Weight Loss

VO2 Testing

Most of us are happy to hear about an efficient, effective method to lose weight and keep those lost pounds off! Weighing in at an appropriate weight for your gender, height, frame, and age are components of more than one factor. One main factor is developing the habit of proper nutritional intake in conjunction with sufficient, regular exercise. Herein lies the key to weight maintenance and to develop such habits may mean the commitment to lifestyle changes.

Just getting started?

Bike Woman
  • Take a VO2 Test and identify the best heart rate zones to workout in as you kick off your walking, jogging, bicycling, or swimming fitness routine. The three best heart rate zones identified for you through your VO2 test will optimize your loss of weight and your gain of lean muscle mass as the interval heart rate workout plan given to you will bring you through these three different zones.
  • Have Your Body Composition Measured
    Please see Body Composition for more information
    Research has determined there is a correlation between risk of disease, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference. This includes the risk of hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes and other diseases associated with excessive accumulation of intra-abdominal fat. Considering the health problems associated with too much body fat, the assessment of body composition is a very useful tool for those determined to lose weight and improve their fitness status! Through cardio exercise and strengthen training you increase your lean body mass and decrease your fat. This healthy change is not always reflected on the scale, but this progress is reflected in regular body composition assessments.

Go to www.polar-usa-sales.com and purchase a basic heart rate monitor for $60.00; all you do is place an elastic strap around your chest that has a built in receiver in it and a watch around your wrist there you have it! You can monitor your heart rate while you exercise.

Cool Facts

Nutrition
  • Following an interval heart rate workout increases your RMR, resting metabolic rate. Your RMR accounts for up to 75% of the total calories you burn in a day so let's get it up there!
  • As you increase the intensity of your exercise, your RER rises. (RER = respiratory exchange ratio, carbon dioxide expired divided by amount of oxygen inhaled). Zone 1 is a great zone to start your training in, burning predominantly fat calories and bringing weight loss results quickly, but you will also quickly plateau in your weight loss efforts if you workout only in this zone.
  • Training in Zone 2 continues to burn fat, but predominantly burns carbohydrates for fuel and total caloric expenditure is higher which is more effective. The name of the game in losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume. The higher your body can train while remaining aerobic the more calories you will burn from fat; thus, one main goal of interval heart rate training is to increase your anaerobic threshold!
  • Training in Zone 3 is necessary to overload your body to increase metabolism and improve your fitness level. This zone is a true high intensity workout including short bursts of exercise at peak V02(which is also identified in your test). The more time you spend in Zone 3 the more calories you burn and the more weight you lose, but....
  • The trick to losing weight is adapting a long term solution, making training fun and comfortable, and not skipping workouts; therefore, an interval heart rate training program , including all 3 zones, is recommended to help you reach your goals in the weight loss challenge!
  • See our Interval Rate Training page for more information.
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