@Swede1972 wrote:
Hello,
Can someone tell me the answer to this?
I want to build my stamina and fitness level. My work outs are at the moment 5 - 10 mins Fat burning level, 5-10 mins at Cardio Level asnd the rest of my work out 40 mins or so is at the Higher level.
Is this the way to optimise my fitmess levels i.e. the best way to get fitter or does my workouts have to be more on the cardio level?
Can't figure out which is the best for you!
Cheers!
What does stamina mean to you in your goals?
Make it through a soccer/basketball/tennis match without issues?
Run a half-marathon?
Play with the kids for 3 hrs active?
Those 3 are different levels really.
While higher intensity does burn more calories, which means to keep the same deficit you get to eat more - perhaps adhering better to diet - it is also more injury prone. It also trains just the upper end of the aerobic range, and there is minor improvements there blocked by genetics.
It's also not needed, if not neeeded, because of that extra stress on body.
Lower intensity trains the lower aerobic range, and has a lot a room for improvement before it taps out. It's also less stressful to the body.
For instance, some people think you must keep running faster and faster to get faster, but starting out on the top end of HR.
And while that does work for a while, if half-marathon is goal, it's the wrong end to train. You don't want to train the body for carb-burning, but rather fat-burning for endurance.
Now - I think the Fitbit ranges are rather different than almost any other levels that are used, as link above shows.
I'd almost suggest setting your own range for the majority of workouts, knowing if below it you are in what would be called Active Recovery HR zone, for like day after an intense workout, or if below it you are doing some interval training to get faster. But knowing the majority will be in the range that is more specific to you.
As you get more fit, it will be harder to hit those upper reaches of HR, you'll have to push harder.
So while someone could start out and a slow walk is in fat-burning level, fast walk is cardio, and a slow jog is higher level, they will get in to better fitness level and the fast walk is fat-burning level, slow jog is cardio, and higher is only reached by pushing really hard - that's when injuries come to attempting it frequently for long durations.
If goal is endurance and run faster, the phrase used is actually slow down to speed up.
Meaning you purposely keep at low HR to train that fat burning system, and that lower aerobic level is improved such you get faster anyway. That also trains the upper aerobic level somewhat.
But the opposite isn't true when you attempt to run fast at upper levels, don't train the lower much, and speed improvements fall off faster.
So again - depends on goals.
If that soccer game type stuff is goal - then every other day intense as you care to be (after a warmup) is great, with in-between days at upper fat-burning/lower cardio levels for good recovery.
If kids - then time in every zone moving it up and down, like intervals, probably most useful.
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