Overdoing it with cardiovascular exercise may be counterproductive for people simply looking to slim down, according to Shaun Karp of Karp Personal Training in Burnaby.

Considering the mass appeal of intense workouts like Tae-Bo, Karp says exercise enthusiasts who work themselves above their target heart rate may not be reaping the calorie-burning benefits from their intense exercise.

“To burn fat effectively, you have to work within your target heart rate, otherwise you’re burning stored sugar or possibly even lean body tissue.”

Karp says body-conscious people looking to shed a few pounds need only exercise within their target heart rate 20 to 50 minutes, three to five times a week.

So forget about sweating your self silly, it\’s time to determine your target heart rate and make the most out of your weight-loss workout.

– Dawn Brett

Step One

Figure out your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. For example, a 35-year old person would have a maximum heart rate of 185.

Step Two

To determine your target heart range, multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.6. The multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.8. That means our 35-year-old example with a maximum heart rate of 185 would have a target heart range of 111 to 148 beats per minute.

Step Three

An easy way to manually take your pulse is to turn a hand palm up and place your index and middle fingers gently across your wrist. Fell for a pulse over the Brachial artery (on the thumb side of your wrist). Then count the number of beats you feel in 10 seconds. Just multiply that number by six and that\’s the number of beats per minute.. Start by taking your pulse every five to 10 minutes during your cardio workout until you become familiar with working within your optimal range.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.