Name  Section  Date 
LAB 3.2: Developing an Exercise Program for Cardiorespiratory Endurance

  1. Goals. List goals for your cardiorespiratory endurance exercise program. Your goals can be specific or general, short or long term. In the first section, include specific, measurable goals that you can use to track the progress of your fitness program. These goals might be things like raising your cardiorespiratory fitness rating from fair to good or swimming laps for 30 minutes without resting. In the second section, include long-term and more qualitative goals, such as improving self-confidence and reducing your risk for chronic disease.

    Specific Goals: Current Status Final Goal
    Other goals
  2. Type of Activities. Choose one or more endurance activities for your program. These can include any activity that uses large-muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic and aerobic in nature. Examples include walking, jogging, cycling, group exercise such as aerobic dance, rowing, rope skipping, stair climbing, cross-country skiing, swimming, skating, and endurance game activities such as soccer and tennis. Choose activities that are both convenient and enjoyable. Fill in the activity names on the program plan.

  3. Frequency. Fill in how often you plan to participate in each activity; the ACSM recommends participating in cardiorespiratory endurance exercise 3-5 days per week.

    Program Plan
     
    Activity    		 Duration
    (min)    		 Intensity
    (bpm or RPE)    		 Frequency (check )
    M T W T F Sa Su
                       
                       
                       
                       

  4. Intensity. Determine your exercise intensity using one of the following methods, and enter it on the program plan below. You should begin your program at a lower intensity and slowly increase intensity as your fitness improves, so select a range of intensities for your program.

    1. Target heart rate zone: Calculate target heart rate zone in beats per minute and then calculate the corresponding 10-second exercise count by dividing the total count by 6. For example, the 10-second exercise counts corresponding to a target heart rate zone of 122-180 bpm would be 20-30 beats.

      Maximum heart rate: 220 - age (years) = bpm

      Maximum Heart Rate Method

      65% training intensity = bpm (maximum heart rate) x 0.65 = bpm

      90% training intensity = bpm (maximum heart rate) x 0.90 = bpm

      Target heart rate zone = to bpm      10-second count to

      Heart Rate Reserve Method

      Resting heart rate: bpm (taken after 10 minutes of complete rest)

      Heart rate reserve = bpm (maximum heart rate) - bpm (resting heart rate) = bpm

      50% training intensity = ( bpm (heart rate reserve) x 0.50) + bpm (resting heart rate) = bpm

      85% training intensity ( bpm (heart rate reserve) x 0.85) + bpm (resting heart rate) = bpm

      Target heart rate zone = to bpm      10-second count to

    2. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE): If you prefer, determine an RPE value that corresponds to your target heart rate range (see Figure 3.4).

  5. Time (Duration). A total duration of 20-60 minutes is recommended; your duration of exercise will vary with intensity. For developing cardiorespiratory endurance, higher-intensity activities can be performed for a shorter duration; lower intensities require a longer duration. Enter a duration (or a range of duration) on the program plan.

  6. Monitoring your program. Complete a log like this PDF provided to monitor your program and track your progress. Note the date on top, and fill in the intensity and time (duration) for each workout.
    If you prefer, you can also track other variables such as distance. For example, if your cardiorespiratory endurance program includes walking and swimming, you may want to track miles walked and yards swum in addition to the duration of each exercise session.

    For more extensive sets of logs, refer to the Daily Fitness and Nutrition Journal that accompanies your text.

  7. Making progress. Follow the guidelines in the chapter and Table 3.4 to slowly increase the amount of overload in your program. Continue keeping a log, and periodically evaluate your progress.

    Progress Check-Up: Week of program

    Goals: Original Status
    		 Current Status

    List each activity in your program and describe how satisfied you are with the activity and with your overall progress. List any problems you've encountered or any unexpected costs or benefits of your fitness program so far.