Whole 30 is Paleo eating. No additives at all. Fruit is somewhat limited. It’s basically meat and veggies. I think you get to have potatoes. It is not sustainable by most people for more than 30 days, although some people do it all the time. My daughter really feels good after the first few days where your body is sort of in shock. No alcohol, no diet drinks…
The hour with the trainer flew by faster than in the past. This is a good thing.
The paleo is way too restrictive for me. And I was peeved that my mango that was gonna be a big part of lunch was bad 
Thanks for the kind words.
I made it to the gym for a quick workout. Yay! I ran a mile for a warm-up; followed that with some large muscle group exercises on the weight machines. I feel so much better for having done something!
PlantMom, so sorry for your loss. It is never easy even when you know it is just a matter of time. Cyberhugs. Glad your workout provided a much needed proverbial ray of sunshine.
Got a text from trainer about the elliptical. He set only HR goals. Is that standard?
Well, it’s certainly one way to do it. However, you have no idea what your max HR is, and I don’t think any of the formulas are accurate ( unless by coincidence). I am a believer in doing a HR test to at least come up with something close to max. That way you can figure out your zones.
If you don’t do that, Michael’s effort based method is better.
Chances are I would never try to get up to my maximum heart rate anyway 
Of course not, but that is how you figure out your training zones. It’s based on percentages of max and also fugures in resting hr.
jym626, MOWC is correct, the formulas out there to calculate max hr are based on generalizations for the particular demographic group which was used in testing to derive the formula. They won’t establish an accurate max hr for particular individuals and if you’re not in the same demographic group as was used in developing the formula, that makes it even less predictive for an individual. That being said, if you are new to cardio training and are seeking just general health benefits, you can still benefit from this approach particularly if your target zones are calculated using what’s called the heart rate reserve method instead of a simple percentage of your estimated max hr. For those who are seeking to push themselves, to achieve performance goals or who are competitive athletes, calculated max hr is woefully inadequate and the formulas won’t work very well.
I would ask your trainer the following questions about the heart rate targets you were given:
- How was your max hr determined. If a formula was used, how does that formula correlate to your age group, gender and fitness level? Would your trainer be willing to do maximal hr testing on the piece of equipment you intend to use for your cardio work (max hr varies depending on whether you are on a bike, treadmill, eliptical).
- Did your trainer use the heart rate reserve method to calculate your zones or just a straight percentage. Heart rate measuring is really a convenient surrogate for measuring the percentage of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) you are exercising at. Using the heart rate reserve method of calculating target zones (which takes into account resting heart rate) yields just about a 1:1 correlation between heart rate % and percentage of VO2 max which is what you want with heart rate based training. Using a simple % of max hr is very out of sync with VO2 max until you hit about 90 % of your max hr so that target zones below that result in heart rates that are too low for the training goals and purposes at the lower percentages. In a properly structured cardio program, you should be spending most of your time well below the 90% level. You end up with a lot of wasted time and energy if you use just a simple straight percentage because your heart rate is not elevated enough at the 60, 70 or even 80% levels.
- Can your trainer do ventilary threshold testing on you (also referred to as Talk Test). This will give you markers based on your ability to talk while exercising that can be used to structure your cardio workouts. Much less technical than maximal heart rate based training and has the benefit of being based on your own individual metabolic response to exercise rather than some generic formula. Unless your trainer is willing to do actual maximal hr testing on you, using VT is the way to go, particularly if your goals are just general fitness and health.
Talk to your trainer about these things. An experienced, knowledgable trainer will be able to explain in more detail and structure an individualized program for you.
@MichaelNKat : I’ve run into heart rate formulas that use the actual maximum heart rate that you see during a race. Do you have an opinion on how well that corresponds to the maximum heart rate seen in a standard stress test? I have noticed that you are VERY research based, and I deeply appreciate how much work that involves for you. I have been using a heart rate monitor during my training runs and during races and have been noticing that I actually train at 75-80%–but that in races I am much closer to 95%. (In the most recent race, I saw a new highest-ever heart rate (by 8 bpm), which startled me, because the peak HR has been quite consistent for months.)
Thanks, That is all way over my head. I will just do what I can, increase time and distance in my exercise. Thats fine for me.
I am running (no pun intended) into a psychological problem, caused by a physical problem. I seem to be getting slower!!! This is very discouraging. I train, and do some speed work, and feel good, and set some fuzzy mental goals, and then I run a 5k race and my time is slower than last year! I know it is mainly due to the fact that I am 1 year older (62 now) and I my training is similar to running up the down escalator which is going down faster than I can run up, but it remains a little frustrating. I also know about age-graded results and perhaps I should ignore the elapsed time and focus on getting that 79% age grade up to 80%, but it is stlil a bit discouraging. Also, I haven’t given up on doing a bit more speed work and feeling totally healthy and having a breakout performance. Is anyone else getting older?
Nope. In fact, I made a deal with S at age 50 that I could start counting backwards at that point. I’m now in my mid-40’s!!!
@dmd77, I’m not sure what you mean by the “maximum heart rate … in a standard stress test” since the usual protocol is the Bruce protocol where you don’t go above 80% of (220-age). It’s not intended to measure nor do you really hit even an approximation of max hr. In any event, what you hit in a race can be a very good measure of max hr if the race is long enough and if you push to your limit. There’s a lot of literature out there on field testing of max hr and what it boils down to is that after doing a period of warm up with some sprints thrown in, you run as hard as you can for a continuous 20 minutes. The goal is to push at the highest level of effort you can sustain for the 20 minutes. To do a field test, you need a heart rate monitor with a lap function so that you can get your average hr for the “all out effort” 20 minutes. That then is you max hr that you use for setting up your training zones. Another version of a field test has you do a warm up followed by a 3 minute all out effort, a recovery of a couple of minutes, again followed by 3 minutes all out and your heart rate during the second 3 minutes is used as your maximum. Field tests are a good alternative to lab testing because of the cost savings but the down side is that lab testing has onsite medical oversight or emergency assistance if necessary while a field test often does not. Maximal heart rate testing is not something that should be done by someone who does not have a strong aerobic base nor by anyone with a cardiac/pulmonary/hypertensive condition without medical clearance and supervision.
By the way, one of the best books out there on the theory and practice of heart rate based training is Precision Heart Rate Training by Edmund Burke. Very science based but written in plain English with chapters devoted to both theory and application to specific sports. A great starting place to get a more in depth understanding.
NJRes - are you tracking your mile pace during your tempo and long runs? If 5k time is important to you then you have to be careful about running junk miles. You can post or PM me what your 5k objective is and I can let you know what your training mile paces should be. Tempo runs are more beneficial than speed work for a 5k and up race. Or you could get the book Run Less/Run Faster and review the training schedules/paces shown in the book. Lots of online resources too.
I see Obama is asking for “workout stuff” for Christmas. I’d like to see an Elliptigo versus a new Lexus with the red bow (that I’m seeing in the TV commercials) in my driveway.
Since the subject of trainers has come up, has anyone here experience with an online trainer? My insurance will give a hefty discount for a Retrofit membership, but I can’t tell much about it from reading. I thought it might be a nice compromise, financially, between continuing to wander in the wilderness of my ignorance, and paying more than $60/hr for personalized in-person professional assistance (I believe it’s worth the price – I just can’t afford that)
@greenbutton, if it’s the same Retrofitness I’m familiar with, I don’t believe they offer online training/coaching. They are bricks and mortar fitness facilities but offer mobile applications that can be downloaded to your phone to track your progress etc. If you are interested in on-line coaching/training, send me a PM and I can give you more information.
I have had the protocol that takes you to the max (until you are going to fall off or tell them you are done) at Cooper Aerobics Center several times. My max was 186 and, surprisingly, I have hit that or a little over in recent years at the end of 5Ks. Remember that max HR is not a sign of fitness- it is just your personal number- and it is supposed to decline a little bit with age. Mine hasn’t seemed to decline much at all, for some reason. I’m glad, since I know how to calculate my zones.
Jym- it doesn’t have to be that complicated. If you are considering training by HR, you can’t just look at the readout and say “Oh, hey. There’s my heart rate!” You want to know what is “easy”, what is “moderate” and what is “anaerobic and hard.” You will see improvements in your pace/distance at a given HR as you gain fitness. However, if you have no idea of what your aerobic zone is, it doesn’t do much good. That’s all we are trying to say.
Not everyone buys into HR training. You can do it by effort, but it’s easy to cheat- both by going too hard too often or not going hard enough. That’s why many runners wear heart rate monitors. it is as much to keep the easy days easy as it is to know you are working hard enough.
I think it must be a different thing…it seems to be. i would post the site but I didn’t know if that was okay. It’s not Retrofitness, it’s Retrofit. 6 month commitment with a web-based dashboard to confer with your experts. Given the number of clients, I would think this is less personal and more of a general metric per profile type.