Participants select their own equipment and can use more than one piece of equipment on any given day, which is known as cross-training. Intensity level of exercise is based on the participants' laboratory peak VO2 measure. Five beats per minute is subtracted from this value, and the THRR for the participant is then set from this heart rate to 10 bpm below this heart rate. For example, if a participant's heart rate is 130 bpm at an RQ of 1.00, subtracting five beats per minute from this value would put the ceiling heart rate at 125 bpm. The THRR would be 115 to 125 bpm.
Participants begin with intermittent exercise during the first four weeks of the program.
At the end of four weeks, all but four participants were able to complete 30 minutes of continuous exercise in their target heart rate range. Blood pressure and RPE are recorded at the completion of each set. Flexibility Component Participants are taught a variety of stretching exercises targeting both upper and lower body muscle groups. Participants stretch at the beginning of each exercise session, at the end of cardiovascular exercises, between the strength exercises, and at the end of the exercise session. Stretches are held for 15 to 30 seconds.