If you have been cleared by your doctor to exercise, you have to challenge yourself to get the fat loss and weight loss that you’re looking for. One way is to use the machine’s features that can tailor the workout intensity to suit your current weight and age.
Simply hitting the “Quick Start” button on the cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, bike, etc.), won’t get you the results you want. Before starting your workout, you should enter your personal data—like your weight and age—so that the machine can adjust your workout to your level of fitness.
To enter your personal data at the beginning of your workout, perform the following steps:
- On the Welcome screen, press Programs. Then press Enter.
- Press Input.
- Press Enter. The weight screen appears. Enter your weight. Press Enter.
- The age screen appears. Enter your age. Press Enter.
- Press Go or Enter to begin your workout.
- The equipment displays a 3-second countdown, and then “STARTING WORKOUT” scrolls in the text display.
During your workout, you may want to monitor your heart rate to ensure it stays in the fat-burning zone or the cardio zone (depending on your age and weight). To do this, perform the following:
- Place the palm of your hands directly on the metal heart rate sensors (located on the equipment’s handlebars). Both hands must grip the sensors to ensure an accurate readout. Do not grip tightly; keep a loose hold.
- Wait 15-20 seconds while the machine counts your heartbeats.
- If at the beginning of your workout you’re unable to get a reading from the handheld sensors, try again later in the workout, as your perspiration will help transmit your heart rate to the machine.
CAUTION: Your heart rate should never exceed 85% of your maximum aerobic heart rate. You can determine your max heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 (i.e., 220 – age = max heart rate).
If you have questions about our cardio equipment or about determining what your heart rate should be during your workout, ask one of our certified personal trainers to help you.
Gary Weingarten is a Commercial Fitness Equipment Sales Specialist, Sales Executive, and Key Account Manager at Precor, a division of Amer Sports, which supplies equipment to Lucille Roberts gyms.
