mance than you used to need.
2.You will be able to perform a certain endurance performance at the
same cardiac output over a longer period of time.
3.You will recover more speedily from a certain cardiac performance.
To be able to make such comparisons, you first have to check your "star-
ting conditions", i.e. the functional capacity of your cardiovascular and re-
spiratory system, before starting the exercises.
How can you determine these capacities?
If you have not been involved in any sports activities for a long time or if
you are suffering from health problems we recommend to consult your
doctor before starting fitness endurance training.
To determine the performance capacity of the cardiovascular system, an
exertion level test on the bicycle ergometer has developed by sport medi-
cine scientists:
1. For persons who have not built endurance or who are suffering from
circulatory insufficiency the exertion intensity will be increased every 2
minutes starting from 25 watts. The KETTLER ergometer is equipped
with such a fitness test in accordance with the applicable WHO stan-
dard.
2. For endurance trained persons, e.g. competitive athletes, the starting le-
vel amounts to 50 watts which will be increased every 3 minutes by 50
watts. The pedal speed should amount to 60 - 80 turns per minute. If
the device has been equipped accordingly, the test is accompanied by
regular blood pressure, lactate (lactic acid) measurements and measu-
rements of the oxygen absorption capacity. If no complications occur
which require the immediate termination of the test, the exertion will be
continued up to the maximum (subjective) exertion level (termination in
case of exhaustion).
Heart rate measurements (recovery heart rate) will be carried out after the
first and the second minute after terminating the test.
These values will also be used as evaluation criteria for the performance
capacity.
The faster the heart rate returns to normal within the first minute after the ter-
mination of exertion the faster will the persons exercising "fully recover".
Guide values for your endurance training sessions
According to sport medicine scientists, maximum exertion signifies the re-
aching of the personal maximum heart rate.
The maximum heart rate which can be reached is age dependent. Nor-
mally the maximum heart rate decreases as the age increases.
The following applies as a rule of thumb: The maximum heart rate per mi-
nute corresponds to 220 beats minus age in years.
Example: You are 60 years old. The maximum number of heart beats
which can be reached amounts to 220 minus 60 = 160 beats/ minute.
This value can deviate by approx. 10 beats in either direction (±).
The following other rules of thumb help you to assess your personal func-
tional cardiac capacity:
■ The set value for "maximum exertion" amounts to 3 watts per kg body
weight for men and 2.5 watts for women.
■ From 30 years onwards the functional capacity starts to decrease: by
approx. 1 % per year for men and by approx. 0.8 % per year for wo-
men. This has to be included in the calculation (determination according
to diagrams 1 and 2).
Example: You are 49 years old, male and have a weight of 75 kg. In the
fitness level check you have interrupted the test at a heart rate of 175 and
a performance of 190 watts
The assumed maximum heart rate of 220 minus age (170) has been rea-
ched. For this reason, the maximum exertion level on the termination of
the test can be assumed.
The set value setting would be: 3 (watts) x 75 (kg) = 225 watts minus 20%
"age reduction" (49 years). This results in a set performance of 225 watts
minus 45 watts = 180 watts. However, your performance amounted to
190 watts. Your personal performance capacity exceeds the set value set-
ting by 10 watts or approx. 5 %. Your measured cardiovascular perfor-
mance capacity is therefore slightly above the average.
Diagram 1: Men
Set value setting for maximum exertion Men
= 3 x Body weight x
(
1–
Age –
30
)
100
Diagram 2: Women
Set value setting for maximum exertion Women
= 2,5 x Body weight x
(
1– 0,8
Age – 30
)
100
If you exercise according to plan and at regular intervals, your values will
most certainly further improve compared to the set value settings.
Planning and controlling of your ergometer endurance trai-
ning
After being familiar with your individual starting conditions, you can start
to plan your fitness endurance training.
Please keep the following principle in mind during planning: Endurance
training sessions are both determined by the amount and the intensity of
exertion!
Intensity of exertion:
To ensure you train your endurance fitness with the bicycle/ergometer on
the threshold, i.e. to provide a stimulus for the adjustment of your cardio-
vascular control capacity, the level of exertion during exercise has to meet
certain minimum requirements. On the other hand it may not be selected
too high since in this case there are no endurance movements possible.
High levels of exertion ( = excessive cycling resistances) will result pre-
mature termination of the exercise, the training stimulus will in this case be
on the improvement of strength.
You may use your heart rate to check the level of exertion:
Rule of thumb: 180 minus age in years
The optimum level of exertion is reached at 60-70 % of your individual
cardiac output. For the heart rates which may be suitable for your perso-
nalised endurance training, please refer to table 1. Apart from the age in
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
90
80
70
60
50
75
49
Weight
(kg)
Age (years)
70 100 150 200 250
Example
Set value setting for maximum exertion level (Watt)
≈180
85
80
75
60
70
65
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
90
80
70
60
50
40
75
Weight
(kg)
Age (years)
≈160
Example
Set value setting for maximum exertion level (Watt)
49
70 100 150 200
