinner or large meal of the day.
Reference:
- Kreider, R. B. (2003). Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 244(1-2), 89-94.
- Shimomura, Y., Inaguma, A., Watanabe, S., Yamamoto, Y., Muramatsu, Y., Bajotto, G., … & Mawatari, K. (2010). Branched-chain amino acid supplementation before squat exercise and delayed-onset muscle soreness. International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 20(3), 236.
- Cribb, P. J., Williams, A. D., Carey, M. F., & Hayes, A. (2006). The effect of whey isolate and resistance training on strength, body composition, and plasma glutamine. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,16(5), 494.
- Volek, J. S., Volk, B. M., Gómez, A. L., Kunces, L. J., Kupchak, B. R., Freidenreich, D. J., … & Kraemer, W. J. (2013). Whey protein supplementation during resistance training augments lean body mass. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 32(2), 122-135.
- Cermak, N. M., de Groot, L. C., Saris, W. H., & van Loon, L. J. (2012). Protein supplementation augments the adaptive response of skeletal muscle to resistance-type exercise training: a meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 96(6), 1454-1464.
- Hartman, J. W., Tang, J. E., Wilkinson, S. B., Tarnopolsky, M. A., Lawrence, R. L., Fullerton, A. V., & Phillips, S. M. (2007). Consumption of fat-free fluid milk after resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than does consumption of soy or carbohydrate in young, novice, male weightlifters. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(2), 373-381.
- Wilkinson, S. B., Tarnopolsky, M. A., MacDonald, M. J., MacDonald, J. R., Armstrong, D., & Phillips, S. M. (2007). Consumption of fluid skim milk promotes greater muscle protein accretion after resistance exercise than does consumption of an isonitrogenous and isoenergetic soy-protein beverage. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(4), 1031-1040.
- Josse, A. R., Tang, J. E., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Phillips, S. M. (2010). Body composition and strength changes in women with milk and resistance exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 42(6), 1122-1130.
- Roy, B. D., & Tarnopolsky, M. A. (1998). Influence of differing macronutrient intakes on muscle glycogen resynthesis after resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 84(3), 890-896.
- Jouris, K. B., McDaniel, J. L., & Weiss, E. P. (2011). The effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the inflammatory response to eccentric strength exercise. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 10(3), 432.
- Tartibian, B., Maleki, B. H., & Abbasi, A. (2009). The effects of ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids on perceived pain and external symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness in untrained men. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 19(2), 115-119.
- McDonald, C., Bauer, J., & Capra, S. (2012). Omega-3 fatty acids and changes in LBM: alone or in synergy for better muscle health? Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 91(6), 459-468.
- Smith, G. I., Atherton, P., Reeds, D. N., Mohammed, B. S., Rankin, D., Rennie, M. J., & Mittendorfer, B. (2011). Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids augment the muscle protein anabolic response to hyperinsulinaemia-hyperaminoacidaemia in healthy young and middle-aged men and women. Clinical Science, 121(6), 267-278.
