Valentine's Day special workout

This Wednesday, it's that time of the year when couples go out and spend their salary on lavish dinner date. Before you go out, please try doing this special workout. And for those who don’t have a date, it’s a good replacement. This workout will help you burn up to 600 calories in just five minutes. But before we start, here are a few tips. Basically, the heart is just like any other muscle. The heart responds to exercise the same way ordinary muscle does. You will lose what you don’t use. To properly monitor the progress of your heart, you would need a heart rate monitor that reads the number of beats per minute (BPM) during and after workout.

There are different ways of determining your maximum heart rate. You can take a medically supervised stress test, this is quite accurate but expensive. So for weekend warriors and recreational athlete, you can consider one of the two options below.

Determine your maximum heart rate:

The easiest way to determine your maximum heart rate is the old formula subtracting your age from 220. Example 220–(your age). If you are 40 years old, then 180 is your maximum heart rate. Although there is an off by 10 or 12 bpm, both ways using this formula, compared to an accurate laboratory stress test. So it would be not as effective for specific training.

The second option is to find a long and steep hill. Be well rested then warm up sufficiently (15 to 20 minutes), then run or pedal your bike to the top like your sprinting for an Olympic gold. Push, push and push. It would be impossible to take your pulse at this time so you can use the heart rate monitor.

•Calculate your resting heart rate (RHR) by counting your heart beats per minute when you are at rest or as soon as you wake up in the morning. It's usually somewhere between 60 to 100 beats per minute for the average adult. So for computation purposes, our value for RHR will be 60 bpm.

 •Calculate your heart rate reserve (HRR) by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate. Example 220-40 (age)=180-(60 bpm RHR) = 120 bpm this value is your heart rate reserve (HRR).

Workout Zones:

•50-60% Warm up and Maintenance zone:

•60-70% Light Zone or the Fitness and Fat Burning zone: 

•70-80% Moderate or Aerobic, Cardio and Endurance Zone:

•80-90% Hard or Anaerobic, Lactate Threshold Zone:

•90-100% Maximum or VO2 max zone 

Determine which zone you want to train and do this simple computation using the calculated values such as RHR 60bpm and HRR 120bpm.

Sample computation

120 bpm (HRR) X 50%(workout zone) + 60 bpm (RHR) =  120 bpm

So now you are ready for our workout. Try doing 20 to 30 seconds of each exercise first before doing the actual 5 minutes workout.

Exercise 1: Side to side squat. Feet shoulder width apart take a big step to your right then squat, then take another big step to the left then squat again. Progression for stronger athlete is to make a jump or hop instead of simple stepping to your right or left. Make your landing soft and soundless. Like a ninja and every time you squat that is considered one count or rep.

Exercise 2: Tap your heart. Put both palm flat on the floor on a plank position or push up starting position, your shoulder should be aligned above your hands. Then slowly lift your right hand tapping your heart, then put it back on the floor and lift your left hand then tap your right chest. While doing this, avoid swaying your hips and back. Try to make it a stable as possible. Then one count is equivalent to 2 taps so counting will be 1,1, then 2,2.

Regression for newbie’s is to put both knees on the floor then move your hips forward at an angle 30 or 45 degrees to your knees. Progression for advance athlete, adjust your toes to tip toe position and move your weight forward.

 Exercise 3: Proposal lunges. (This is the most important workout for those trying to make a cheesy proposal during their date). Again both feet shoulder width apart, then bring your right feet one big step to the back, lower your right knee to the floor (like making a proposal). Then slowly bring your knee up then bring that same right knee to your waist level like attempting to knee your opponent on the abs. then bring it down back to the floor (your knee must always touch the floor so use a matt). Then try the other knee.

Regression for those who are injured is to hold on to a chair for stability. And progression for the advance athletes is to add tip toe or hop on the opposite feet.

So after doing 20 to 30 seconds of each workout you are now warmed up and ready for our Valentines’ special workout. Do 10 of each exercise 1, 2, and 3 then repeat everything until 5 minutes ends.  Your intensity should be determined on which zones you are trying to accomplish in the above table.

Good luck, enjoy, have fun and Happy Valentines to everybody.

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