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Gauging Intensity Using Your Heart Rate
How will you know what pace is right for you? This allows your mind to see the path and understand how to continue to advance. The experience of progress is always a surprise. From the cellular level up, much more is happening than can ever be understood. We become more alive and an inexpressible joy rises. Wendy’s fear of going to the gym the first time is more than common. Fred says he is still surprised how many of his closest friends and colleagues admit feeling they cannot do what he does, because they are afraid of going to a gym. The reasons vary from fear of being seen in workout clothes to being afraid of having other people watching them to a fear of just appearing weak. In each instance, you can hear that initial tinge of panic Wendy felt and expressed. Take heart in Wendy’s experience. Her anticipation of getting started was nearly debilitating. The reality of getting started was no big deal, and the real lifelong rewards open to her now are incalculable. Her experience of beginning with a competent objective strength and mobility assessment gave her the confidence she needed to begin the strength training. 
Stick To Your Guns
We are all built differently. More important, few of us truly know how fit we are. We remember what we could once do, which is often quite different from what we can safely do now. If we are not regularly involved in some activity that tests the range of our abilities, then we really don’t know our own physical capacities. Simple assessments reveal this and open our eyes. Current data gets us started at the right level, taking old injuries or specific weaknesses into consideration. Your fears will evaporate and be replaced with a wonderful new you. Still, beginning with a dead lift capacity of 125 pounds, after 12 months of training, Wendy can now deadlift 205 pounds. But she plans to remedy that by resuming her regular sessions. We will also show you how to rotate your sessions every 2 weeks, so that you can set yourself up for success on the StrongPath. The older you are, the more important it is to factor this into your routine. Start slowly, particularly if you are a beginner, and then pick up the pace. Stiff Upper Lip
Your heart rate will be a primary personal reference and guide. To increase your strength and health effectively, you must learn to measure the intensity of your workouts. There are two ways you can do this. The first way works great for cardio exercises. It is by monitoring your heart rate. The second way works for resistance training by determining what percentage of your maximum effort you are exercising and will be explained in the next section. Your heart rate is expressed in beats per minute. To stay in the recommended zone, you will be working out at less than 100 percent of the maximum rate at which your heart can beat safely. Look at the age column on the chart and find the number closest to your age. Let’s say you are 50 and have not been exercising, but you are not ill or suffering disability. Then look for the 60 percent and 70 percent numbers and note them all on the cardio section of your workout log. These target numbers will not change for some time, so once noted you will not have to do this again for a while. Learn To Be Still
Start slowly on a treadmill and walk while holding the metal sensors that will report your heart rate. Over a minute or two, find the pace that keeps your heart rate at or around 85 beats. If at any time, even if after exercising for only a minute or two, you find you are laboring hard and your heart rate is increasing above this level, even at a very slow pace, it is time to stop. Note how long you were able to walk and record it in your workout log. Rest and repeat the effort if you can. You may need to build up your stamina slowly in the beginning. Next time you may be able to do a little more, and so the process begins. We all must start where we are at and work from that point. After you are warmed up, you are ready to go. Be sure to note these changes as they occur in your workout diary. Also, try not to get into the habit of always warming up on the same machine at the gym. Each uses a variety of different muscles in different ways, and the variety will work in your favor. When you work to lift the most you can one time, you should be working at 100 percent of your maximum intensity. When you work to lift the most you can ten times in a row, you should be working at around 75 percent of your maximum intensity. When you are doing 15 reps, you should be working at around 65 percent of your maximum intensity. Note the corresponding weight/intensity level, and you will begin to see how the chart works. Strength coaches have devised simple charts like this that are indicative of what your ability at different levels of intensity will likely be. The squat is critical to balance and leg strength. Doing squats properly will make you strong and steady on your feet, which is important at any age. Squats will strengthen your lower body, your core, and upper body as you add weight. Squats will also make you feel lighter on your feet. You will be able to rise, move, and turn with confidence, and you will be better able to catch yourself if you stumble, avoiding a fall. Depending on your fitness level, you may need to begin with a quarter or half squat for a few reps until you begin to strengthen. As you gain strength and find that you can do more reps with a given weight, progress to the next largest weight and record the number of reps you can do with it.