Use A Heart Rate Monitor
Heart rate monitors with a chest strap are more accurate than taking your pulse. They transmit the data to a wrist unit or a mobile app so you can see your heart rate throughout your workout.
As prices increase, models include many other features, such as tracking your heart rate zones, stopwatch features, calories burned, and more. Different heart rate monitors have pulse monitors where you place one or two fingers on a sensor for a reading.
Many heart rate monitors offer the ability to pre-program multiple heart rate zones. This is beneficial if you do different intensity workouts because you won’t have to reprogram it each time. Some will even tell you how long it takes to return to your resting heart rate.
Get The Balance Right
I have a real beef with the way this fat-burning idea is promoted, Brooks says. Its a very strange way to talk about exercise. She and Breen agree that the myth persists because its an easy concept to grasp. Its a way of making exercise machines more appealing if Im working at this speed, Ill burn more fat than at another speed, Breen says.
None of this is to suggest low-intensity exercise is a waste of time. Even the top athletes in the world regularly and purposefully work out at a light effort. A gentle jog or easy spin is a great way to clear your head, get reenergized, improve your health, spend time with friends and family, and, yes, burn some calories.
Mix it up, Breen says about structuring your workouts. Have some harder, high-intensity days, followed by easier, low-intensity recovery days. Also aim for different durations. When you have the time, do longer workouts at a comfortable level of effort. When youre pressed for time, work a little harder. The table in our guide to heart-rate training will help you construct a well-rounded exercise program.
Variety in your workouts will keep you fresher physically and mentally than if you do the same thing day after day after day. That freshness will make it more likely that you exercise consistently. And thats the zone that will result in long-term weight loss.
Dig deeper: Wellness + Marketing
You May Like: How Long Can Heart Attack Last
How Do I Know My Fat Burning Zone
To calculate your individual target heart rate for exercising in the fat burning zone, take your MHR and multiply it by 0.5 to get the lower end of your range. Then, multiply your MHR by 0.7 to get your upper limit. These two numbers will give you a heart rate range to aim for during exercise.
For example, a 35-year-old will have a MHR of 185 bpm and a target fat burning zone of 93 to 130 bpm.
You can also use a target heart rate calculator to determine your ideal heart rate according to intensity. In order to use this calculator, however, you need to have an idea of your average resting heart rate.
To calculate your average resting heart rate, find your pulse with your fingers, either on your wrist or on your neck. Count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply that number by two to get your total beats per minute.
Do this every morning for at least five days, making sure to take your pulse before you get out of bed or drink caffeine. Once you have the numbers for five days, add those together and divide by five. This is your average resting heart rate.
Wear a heart rate monitor or fitness tracker during exercise so can quickly check in throughout your workout to make sure you’re staying within your individual fat burning range.
Read more:5 Cardio Workouts If Running Isn’t Your Thing
You May Like: Prognosis For Congestive Heart Failure
The Truth About Your Fat Burning Zone
As you can see, the fat burning zone is also the lowest intensity zone. Seems counterintuitive right? The reason why its called the fat-burning zone, is because your energy metabolism is primarily focused on utilizing stored body fat, instead of carbohydrates as its primary fuel source when you work out at lower intensities.
The problem with this however, is that this can easily be misinterpreted. Its a common misconception that working out at a lower intensity will burn more body fat. Working out at a lower intensity will utilize more body fat for fuel, that is true, however its really about increasing your intensity and burning more calories, which will ultimately burn more body fat.
Dont Miss: Which Type Of Fat May Help Lower The Risk Of Heart Disease
How To Measure Your Own Pulse
There are different methods for determining individual values. The first of these is measuring by hand, by placing with the index, middle and ring finger on the throat, and counting the beats for 15 seconds. Then multiply this value by four and you have your heart rate. This method is useful for determining your resting heart rate. This should ideally be measured in the morning after waking up, since at this time we are not yet really active. You can also wear a sports watch with a heart rate strap and determine your heart rate in real time.
This method of pulse measurement can also be used for determining the maximum heart rate. As a rule you should do maximum capacity training under medical supervision, for what is known as a performance diagnostic, which means that you are subjected to increasingly high stresses on a treadmill undergoes, until you finally reach a performance dropout. The pulse at this point is defined as the maximum heart rate.
Since not everyone wants to run in order to get a performance diagnostic, which is also too expensive for most, there are different calculation models to help you try to determine your maximum pulse using approximations.
Also Check: How Did Bob Harper Have Heart Attack
What Is The Fat Burning Zone
The fat-burning zone, also known as the aerobic or endurance training zone, refers to that heart rate range in which your body burns more fats than sugars for energy. Its important because it allows you to burn calories even while resting due to its higher level of intensity and keeps you feeling less hungry.
When you train in this zone, your muscles are under a significant amount of stress for an extended period of time and need to be given adequate recovery time before repeating the same activity. This is because prolonged exertion in that heart rate range can cause muscle damage which results in inflammation or soreness as well as fatigue.
This is why its important to stay hydrated and eat enough protein during the day. In order for your muscles to recover, they need a sufficient supply of amino acids which can be found in foods like red meat, chicken breast or any other animal product that contains lean protein. The easiest way to make sure you are eating the right amount of protein to fuel your muscles is by eating five small meals throughout the day.
The best time for weight training sessions is in the morning, before lunch or during an afternoon break from work. This will help keep you energized and not too tired to complete a full-body workout session at home when you get back from work.
If this seems too difficult, it may be best to incorporate some lower intensity exercises during break time at work as well as before lunch.
Aerobic Heart Rate Zone :
The Moderate Aerobic zone is from 70% to 80% of your MHR or Maximum Heart Rate. Now, you are in the vigorous-intensity zone. No doubt, here you will be breathing very hard and able only to speak in short phrases.
When training for endurance, this is the zone to aim for. Remember that it spurs your body to improve your circulatory system by making new blood vessels & also increases your heart and lung capacity. Keep in mind aiming for 20 to 60 minutes is an ideal approach to attain best fitness training benefits from this moderate zone.
In the Aerobic zone, you burn:
- 50 percent of your calories from fat
- 50 percent from carbohydrate
- less than 1 percent from protein
Studies reveal that with the increase in intensity, an individual burn more calories in the same amount of time, as he or she covering more distance in that same time. Experts said that the calories you burn based on distance and your weight. Yes, if you move further in the same amount of time, you burn more calories per minute.
Typically, you would be in this aerobic zone by simply running or cycling, but you could achieve it readily by race-walking or walking fast for an aerobic walking workout.
Recommended Reading: How Does Blood Flow Through The Heart Step By Step
When You Dont Need A Fat Burning Zone Calculator
This fat burning zone calculator helps you recognize when you are in the fat burning zone.
Once you know the amount of effort for you to lose the fat, you wont have to use this calculator.
You will know the amount of effort you have to exert to enter your ideal zone.
How do you like using the fat burning zone calculator? Do let us know how we can improve. Enjoy.
Now that you know your fat-burning zone, learn how to implement it by reading the following article:
Zone 5 Maximum Intensity
Zone 5 is a max intensity heart rate training zone, and is 90-100% of your MHR. This is where you do high-intensity training for very short periods, and push your heart rate close to your MHR. Do not consider this training zone unless you have extensive experience in high-level exercise routines. It is a noble goal to strive for if you are at a beginner or intermediate fitness level.
You May Like: What Is Ideal Heart Rate
Using Heart Rate Zones In Your Workouts:
Yes, you can get several fitness benefits by exercising in different HR or Heart Rate Zones. We are here mentioned five exercise zones that are based on the percentage ranges of HRmax. No doubt, in individual zone, you will notice about the different level of exertion and even your body will be burning a different percentage of carbohydrate, protein, and even fat.
Why Do You Need To Know Your Fat Burning Zone
The reason why you need to find what your fat burning zone is to prevent risks such as overexerting, leading to injuries.
You might think the only way to burn fat is to sweat hard and have your heart pounding like a stampeding bison.
You will be glad to know that you dont have to be huffing and puffing to hit your fat-burning zone.
Dont believe me? Just put in your maximum heart rate in the calculator and voila! Your fat-burning zone will show up.
How do you find your maximum heart rate? As I detailed above, you just need to go to our maximum heart rate calculator.
Also Check: What Is Conjunctive Heart Failure
What Happens If You Exceed Your Max Heart Rate
Studies reveal that it is possible to exceed the upper limit of your intensity zone without any ill effects, as long as you do not prone to coronary artery disease or are at the risk for heart attack. Experts depict that it may leave you with a musculoskeletal injury. Well, exercising over 80 percent of your target heart rate could bring you with sore joints and muscles.
How To Calculate Your Fat Burning Zone
When your goal is weight loss, you want to make sure the effort you’re putting forth is paying off. While it’s good to know how many calories a certain exercise is supposed to burn per hour, you won’t get those estimated results unless you are working at a certain level of intensity. One simple way to learn how intense you’re working out is to monitor your heart rate — which indicates how hard your heart is beating. To do this, you’ll do a simple calculation to determine your maximum heart rate, and then use that number to determine your optimal heart rate for weight loss.
Step 1
Subtract your age from 220, if you are a man. Guidelines put out in 2010 encourage women to do a slightly different calculation first multiply your age by 0.88, and then subtract that number from 206. This is your maximum heart rate.
Step 2
Step 3
Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.7. This is your “moderate intensity” zone, which is ideal for fat burning. As you get in better shape, you can aim for this heart rate and still get the benefits of burning fat.
Step 4
Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.85. According to MayoClinic.com, you should not go above this rate when exercising, though staying within the safe bounds of the high-intensity zone will help you burn the most calories, and thus burn the most fat. Working out at your maximum heart rate is difficult to do for a long period of time, as that level of exertion can quickly lead to exhaustion.
Step 5
References
You May Like: What Is A Dangerous Heart Rate For A Woman
Target Heart Rate Calculator
Exercise is obviously essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle – but if you’re not putting enough effort in, the time spent exercising could have been spent more wisely or if you’re pushing yourself too hard, you could be at risk of muscle strains and other injuries.
So how can you tell whether you’re exercising at the right intensity? According to experts, it’s all in your heart rate – and having a target heart rate is essential when measuring how intense your exercise is.
The Five Heart Rate Training Zones
The following table shows the heart rate training zones based on the level of intensity.
Zone | % of MHR | Intensity | Description
| Zone |
|---|
| Improves overall health ideal for warm-up and recovery |
Example Finding Your Heart Rate Training Zone
Age: 40
MHR = Max Heart Rate
MHR = 220 40 = 180 So, MHR = 180 beats per minute
For weight loss, you want to be in the 60-70% heart rate training zone , so your training heart rate should be:
.6 x 180 = 108 .7 x 180 = 126
Your heart rate training zone would be 108 to 126 beats per minute, which is Zone 2.
The five heart rate training zones are important to understand, as they affect your fitness goals:
Also Check: What Does A Normal Heart Rate Look Like
Ways To Measure Your Heart Rate
If you’re now thinking about measuring your heart rate to see how effectively you’re burning fat, there are a number of ways in which you can do so, with many of them thanks to modern technology:
How To Measure Your Heart Rate
If you want to put this into practice, there are a few different ways to measure your heart rate some more accurate than others.
-
Check your radial pulse: Place two fingers on your wrist between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery closer to the thumb side of your wrist. Once you find your pulse, count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Multiply this number by four, and you have your heart rate.
Find your pulse
You can also measure your carotid pulse at your neck or pedal pulse on your foot using the same method.
Now that you know how to measure your heart rate put it into practice and find your fat-burning zone. Its valuable to understand what exercising at this level feels like so you can be sure youre exerting the right amount of effort to reach your unique goals.
to log your fat-burning activities, HIIT workouts, yoga sessions, and more.
Recommended Reading: How Common Are Heart Attacks
Heart Rate Calculator For Weight Loss
Heart rate calculators are crucial for weight loss because heart rates tend to be high when youre very active. And although you shouldnt miss heart rate monitors, your training intensity more accurately whats best for you does constant testing a lot of stress on the body, which is why I wanted to create this site. If you really want to take control of your weight loss and cardiovascular fitness, here are some tips on how to calculate heart rate and doing it accurately without a heart rate monitor.
Recommended Reading: How Long Can A Heart Attack Last Before Death
The Study About Heart Rate:
The experts recruited 28 volunteers between the ages of 18 to 25. While different prediction equations exist, the experts select to utilize an equation developed by Gellish and colleagues , which contain a standard deviation of ±5 to 8 beats per minute , to figure out each subjects HRmax:
Predicted HRmax = 207 0.7
From that prediction, target HRs were determined, which would place the subject in the middle of each of 5 training zones that are depends on training intensity zones for athletes as stated by Edwards :
- Zone 1 = 5059% HRmax
- Zone 2 = 6069% HRmax
- Zone 3 = 7079% HRmax
- Zone 4 = 8089% HRmax
- Zone 5 = 90100% HRmax
The subjects are that a 35-minute exercise bout on a motorized treadmill completed that has been divided into seven five-minute segments, run consecutively. The training zones for the seven segments have as follows: 1, 3, 2, 4, 2, 5 and 2. While pilot testing, it has been elaborated that the exercisers could not achieve zone 1 Heart Rates reasonably after the warm-up period, thats all because why zone 1 is not included in the later stages. Well, you can try this heart rate zones calculator by calculator-online to figure out your heart rate corresponding to the different training zones.
Evidence Study Lets Digging Deeper!
The Results:
| According to |
| 153 |
Don’t Miss: Can Antihistamines Cause Heart Palpitations