How To Calculate Your Fat Burning Heart Rate
There are 2 simple steps to figuring out a rough estimation of your fat burning heart rate.
Maximum heart rate
The first thing you have to figure out is your maximum heart rate. The maximum amount of beats per minute your heart can handle without shutting down.
You can get an estimation for your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. For example if you are 50 years old, your maximum heart rate would be about 170 beats per minute. The actual number is highly dependent on your activity levels and other factors.
The supposed best heart rate to burn fat
The fat burning heart rate is between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Again for the example of a 50 year old person that would come down to between 85 and 119 beats per minute.
This specific number known as the fat-burning zone is a thing because at that heart rate you burn the most amount of fat during your exercise. Its the tipping point between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. When you start going over this rate your body starts to use energy from other sources like for example glycogen.
Pay Attention To How You Feel
Checking in with your body is an easy but less precise way to see if youre on the right track.
If youre working out at a moderate pace, you should be breathing faster but not be out of breath. You should be able to talk but not sing, and youll likely start to sweat after about 10 minutes.
If youre working out at a vigorous pace, you should be breathing fast and hard and shouldnt be able to say more than a few words at a time. Youll also start to sweat within a few minutes.
The Link Between Heart Loss And Fat Loss
Now, what is the link between heart rate and fat burning? Heart rate often shows the intensity of physical activity that one is doing.
The resting heart rate, which refers to a persons heart rate when they are lying down, usually hovers between 70-120 beats per minute.
Physical activity makes a persons heart rate increase. A high-intensity workout often achieves the maximum heart rate that one can achieve safely. However, that is hard to maintain because of which it is hard to determine your maximum heart rate. The fat-burning heart rate falls between the extremes, the resting heart rate, and the maximum heart rate.
Why is it important? People concerned to lose fat often try to achieve a heart rate for burning fat through high-intensity exercise. When a person hits their fat-burning heart rate, the body burns more stores fat, sugar, and other carbohydrates.
Recommended Reading: What Does It Mean When Your Heart Rate Is High
Tools For Monitoring Your Heart Rate
Now that you know the heart rate to aim for and the activities that’ll help you achieve it, make sure you’re staying on track. Keeping your heart rate in your desired zone will help you burn the number of calories you’re aiming for so you can reach your weight-loss goals faster.
To check your target heart rate during exercise, you’ve got a few different options. For real-time feedback, consider using an activity tracker watch or a chest monitor. Both devices track your pulse, so they’re an easy way to tell if you’re in the zone.
Check Out Our Top Picks
“I’ve found better consistency and connectivity with chest monitors, which translates into more consistent and accurate heart rate reporting,” Richards says.
Of course, not everyone likes working out with a monitor strapped to his or her chest. “A watch might be better for some people who feel it’s too annoying, uncomfortable or cumbersome to use a chest monitor,” she says.
Just keep in mind that neither device is foolproof. Wearable trackers can give you a ballpark estimate of your heart rate, but you can’t count on them to be precise, per the Mayo Clinic.
The good news is that most casual exercisers don’t need intense precision when it comes to tracking their heart rate.
“I’m a fan of keeping it simple,” Richards says. That means paying attention to how you feel:
Ready to Lose Weight?
Set yourself up for success with LIVESTRONG.com’s 30-Day Weight-Loss Kickstart.
Target Heart Rate Zones
Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute while at rest. You can determine this rate by placing your index finger on your your wrist or neck and counting the beats you feel for 60 seconds. A healthy RHR is usually between 60 to 100 BPM.
Your maximum heart rate , or the maximum number of times your heart can beat in a minute, is calculated by subtracting your age from the number 220. For example, if you are 30-years-old, your MHR is 190 .
When it comes to exercise, particularly cardio exercise, there are different heart-rate zones that equate to different levels of intensity. These levels are based on MHR and determine which energy systems your body uses during exercise, directly affecting how many calories you burn.
| Workout Intensity |
| Cannot talk at all |
Also Check: Which Arm Goes Numb During A Heart Attack
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.
Exercise Heart Rate Zones
Of course, we arent always training at a very light effort. If youre trying to increase your working on your endurance, odds are youre exercising at a light effort. If youre an athlete working on explosiveness, hard or maximum effort is where you focus.
Here are the different ranges:
-
Very light Improves overall health and helps recovery very easy on breathing and muscles
-
Light Improves basic endurance and burns fat characterized by comfortable, easy breathing and light sweating
-
Moderate Improves aerobic fitness light muscle fatigue, easy breathing, and moderate sweating
-
Hard Increases maximum performance capacity muscle fatigue and heavy breathing
-
Maximum Develops maximum performance and speed should be very exhausting for both breathing and muscle fatigue alike
Like the chart above illustrates, exercising at 60-70% of your total effort is one of the most effective ways to burn fat. To reap the most physical benefits its best to exercise within this heart rate range for 40-80 minutes.
-
Here is a fat-burning zone calculator, or use the equation below: 220 =
-
* 0.6 =
-
* 0.7 =
Lets use the same example we used above. For someone who is 35, the fat-burning zone is
-
220 age 35 = 185
-
185 * 0.6 = 111
-
185 * 0.7 = 129.5
This person should do light exercise for 40 or more minutes, keeping their heart rate between 111 and 129.5 beats per minute.
Read Also: Can Turmeric Cause Heart Palpitations
Target Heart Rate Charts
If you are trying to lose weight by burning fat, it is important to monitor your heart rate while exercising. Below is a chart you may use to determine the proper heart rate zone for your body.
If you are trying to burn fat, it is good to find your target heart rate zone. Generally, you if you stay within a certain ideal range for the most effective workouts. The heart rate zone is calculated by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 55%-65%. Staying in this zone may help you to lose weight by burning fat.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends an exercise intensity range of 55-69% of the maximal heart rate for beginners and 55%-90% for experienced exercisers. The maximum heart rate in beats per minute can be estimated by subtracting the age from 220. For example, a 20 year old college student has an estimated maximum heart rate of 200 . The exercise intensity for this individual is established by multiplying 200 times the training range . It is important to remember that whenever intensities are estimated, the duration of the exercise session and the initial fitness level must be considered.
Healthy adults should follow a generally accepted three stage program which includes an initial conditioning stage an improvement stage and a maintenance stage.
I Initial Conditioning Stage
Mode: Continuous rhythmic, aerobic exercise- may include low level cardio respiratory activities and light muscular endurance exercise.
Duration: 15 to 20 minutes
Fat Burning Zone Calculator
The fat burning zone calculator estimates your target heart rate for the greatest amount of fat loss . Keeping your heart rate in those values will allow you to maximize your body’s ability to lose weight and burn fat while exercising.
Do you want to know how many calories you burn during training? Check our calories burned calculator!
Recommended Reading: What Can Cause Your Heart Rate To Be High
Determine Your Fat Burning Heart Rate Zone
Heart rate data can help you exercise at the right intensity for your goal.
Provided you have a reliable heart rate monitor, your heart rate is one of the most accurate measurements of intensity and effort during a workout.
When you work out in your fat-burning heart rate zone, your body will tap into your fat stores for energy. Fat calories decrease at the upper limit of the aerobic zone, when you exercise at high intensity.
Given that the optimal fat burning heart rate falls between 67.6-87.1 percent of maximal heart rate, you can determine your personal fat burning zone by multiplying your max heart rate by the minimum and maximum percentages.
This is how you can calculate your personal fat burning heart rate:
Imagine your maximum heart rate is 200 beats per minute.
67.6 percent of 200 equals 135.2, and 87.1 percent of 200 equals 174.2.
This means that your fat burning heart rate falls between 135 and 174 beats per minute, so exercising anywhere between those numbers will burn maximum fat.
Word of caution: your heart rate is incredibly responsive and can be a great tool to measure intensity. At the same time, your heart rate will change day to day depending on variables such as heat, stress, sleep, nutrition or how well-recovered you are.
Be aware that the device youre wearing to measure your heart rate might also be slightly inaccurate.
Remember to always listen to your body and know when to take measurements with a pinch of salt.
Image Sources
It Sounds Obvious But What Is A Fat
Your target heart rate is the number of times your heart should beat per minute to ensure your heart is getting exercise without being overworked. Sticking with that rate also means youre moving at a pace thatll promote calorie burning and help you lose weight.
Fat-burning heart rate is a bit of a misnomer, though.
Your body will burn fat or carbohydrates for energy during physical activity, depending on how hard youre working. Exercising at a moderate pace, with your heart rate slightly elevated, burns more calories from fat. Crank it up to a vigorous, heart-pounding pace and your body eventually switches to burning more calories from carbs.
Staying in the fat-burning zone might sound like your best bet if youre trying to lose weight. But the fact is, it doesnt matter if the cals you burn through exercise come from fat or carbs. You just need to burn calories, period.
So, what heart rate should you target to ensure youre working hard enough to reap the benefits of exercise? For weight loss and overall health, you need to exercise at a moderate pace for at least 150 minutes per week or a vigorous pace for at least 75 minutes per week.
- To exercise at a moderate pace, aim for 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
- To exercise at a vigorous pace, aim for 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Read Also: Why Do Soccer Players Have Heart Attacks
What Are The Types Of Heart Rates
Heart rates vary depending on several factors, including:
- Weather
Different types of heart rates include:
- Resting heart rate: Measured when you are at rest and should be between 60-100 bpm.
- Target heart rate: Measured during exercise and is calculated as 50%-85% of your maximum heart rate. Different types of target heart rate zones include:
- Lower-intensity zone: Working out at 50%-60% of your maximum heart rate.
- Temperate zone: Working out at 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate.
- Aerobic zone: Working out at 70%-80% of maximum heart rate.
What Is The Fat Burning Heart Rate
Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. How many times your heart beats depends on multiple things like activity levels, gender, weight, genetic factors, Your heart rate is usually a good indicator of how intense your workout is for you.
Notice the for you. For example an elderly, inactive lady might be doing high-intensity exercise by climbing stairs while a professional athlete has to sprint to get high-intensity exercise.
In general, when someone is just sitting down, a persons heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute. Your heart rate when not doing anything is considered to be your resting heart rate. These numbers are a fairly flexible estimation. For example, if you exercise a lot, chances are your resting heart rate is lower than 60 beats per minute.
Being outside these numbers is no reason to start panicking just yet but you might want to talk about it with your doctor.
When you exercise your heart rate goes up. The more intense the exercise the higher.
The fat burning heart rate also known as the weight loss heart rate is the intensity zone at which your exercise burns the most fuel from fat instead of fuel from carbohydrates.
You May Like: At What Heart Rate Should You Go To The Hospital
How To Find Your Fat
There is a perfect heart rate zone tailored to each individual, which burns the most fat.
Stay below this zone and you arent maximizing fat burn. Go above this zone and youre only burning the food in your stomach, not getting rid of your body fat. And you might be surprised to learn the intensity level is fairly low, and you should aim to workout slightly longer at that lower intensity.
Max Heart Rate = 220 your age x .66
To use heart rate in your own training, start by calculating your maximum heart rate. Multiply your age by .66. Then, subtract that number from 220 and you have your estimated max heart rate. For example, if youre 30, your maximum heart rate is roughly 200. This is the most accurate way to calculate max heart rate without using technology, according to a 2017 study published in the Chinese Journal of Sports Medicine.
Once you know your max heart rate, you can calculate heart rate zones. These zones are designed to give you an idea of how hard to work during your training session. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends sticking to 6476% of your max heart rate for moderate-intensity activity in your fat-burning zone.
Endurance athletes who dont want to push themselves should stay in this range. Most weightlifting workouts stay in this range as well. For a 30 year-old with a max heart rate of 200, the range extends from 128152 beats per minute.
How To Calculate Your Ideal Fat
Figuring out your target heart rate is easy and takes just a few steps. Grab a calculator and lets get started.
To see if youre within your target heart rate range when youre working out, take a quick break to check your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply that number by 4.
Don’t Miss: How To Reduce Resting Heart Rate