I just had my body fat measured using underwater weighing which is one of the most accurate ways to measure fat. I have 12% fat which is really lean. I never workout for longer than 1 hour but my workouts are intense. During cardio i keep my HR at 170. Is this too high? I'm not strained during my cardio. I eat about 1800 cals a day. The problem is my periods have stopped and i think its due to how lean i am. How do i gain fat without going overboard?
body fat
- Thread starter kariev
- Start date
I am not a scientist - but the fact that you've stopped mensturating indicates that you are indeed far too lean. A-Jock is really good at these types of questions - or Cathe?????
Maybe you should be eating a little more during the day - up your calorie intake without ingesting more fat? You didn't mention how old you are - but stopping mensturating before its time indicates you could be pushing yourslef too far.
Good luck
Maybe you should be eating a little more during the day - up your calorie intake without ingesting more fat? You didn't mention how old you are - but stopping mensturating before its time indicates you could be pushing yourslef too far.
Good luck
farmgirl
Cathlete
depends
on many factors...it's been awhile but while finishing my masters I took exercise science and there are many ways to calculate a target heart rate.
Based on age it's 220-age, that's your HRmax (maximum heart rate)
Next you multiply that number by .60 and .85 to get your THR (target heart range) This would be your aerobic target heart range, if you are going for anaerobic it would be above this level. so your THR would be 118 to 167.5
Now as for amenorrhea, that can have a very negative effect on your present and future health if it is due to extreme training, it can lead to osteoporosis, infertility, and a diminished immune system. what I usually instruct clients is to cut back on their training (intensity and or length) and add high quality calories to their diet-not necessarily high fat but good quality protein and carbohydrates. What is your BMI/weight? I would definitely seek the counsel of your health care provider because female athlete triad is very serious!
good luck!
julie
on many factors...it's been awhile but while finishing my masters I took exercise science and there are many ways to calculate a target heart rate.
Based on age it's 220-age, that's your HRmax (maximum heart rate)
Next you multiply that number by .60 and .85 to get your THR (target heart range) This would be your aerobic target heart range, if you are going for anaerobic it would be above this level. so your THR would be 118 to 167.5
Now as for amenorrhea, that can have a very negative effect on your present and future health if it is due to extreme training, it can lead to osteoporosis, infertility, and a diminished immune system. what I usually instruct clients is to cut back on their training (intensity and or length) and add high quality calories to their diet-not necessarily high fat but good quality protein and carbohydrates. What is your BMI/weight? I would definitely seek the counsel of your health care provider because female athlete triad is very serious!
good luck!
julie
Aquajock
Cathlete
RE: depends
Amenohhrea is indeed something to be concerned about; I agree with Julie that you should adjust your nutritional intake as she suggested AND that you should reduce your training. I also think you should add in another rest day. 12% body fat does sound extremely low, and an appointment with a health care provider is warranted.
As Julie mentioned, there are several ways to calculate target heart rate; usually the calculation factors in a person's age, and others also factor in your current resting heart rate (RHR) which is a good measure of your cardiovascular fitness. A lower RHR is an indicator that your heart is extremely efficient at its job. Do a search with the word "Karvonen" here on this site and I know you'll pull it up. To get an accurate THR using Karvonen you need to know what your current RHR is.
I think at this point, however, that you need to address the amenorrhea and exceptionally low body fat questions before you need to worry about whether or not you're working in your training zone.
Good luck -
A-Jock
Amenohhrea is indeed something to be concerned about; I agree with Julie that you should adjust your nutritional intake as she suggested AND that you should reduce your training. I also think you should add in another rest day. 12% body fat does sound extremely low, and an appointment with a health care provider is warranted.
As Julie mentioned, there are several ways to calculate target heart rate; usually the calculation factors in a person's age, and others also factor in your current resting heart rate (RHR) which is a good measure of your cardiovascular fitness. A lower RHR is an indicator that your heart is extremely efficient at its job. Do a search with the word "Karvonen" here on this site and I know you'll pull it up. To get an accurate THR using Karvonen you need to know what your current RHR is.
I think at this point, however, that you need to address the amenorrhea and exceptionally low body fat questions before you need to worry about whether or not you're working in your training zone.
Good luck -
A-Jock
Yes, you definitely need to see your OB/GYN. I've been as low as 14% body fat in my late 20s and never had a problem with my periods. I'm a medical transcriptionist and I type for OB/GYNs. If you're on any type of birth control, this could also make you stop your periods. Some women go months without a period. This is okay as long as it isn't too long. I'm thinking, but could be wrong, they don't want you to go longer than either 3 or 4 months. At that point they usually give the patient something to make them have a period. No period over a couple of months is okay, as long as there is not a problem, but not consistently. Many women actually now take their birth control pills in a continuous fashion to prevent periods, then stop them every 3-4 months to have a withdrawal period, and then start them back again.