Some fitness advice from people who know what they are talking about...?

I am getting ready to go to the gym, again. It seems that I'm not really getting anywhere. My two pieces of equipment of choice are the eliptical and the treadmill. I am working my speed up slowly. I can comfortably run about 5.3 or so mph for a mile. Is there anything that I can do differently to say, mix things up a little bit and get more out of my workout. I have heard that you aren't supposed to get your heart rate up too high. I am 34 and I was told that my heart rate should be 122 to burn fat. That seems pretty low. Any advise from anyone on any of this?Some fitness advice from people who know what they are talking about...?
There are two levels of training when it comes to your heart rate (there are more but you only really need to know about these two).





There is the cardio training zone where you are training your cardiovascualr system. Here you keep your heart rate at between 70%- 85% of your maximum heart rate (i'll tell youn how to work this out in a second).





Then there is the fat burning zone where you keep your heart rate lower, between 60-70%. This is slightly better for burning fat but not as good for training your heart.





You work it out like this:


Maximum heart rate = 220 - your age


Maximum heart rate = 220 - 34 = 186bpm





So for the fat burning zone you need to keep your heart between 60-70% of 186bpm (your max heart rate):


Your Fat burning zone = 111 - 130bpm





So if you do the same for the cardio training zone which is 70-85% of 186bpm:


Your Cardio training zone = 130 - 158 bpm.





Also try not to do the same thing over and over, you can start to get something called 'muscle memory', most experts recommend you change your training routine at least every 6 weeks.





Hope this helps.Some fitness advice from people who know what they are talking about...?
That does sound low.





Get yourself a heart rate monitor. The information you get on the treadmill is not accurate.





Also, you need more weights in your routine. Running doesn't build lean muscle.





Finally, get a trainer. Find a certified trainer in your gym and sit down with them and go over your fitness goals. They will teach you how to work out in the most effective manner.
122 is definitely too low!!! A 6 month pregnant woman is supposed to be at 120 for a workout! And 5.3 mph is great!! But I wouold limit yourself to either the eliptical OR the treadmill each day. Doing both is the same workout twice. I would jog on the treadmill for 15 minutes as a warm up, then go do 20 minutes of stairs, then ab machines for about 5 minutes (those suckers burn fast!) then do some inner and outer thighs. Then go back to cardio and do either bikes or eliptical for about 20-30 minutes. You could definitely tone this down, but when I first started losing weight I did this, and fat honestly MELTED OFF! Also, a spinning class is intense!
Change it up once your body gets used to doing the same routine it doesn't have the same effect it used to. That may be a good reason you don't feel accomplished. You should alternated days one, cardio (such as stuff you are doing), and one weights even if it is light weights. If you plan on loosing a significant amount of weight you want your muscles underneath the fat you are loosing to be toned as well cause it will add to your overall look. =0)

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