We’re all aware of a history of heart failures in vintage racing, some of them unfortunately fatal. Recently there have been a number of Olympic-caliber athletes who have experimented with an easy, basic fitness program based on heart performance. Their dramatic results can apply as much to the prevention of heart problems as they do to increased athletic performance (wouldn’t you love to get much healthier, while at the same time lowering your lap times?). Unfortunately, while this information is well documented and in use in athletic circles, it apparently isn’t well circulated in medical literature, which is another way of saying your internist is unlikely to be aware of it. Amazingly, this simple, effective program requires only 30 minutes of walking, 2-3 times a week. Sound too good? It isn’t…
Anatomy of YOUR Engine
Your heart is a muscle whose primary purpose is obviously to pump blood. A strong heart is said to have high cardiac output, which means that it can pump a greater volume of blood (with its required oxygen) in fewer beats per minute than its weaker counterpart. A weak heart with a lesser cardiac output has to pump more beats per minute to deliver the same volume of blood (similar to a small displacement engine needing to turn much higher rpm’s in order to put out the same horsepower as a large displacement, lower rpm motor). The weak heart is less efficient and so is more prone to failure, just like a high-strung, high-revving race motor. The strong heart is more resistant to failure (commonly known as a heart attack) and is thus better able to cope with problems such as poor diet, physical exertion, sedentary lifestyle and even stress. The fact that a strong heart pumps a greater volume of blood means that the blood vessels and arteries expand to accept that increased volume, thus lowering blood pressure (think of oil pressure and the clearances involved). As for stress, the opposite is true – stress (adrenaline) causes a constriction of blood vessels and a resultant rise in blood pressure.
Properly trained athletes have low heart rates and blood pressure. Their hearts are strong and efficient, and therefore can pump more oxygen-rich blood per beat; even at rest, their hearts beat slower and more efficiently than a de-conditioned heart.
The three basic fuels that our hearts and other muscles use for fuel are fat, carbohydrates, and protein. For our purposes, fat is the most desirable fuel, but it requires the most oxygen in order to be used as fuel. Simply put, in order to burn fat efficiently, we must maintain a low enough intensity during exercise (measured by heart rate) that the oxygen requirements of overall body functions don’t supercede the oxygen requirements to burn fat. This break point is referred to as maximal aerobic heart rate training and establishes over time the aerobic “base” necessary to perform at higher intensity levels without harm. When you utilize oxygen most efficiently (which is the easy, fun part of exercise), you have enough oxygen to use fat for muscle fuel. As intensity increases (the painful, hard part of exercise), your body needs more oxygen to make the brain and muscles work together efficiently, so less oxygen can be used to drive your muscles. This causes a metabolic shift in the muscles’ fuel requirements: initially from fat to carbohydrates and ultimately from carbohydrates to protein (that is to say, we actually start to burn muscle tissue itself as a fuel source). The stronger, fitter heart successfully delays the onset of these metabolic shifts.
To a great extent, age determines heart performance parameters: a rule of thumb for a maximum, efficient, fat-burning heart rate is to subtract your age from 175. Thus, a 55-year-old would have a maximum aerobic rate of 120 BPM. Let’s look at a de-conditioned, 55-year-old racecar driver with a resting heart rate of 60 BPM, a maximal aerobic heart rate of 120 BPM, an anaerobic threshold of 134 BPM, and an absolute maximal rate of 160 BPM. In the initial stage of warming up the racecar, wearing a full driver’s suit, and wiggling into the cockpit, his “resting” rate becomes 85 BPM. On pre-grid the cockpit temperature is rising, he feels the pressure of competition and is “keyed up,” there is apprehension and some fear, and his resting rate rises to 115 BPM. He hasn’t actually started racing yet and is already on the verge of surpassing his maximum aerobic heart rate! Once the start is taken, his rate is moving steadily towards his anaerobic threshold of 134 BPM. This anaerobic threshold represents the highest heart rate he can maintain while still using oxygen efficiently. Up to this point, his body has been successful at flushing excess carbon dioxide, a by-product of the energy burning process, from his system. Past this point, his body cannot keep up: a by-product of the newly built-up carbon dioxide, lactate (lactic acid) has now entered the blood stream at sufficient levels to prevent the efficient transport of oxygen through the blood. If he continues, and as time and/or intensity increases, his heart rate will rise to, or beyond, his maximum rate of 160 (surprisingly easy to do given a very narrow focus, adrenaline and the stresses of the moment). Then: (1) He will eventually exhaust his oxygen supply, his muscle fibers will contract and not release (they seize), his brain will begin to shut down and he may lose consciousness. (2) The heart will be overworked trying to make up for diminished oxygen supply by beating faster, and he could suffer any of a number of variations of heart attack; (3) Rising blood pressure dramatically increases stroke potential; (4) Motor skills diminish as a result of chemical imbalances brought on by oxygen debt, resulting in loss of control of his body functions and/or his racecar; and (5) The final consequence of the above, singly or in combinations, can be, and has too often been, death. And 1 to 1-1/2 hours per week of walking at a slow pace can prevent this disastrous sequence.
So what can you do? The program is very simple. All that you need to do is to walk two to three times a week for 30 minutes and maintain your heart rate at your maximum aerobic heart rate (175 beats per minute minus your age). The easiest and most reliable way to monitor your heart rate during this exercise is with the use of a simple $48 heart rate monitor, which can be purchased at any good sporting goods store. As unbelievable as it may seem, this easy, no-hassle program will help you lose weight (which translates into better lap times), will make you more physically fit (which translates into better lap times), and may very well save your life (which enables you to continue to enjoy having lap times!
