Chapter # 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program Know how you can progress your own exercise program when you graduate from Cardiac Rehab You Will Learn: 1) How to progress your exercise program and why it matters 2) When it is safe to progress your exercise program Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 156
What Does Progressing Your Exercise Mean? Progressing your exercise means changing it to make it more challenging. A change in your exercise prescription could mean changing the: Intensity of your exercise (making it more intense) Duration of your exercise (making it longer) Type (trying a different type of exercise) Why Should You Progress Your Exercise? Your body follows a rule of adaptation (over time it adapts or gets used to exercise). When you introduce something new to your body, like exercise, it might feel challenging at first. You may feel: A bit breathless Your exertion as hard work Your heart rate at the higher range of your training target levels You may have felt this in the first few weeks of your exercise program. But, after doing this for a few weeks, your body started to adapt or get used to this exercise and it started to feel easier. Your breathing was not as heavy, your exertion level lowered to a rating of light work and your heart rate during the exercise was a little slower. These are good signs that you are making progress. If you were to continue at that exercise level, you would maintain that level of fitness. To continue to make gains in your fitness level, something has to change in your exercise program. Throughout the program your Cardiac Rehab team progressed your exercise for you. For your aerobic exercise, every few weeks you may have received a new exercise prescription that had a change in either: How long you were exercising and/or How fast you were exercising Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 157
For your resistance training exercise, you were encouraged to increase: The repetitions of each exercise and or Increase the amount of weight you were lifting, once you found it easier Now, once you graduate from the program, it is important for you to be aware of when and how to progress your own exercise. How Do You Know if You Are Ready to Progress Your Exercise? You are ready to progress your exercise when: Your goal is to continue to make improvements in your fitness level Your rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is less than 11 (light work) on the scale Your heart rate during your exercise is below the training heart rate set by your Cardiac Rehab team You want to try a different activity You are not ready to progress your exercise when: Your current level of exercise is challenging (your RPE is greater than 14 or somewhat hard work) You feel ill You have had a change in your medical status (new symptoms, new diagnoses) You have had a muscle or joint injury You have had a recent change in your medicine. Wait to see how you feel with that medicine change You are getting used to exercising in new weather conditions Your heart rate during exercise is above your training heart rate set by your Cardiac Rehab team Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 158
It is a very busy time in your life or you are experiencing a major life event (e.g., moving, changing jobs) You are happy with your current level of fitness How Often Should You Progress Your Exercise Program? In the first 3 to 6 months of an exercise program, progression happens every two to three weeks if everything goes as planned. This stage is called the, improvement stage. After about 6 months of regular exercise, you will notice that improvements in your fitness may not happen as often and progression or changes in your exercise program will take place less often. You will likely be in what is called the, maintenance stage where the goal is to keep your exercise program going for the long-term. How often you progress your exercise program during the, maintenance stage will depend on what your goals are (if they have changed) and how much time you have to complete your exercise program. As you are now gearing up for graduating from the CV Prevention & Rehab program, you are likely in this maintenance stage. How Do You Progress Your Aerobic Training Exercise? The first step in progressing your program is to determine if you are ready to move forward. In Chapter 3 Aerobic Exercise, we discussed the important parts of your aerobic exercise program. You will recall that we follow the FITT principle for developing your exercise prescription: Frequency of your exercise Intensity of your exercise Type of exercise Time or duration of the exercise Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 159
Changes or progression in your exercise program could occur in any of these areas. But change them one at a time. Let s discuss how progression could happen in each element of the FITT principle. Frequency Five days per week is the goal for your prescribed exercise. You also want to make sure you are active every day. If you are currently not meeting the five times per week, consider increasing how often you exercise during the week as a way of progressing your program. Intensity The intensity of your exercise or how hard you exercise could be progressed. Remember that this part of your program should only be progressed if: Your rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is less than 11 (light work) on the scale Your heart rate during your exercise is below the training heart rate set by your Cardiac Rehab team You currently do not feel any symptoms of shortness of breath, angina chest pain, chest discomfort, muscle or joint aches or pains If any of the following statements are true, you are not ready to progress the intensity of your exercise: Your current level of exercise is challenging (your RPE is greater than 14 or somewhat hard work) You feel ill You have had a change in your medical status (new symptoms, new diagnoses) You have had a recent change in your medicine. Wait to see how you feel with that medicine change You are getting used to exercising in new weather conditions Your heart rate during exercise is above your training heart rate set by your Cardiac Rehab team You are happy with your current level of fitness Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 160
The type of exercise you do will determine how the intensity could change. Here are some examples for walking/jogging and cycling. Walking: increase the speed of your walk no more than 1 minute per mile pace each time you make a change or progress your program Walk/jog: increase how often you jog or increase the length of time you jog in your routine. If you were not given a jogging prescription by your Cardiac Rehab team, speak to your doctor before starting this type of exercise Cycling: increase the revolutions per minute or speed of your cycling or how much tension is on the fly wheel Time or Duration of Exercise The amount of time you spend doing aerobic exercise is important. The goal is to exercise between 20 to 60 minutes depending on your level of fitness, medical history and goals. The amount of time you exercise is usually the first step in progressing your exercise program and should happen before progressing the intensity. Type of Exercise You may want to try a new exercise. For example, you might want a cycling program added to your walking program. Variety is important especially if you feel bored with your program. Changing the type of exercise you do is a way of progressing your program. Be sure you find a new type of exercise that is safe for you to do before trying. How Do You Progress Your Resistance Training Program? To make sure you continue to challenge your muscles and make them stronger, it is important that you progress your resistance training program. This means that, as your muscles get used to the weight you lift, something has to change. This could be how much you lift or how many times you lift the weight. Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 161
Follow these steps when you are ready to progress your program: Remember: your RPE should never be any higher than 16 Important! Not all exercises progress at the same rate Each muscle group will be ready to progress at different times Do not progress if you don t feel comfortable when doing the exercise Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 162
Example of How to Progress Your Resistance Training (RT) Program Week of RT Program # of sets # of Repetitions Change in Weight Lifted Week 3 2 Start with 10 No change in weights Week 4 2 Increase to 12 No change in weights Week 5 2 Increase to 14 No change in weights Week 6 2 Increase to 15 No change in weights Week 7 2 Decrease to 10 Increase in weights Week 8 2 Increase to 11 No change in weights In this example, the person has increased their repetitions from 10 up to 15. They are now ready to increase the weight of their dumbbells and drop back down to 10 repetitions. This cycle repeats itself. When You Increase the Weight of Your Dumbbell Follow This Order: 1 pound2 pounds3 pounds4 pounds5 pounds 8 pounds 10 pounds 12 pounds 15 pounds 20 pounds 25 pounds 30 pounds 40 pounds 45 pounds 50 pounds When You Increase the Resistance of Your Exercise Band Follow This Order: Yellow band red band green band blue band black band Your Resources 1. Chapter 3 Aerobic Exercise in this book 2. Chapter 12 Resistance Training in this book Chapter 20 Progressing Your Exercise Program pg. 163