Bowflex TreadClimber TC5000 - Manual (Page 45)

42 Bowflex ® TreadClimber ® Owner’s Manual
Determining Your Fitness Level
Endurance is an important way to determine your fitness level. Before you begin exercising on your
Bowflex ® TreadClimber ® exercise machine, you will want to benchmark your current endurance level,
based on how well you feel after you take these quick tests on your TreadClimber ® machine. To do these
tests, you’ll need to use your TreadClimber ® machine in all exercise modes (TreadClimber ® , treadmill
and stair-stepper modes).
CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE TAkING THESE TESTS. Only he or she can determine
whether they may not be appropriate for your particular age and condition. If you have not been
exercising or are pregnant or have a heart condition or any physical limitation, failure to consult your
physician before engaging in physical exercise, such as these three tests, could result in serious injury
or death. If while taking the tests, you have any pain or tightness in your chest, an irregular heart beat,
shortness of breath, feel faith, light-headed or dizzy or have any pain or discomfort, STOP and consult
your physician.
These three quick tests should help you determine at what level you should start training:
Test 1
1. Start a TreadClimber ® workout (belts and treadles engaged) at 0.7 MPH (0.5 for TC1000), using
the easiest Workout Level Setting for your weight (see the Workout Level Settings table on
Page 33), and gradually increase your speed for the next 30 seconds until you reach 2 MPH or
until you feel that you are at your personal maximum exertion.
2. Continue for another 15 seconds at that speed, then step off the treadles onto the Side Foot
Support Platforms and press START/STOP to stop the belts.
3. Once the belts have stopped, breathe in and out slowly a few times, and then review your level
of exertion based on the below scale:
RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION SCALE
1. Sluggish – heart rate not raised
2. Comfortable – strolling rather than exercising
3. Alert and moving – not exerting yourself
4. Heart rate up – feel activated
5. Moderate exercise – feel aerobic and warmed up
6. Invigorated and healthy but could tire out soon
7. Breathing heavier – pushing yourself
8. Panting hard – feeling muscle burn
9. Sharp increase in exertion – almost at maximum effort
10. Maximum effort – could collapse if pace continued
Based on the above scale:
• Beginner Level perceives exertion at 8, 9 or 10
• Intermediate Level perceives their exertion at 4, 5, 6 or 7
• Advanced Level perceives exertion at 1, 2 or 3
Workout Instructions