<p>I, too, hate the stairmaster. But I hate it even more because my trainer (who I see 3-4 times a year) tells me to not hold on. Now that is really hard to do. </p>
<p>I am no fitness expert, but from the little I know, I think you should add some weight-lifting. I’d recommend seeing a trainer, have him/her make up a workout for you. </p>
<p>And yes, 15 is a steep incline. I vary from 5 to 12, and have to get the speed down to 3.5 to 3.7 when I’m at 12. You might want to vary it – try a speed of 4.5 at an incline of 8.</p>
<p>missypie–in the late 1980s dear wife worked for Johnson, Swanson & Barbie (later Johnson & Gibbs) when the firm was on the 57th floor (as I recall) downtown. On 2 occasions, there was some event (fire or tornado) where they had to walk down and out. If I mention stairmaster in her presence, she still cusses under her breath.</p>
<p>Maybe you have to vary your routine ? Our body get used to a routine and then we don’t get the benefit anymore. </p>
<p>Maybe Deep or someone knowledgeable can give you more insights. </p>
<p>When I am determined to do well for myself - I do strength training (kettle bells) or resistance bends, yoga for flexibility and core, and cardio. Apparently we need all three. Sadly, more often than not I do not do right by myself. :o</p>
<p>But doesn’t it seem like if my body was used to the routine, if I started out doing something and my heart rate was initially 155, after my body got used to it my heart rate would be something like 135? </p>
<p>I admire all of you who can do exotic things like weights and yoga and spinning.</p>
<p>One of my colleagues a few years ago climbed Mount Fuji. She trained on an elliptical & a treadmill, wearing a pack. She was, I think, about 50. She did great on the climb!</p>
<p>Do you think that there are hearts that just won’t/can’t get into shape? I really feel like I could do a vigorous workout 7 days a week and still huff and puff going up two flights of stairs.</p>
<p>Have you had a physical lately? That’s probably a good thing to do, before you tinker w/your exercise regime and train for a big hike. Btw, I sat next to a guy on a plane recently who hiked from the South to the North rim of the Grand Canyon, without staying overnight. They just hiked constantly, for something like 21 hours. He said it was the hardest thing he’s done. He showed me pix, though, it looked beautiful. Good luck!</p>
<p>Intervals. Wind sprints. Sprint training. Lots of names for the same thing.</p>
<p>To make progress quickly, you have to push your limits. You’ve lain down a great cardio base with the steady walking. NOW, add in the sprint training. </p>
<p>Three times a week, no more. </p>
<p>Warm up for five minutes–just until you begin to sweat lightly. Sprint as hard as you can–for thirty seconds. Walk for 90 seconds, as slowly as you want (but keep moving). Feel free to change the level to make it easy. Repeat, up to eight times (theoretically maximum). (It took me two years of doing this to get to six repeats, by the way; the first two months, two repeats was it.) Walk slowly for five minutes to cool down.</p>
<p>This workout can be adapted for the treadmill, outside, walking, elliptical, biking, swimming… When I started doing the sprint training, my “sprints” were at 11-minute mile pace; after a year, they were at 7:30 pace; after two years, 6 minute pace. I now walk faster than most people I know, even the tall ones. My husband–6 feet to my 5-2–can’t keep up with me walking. (He does sprints on his bike; he can now comfortably ride at 20+ mph for 100 miles, after five years of training.)</p>
<p>One nice thing, the sprint workouts are over quickly, too.</p>
<p>How is your max HR supposed to be 153? I would expect it to be a lot higher.<br>
Try this formula. [Target</a> Heart Rate Calculator](<a href=“http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/hr.shtml]Target”>Target Heart Rate Calculator)
My max is 183 and my aerobic training zone (not gasping for breath) for an hour or longer run is 139-148. On the hills here I frequently average 151 or so for a run.</p>
<p>I don’t give much credibility to any of the formulas, actually. You might try to see how high you can get your HR during your workout and figure out your training levels from there. I have had a number of max stress tests over the course of my life- the kind where you go until you are about to drop. That is an accurate read. </p>
<p>:) about the hills- I forgot. When I lived in Dallas we actually had to drive somewhere to do our hill workouts for the Boston Marathon so we wouldn’t die when we got there.</p>
<p>Yeah, the chart I used was less detailed than the link you sent. I don’t know my resting heart rate-no second hand anywhere. According to one chart, my max was 102!</p>
<p>A few years back, a lady from work died during an exercise class. I’m very leary about “pushing it to the max.” I have no confidence that those buffed up 21 year old employees of LA Fitness would be able to revive me!</p>
<p>Tomorrow morning before you get out of bed, check your resting HR. Make sure you put something with a second hand by the bed.</p>
<p>If you croak at LA Fitness and they don’t have staff trained in CPR, just think what a nice financial recovery your family will get in the lawsuit!</p>
<p>Does anyone have one of those heart-rate monitor things? The trainer I saw told me one could measure heart rate by taking wrist or neck pulse. That just grosses me out, though, for some reason (hate blood, anything to do w/it). Maybe the monitor would be good for you, missypie, too? Or, maybe you are tougher & can press on the veins…</p>
<p>Btw, trainer said that the ‘heart rate indicator’ on ellipticals & treadmills is not always accurate, fwiw.</p>
<p>I am a strong proponent of heart rate monitors/training. However, you have to have the data to start with- i.e. resting and max HR. Sort of a “garbage in garbage out” deal.
I run with a Garmin 305 which has HR and records pace, distance and how many times I blink (only kidding about the blinking). Last winter I did about 6 weeks of low heart rate training and had to set the thing to beep at me when my HR got over 135. I wound up doing a lot of walking, initially, but my fitness level increased and the risk of injury was greatly reduced. It’s sort of a controversial training regime, but it worked for me. It was sort of embarrassing for me when a car pulled up next to me on a cold, nasty evening when I was trudging up a hill in the dark because the Garmin was screaming at me to slow down and the driver offered me a ride home! I felt like I needed a sign that said, “I CAN run faster than this but right now I’m not supposed to!”</p>
<p>There’s a lady in our neighborhood - she’s thin and probably 40 or so - who jogs the slowest jog I’ve ever seen. Almost everyone could walk faster than her jog. She always looks as if she’s going to die right there. I would think that she was doing low heart rate training, but for the fact that that’s all I’ve seen her do for years!</p>
<p>The monitors built into the machines aren’t always very accurate; it’s better to get a HR monitor with a chest strap. Your maximum heart rate is 220-age; to get cardiovascular improvement, you need to be training somewhere in between 65-90% of your HRmax, for at least 30 minutes a day 3-5 days/week. </p>
<p>You don’t really need to be doing wind sprints or anything; just walking at an intensity that’s enough to keep your HR in the training range should help you see improvement. It may take a while, especially if you haven’t previously been a regular exerciser.</p>
<p>juba2jive: I really prefer my sprint days. I’m done working out really quickly–it takes about 20 to 25 minutes–and I feel great afterwards! Right now I’m on doctor-mandated exercise hiatus (I had a plate removed from my femur and he wants the holes to mend before I start running again) and it’s making me nuts.</p>
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