Monday, March 25, 2024

Best Heart Rate For Burning Fat

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How Do You Calculate Your Heart Rate

How to Find Your Target Heart Rate for Fat Burning

You can calculate your heart rate manually or with a heart rate monitor, like the fitness tracker you may be wearing on your wrist right now.

To calculate your heart rate manually, place your index and middle fingers on your wrist, close to your palm, just down from your thumb. Move your fingers until theyâre just over your artery and you can feel a pulse. This pulse is created by blood moving through the arteries each time the heart contracts, so it is a direct reflection of your heart rate.

Once youâve found the pulse, apply very gentle pressure on that area. Then, count how many pulses you feel during the course of 10 seconds, with the first pulse starting at the count of zero. Multiply that number by six to get the amount of times your heart is beating in a one-minute period. This is your current heart rate. In order to get your resting heart rate, you would complete this heart rate check shortly after waking.

There are a number of things that can affect your heart rate, including exercise, dehydration, temperature of your environment, and, of course, your cardiorespiratory fitness.

What Is Your Resting Heart Rate

Your resting heart rate represents the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are at rest. A recommended way to check your resting heart rate is in the morning after you have had a good nights sleep before you get out of bed. For most people, the heartbeats between 60 and 100 times a minute while at rest. Remember, when it comes to resting heart rate, lower is better. It usually indicates your heart muscle is in better condition and does not have to work as hard to keep a steady beat.

Studies have observed that a higher resting heart rate is a risk factor for mortality.

What Is The Fat

Your target heart rate is a number that shows your heart is working hard enough and that youre burning a worthwhile number of calories during exercise.

A persons specific target heart rate depends on his or her age: The older you are, the lower your target should be. But generally, it should be between 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate , according to the American Heart Association .

Calculate Your Maximum Heart Rate

Get the formula here, plus a handy chart that breaks down average MHR by age.

Is there a certain target heart rate that encourages your body to burn more fat? The simple answer is yes.

Exercising at around 70 percent of your MHR will encourage your body to use more energy from fat, while exercising at a higher heart rate will encourage your body to use more energy from carbohydrates, according to a February 2011 review published in the journal Clinical Nutrition Espen.

Staying in the so-called fat-burning zone might seem like the best option if youre looking to lose weight. But in fact, thats not necessarily the case.

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How Do You Calculate Your Maximum Heart Rate

In order to figure out which heart rate training zone youâre working in, you first need to know your maximum heart rate. This is the most output your heart can handle during exercise.

The easiest way to calculate your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. While this is a very general tool, it is not the most specific and exact. Itâs difficult to get someoneâs actual maximum heart rate, because that would require field testing someoneâs heart at their actual maximum exercise output, which is cumbersome. For these purposes, 220 minus age is a good starting point, knowing that not everyone of the same age has the same maximum heart rate .

< p class=”pro-tip”> 220 – = Maximum heart rate < /p>

As an example, someone who is 25 would find their maximum heart rate like this:

< p class=”pro-tip”> 220 – 25 = 195 bpm< br/> < strong> 195 bpm< /strong> is the maximum heart rate.< /p>

What Is The Best Heart Rate Zone To Burn Fat

Heart Rate Monitors

Wearable technology has taken over the fitness industry over the last few years, and people are using this technology daily to track various fitness metrics. One popular metric is heart rate tracking. Entire fitness franchises have been built on HR tracking and staying in the infamous fat burning zone. But what actually is the best heart rate zone for burning fat?

First, lets define the different heart rate zones. We can categorize different heart rate zones based off a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Your max heart rate is the greatest number of beats per minute your heart can possibly reach during all-out strenuous exercise. To find your estimated maximum heart rate, we use a formula called the Fox Formula, 220 age = Maximum Heart Rate . For example, if you are 45 years old then, 220-45 = 175 estimated maximum heart rate. Using this data, we can then establish different heart rate zones based off of a percentage of our estimated maximum heart rate.

The optimal heart rate zone for burning fat is generally considered to be around 70% of your maximum heart rate. Above youll see a chart defining the 6 different heart rate zones based off of a percentage of your MHR and the goal associated with each HR Zone.

While the fat burning zone isnt the most useful for losing weight, it is extremely important in building endurance, aiding with recovery, and also improving cardiovascular health. Think longevity.

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Determining Your Maximum Heart Rate

The most accurate method to determine your maximum heart rate is a lab test, but you can also determine it on your own.

You can estimate your maximum heart rate with the following formula:

Max Heart Rate = 220  your age

This is a very rough estimate and doesnt produce the most reliable result, but its a starting point. Be aware that your max heart rate is affected by your physiology, which is affected by age but also influenced by many other factors.

Trying to establish a reliable result from variables you can measure statically is essentially impossible.

If you have a heart rate monitor , you can determine your maximum heart rate doing a ramp incremental test. This simply involves you exercising wearing a HRM, starting at a sustainable pace and increasing the intensity of your activity every so often until you cant go any faster.

The number on your HRM at that point is an accurate personal estimation of your max heart rate. You can perform a ramp incremental test running, rowing or an assault bike.

The most accurate way to calculate your max heart rate is a laboratory test. These are usually conducted with a trained professional in a laboratory with high-tech equipment.

Fat Burn Exercise #2 Push Ups With Kicks

Many of us complain about our arms either that they need more muscle definition, or have hard-to-budge wings. And whilst your body shape is already far more beautiful than you allow yourself to think, theres really no harm in building some arm workouts into your fat burn routine.

Simply get yourself into a regular push-up position with your arms shoulder-width apart. Perform a normal push up descent then, as youre coming back up, bring one knee in to meet your chest as far in as you can return, and alternate your legs with each push up you do.

Not for the faint-hearted, this fat burn exercise may require a little practice and perseverance. But once youve mastered it and got your balance to a place of performing multiple moves at once, raising your heart rate to the fat burn zone will be yours for the taking!

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How The Fat Burning Zone Works

Your body gets most of its fuel by burning a combination of fat and carbohydrates. The more active you are, the greater percentage of carbs it burns as opposed to fat. Why is this the case?

Carbohydrates are a less dense form of energy than fats, which makes them easier to break down. When the intensity level of your exercise increases, your heart rate rises and your body needs energy more quickly, so it turns to the source that can be accessed faster.

For this reason, lower intensity workouts burn a higher percentage of fat compared to carbs than higher intensity efforts do. That is why the heart rate zone for burning fat is also categorized in the chart above as light exertion level. The 70% of max HR number comes from it being strenuous enough exercise to burn fuel, but not too strenuous to burn carbs instead of fat.

What Is A Good Heart Rate To Burn Fat

The Fat Burning Zone – JIllian Michaels – Target Heart Rate Zones Explained

To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, a 35-year-old womans maximum heart rate is 220 minus 35 or 185 beats per minute. To enter the fat-burning zone, shed want her heart rate to be 70 percent of 185, which is about 130 beats per minute.

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Do Calculations Differ For Women And Men

Womens and mens hearts respond a little differently to exercise, so there are slightly different calculations to find the precise target heart rate for women versus men.

But experts say those variations are only really useful for elite athletes who are looking to get super specific. Casual exercisers can stick to using the same basic target heart rate calculation.

Dont feel like pulling out the calculator or want to check the math you just did? Heres a general idea of what your target heart rate should look like for moderate or vigorous exercise, based on your age.

Age

If youre not into crunching numbers, youve got other options for figuring out whether youre moving at the right intensity.

How Do You Measure Your Heart Rate

The best places to measure your own heartbeat are:

  • Top of the foot
  • Inside of your elbow.

The simplest way to measure your heart rate is usually on your wrist or neck. Youll need a watch with a second hand or a stopwatch.

At the start of a minute, start counting your heartbeats. Count the number of heartbeats you feel in a minute and, there you have it: your heart rate.

When you are at rest and calm, your heart rate is called your resting heart rate. The other zones are moderate heart rate, target heart rate, and maximum heart rate as youd expect, the more you move, the more your heart will beat, pushing you from resting to moderate, then target to maximum.

Your target heart rate, which well describe in detail in the next section, is your ideal heart rate to reach your fitness goals and depends on your age, sex, activity level, and resting pulse.

The target heart rate is the root of the idea of a fat-burning heart rate.

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How To Find Your Heart Rate Reserve

Martti Karvonen was a Finnish scientist who wanted to figure out a more accurate way to use heart rate to determine the intensity of cardio exercise. His method is known as heart rate reserve, and its a more accurate way of determining the intensity of exercise according to an article from the British Columbia Medical Journal.

Kennedy Fitness explains you can find your heart rate reserve by subtracting your resting heart rate from your max heart rate. To find your resting heart rate, lie down and relax for a few minutes. You can put on a smartwatch or fitness tracker that measures heart rate or use a chest strap. If you dont have any technology, you can put your fingers on the side of your neck to feel your pulse.

Once you feel relaxed, begin measuring your heart rate. If you can, track it over a few minutes. The average heart rate over that time is your resting heart rate. As an example, assume you have a resting heart rate of 60. If youre 30 years old, youd subtract that number from your max heart rate of 200. That means your heart rate reserve number is 140.

Now you can use the American College of Sports Medicines recommendations for exercise calculated from heart rate reserve, which are much more accurate. Take your heart rate reserve number, 140, and multiply it by one of the following intensities:

  • 30% or less for very light activity
  • 3039% for light activity
  • 4059% for moderate activity
  • 6089% for vigorous activity
  • 90% or above for maximal intensity

Calculating Your Target Heart Rate For Fat Loss

Weight Loss Exercise For Middle Aged Males

Everyone has a resting heart rate , which is the number of times your heart beats per minute while youre resting. The average adults RHR is 60-100 bpm, but it may be as low as 40 for athletes .

It can be affected by several factors, including stress, hormones, anxiety, medication, and physical activity. A higher RHR is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and a lower life expectancy .

Figuring out your heart rate is as simple as counting your pulse for 15 seconds and multiplying that number by four. For example, if you count 25 pulses in 15 seconds and multiply that by 4, your heart rate is 100 bpm. The best places to find your pulse include:

  • Inside the wrist
  • Top of the foot
  • Inside the elbow

Once you find that number, youll be able to figure out your fat-burning heart rate zone. But, before you commit to reaching that number with a new exercise routine, talk with a healthcare provider if you are on medications or have a chronic health condition. These factors can alter your fat-loss target heart rate.

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Fat Burning Zone: The Basics

When youre working out at home, or anywhere without the supervision of some trained professionals, its important to understand what youre doing and why.

So to prep you for your home-based fat burn exercise routine, heres a super quick breakdown of what fat burn is all about…

In simple terms, the fat burning zone is where you ideally need yep, you guessed it! burn the most body fat.

Sometimes referred to as the fat burn heart rate zone too, the fat burning zone equates to ideal levels of intensity in which your body begins using fat stores for energy, consequently burning it off as you exercise.

Of course, this ideal level of intensity will differ from woman to woman. So its also worth knowing how to calculate your fat burn zone.

Give Intermittent Fasting A Shot

Intermittent fasting is a diet pattern that involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting.

Research shows that intermittent fasting may help enhance both weight loss and fat loss.

One review looked at the effects of intermittent fasting, including alternate-day fasting a method that involves alternating between days of fasting and eating normally.

They found that alternate-day fasting over a period of 312 weeks reduced body weight by up to 7% and decreased body fat by up to 12 pounds .

Another small study showed that eating only during an eight-hour window each day helped decrease fat mass and maintain muscle mass when combined with resistance training .

There are several different types of intermittent fasting, including some where you eat only on certain days of the week and others where eating is restricted to specific hours of the day.

Popular types of intermittent fasting include Eat Stop Eat, the Warrior Diet, the 16/8 method and the 5:2 diet.

Find a variation that fits in with your schedule and lifestyle and dont be afraid to experiment to find what works best for you.

Summary Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce body weight and body fat and may help preserve muscle mass when combined with resistance training.

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Simple Fat Burn Exercise Techniques Anyone Can Do

Now weve established the science behind your bodys ability to burn fat, its time to discover some super simple exercises you can do from the comfort of your very own home with no equipment required!

A beginner to fat burning workouts? No worries. Only got 5 minutes a day to squeeze fat burn in? Not a problem either.

No matter where you are in your fitness journey, or how busy your daily routine tends to be, the following exercises will have you feeling trim and energised in no time!

How To Exercise In Your Fat Burning Zone

Heart Health : How to Find Your Heart Rate for Fat Burning

The first way of checking if youre exercising in your fat burning zone would be checking your pulse with your fingers on your neck or on your throat.

You have to find the exact spot on your neck, right below your jaw on the left or the right side of your throat.

I dont recommend you try to feel your own pulse on your wrist, because finding the right spot on your wrist can be even trickier than on your neck.

Once you find the pulse, you need to count the beats for exactly sixty seconds .

If the number of beats falls somewhere in between the low and the high end of your fat burningzone, you are good.

If you counted too few beats you need to speed up the pace.

If you counted too many beats you need to slow down.

While this is a free method, it is not really practical, because you will probably need to stop exercising, just to be able to check if you were exercising in the fat burning zone.

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