A client takes a medication that blunts heart-rate response. What should guide exercise-intensity monitoring?
- AUse 220 − age and lower the target zone by about 10 beats
- BUse the Karvonen method, since resting HR corrects for the medication
- CUse %HRmax from the Tanaka equation, which suits medicated clients
- DUse RPE or the talk test, following any clinician-provided guidance
Show answer and explanations
Answer
D
Medications such as beta blockers blunt the heart-rate response, so age-predicted targets are unreliable. Intensity is better monitored with RPE or the talk test, alongside any guidance from the client's clinician.
A
The size of the medication effect varies between people, so a fixed subtraction does not produce a valid target.
B
Karvonen still depends on a predicted HRmax that the medication has altered; a lower resting HR does not fix that.
C
Tanaka is a population estimate for healthy adults; it does not account for drug effects on heart rate.
D
Medications such as beta blockers blunt the heart-rate response, so age-predicted targets are unreliable. Intensity is better monitored with RPE or the talk test, alongside any guidance from the client's clinician.