Maximum Effort: 85 To 100% Of Max Heart Rate
Working at this level means you’re working as hard as you can, as in all-out sprints or very high-intensity interval training. Most people can only sustain this level of effort for a short period of time, making this the toughest zone and more appropriate for advanced exercisers. A sprint interval workout is an example of training at maximum effort with rests in between work intervals.
A drawback of exercising at maximum intensity is that you are above the anaerobic threshold and producing lactic acid. This by-product leads to “feeling the burn” in your muscles and post-exercise muscle soreness.
Benefits Of Targeting Heart Rate Zones
A training plan that includes aerobic, anaerobic and fat burning sessions will enable you to gain lean muscle mass and burn fat more quickly than just one or the other. Monitoring your heart rate while working out can help you avoid training too hard by knowing exactly what your heart rate is. It may also push you to train harder as you discover that the workouts youve done before are less effective at increasing your heartbeat.
Additionally, you can moderate your training days to take in factors like heat and humidity that will affect your exertion levels. On rest days you can target the active recovery zone to alleviate sore muscles.
The Karvonen Formula To Calculate Heart Rate Zones
Step by step guide to calculate your heart rate zones using the Karvonen formula. There is an example included and a calculator.
- Post author
- 4 June 2016
The Karvonen formula is one of the bests that can be used to define your heart rate zones and anaerobic threshold. It is based on the heart rate reserve, so it takes into account both your resting heart rate and maximum heart rate. Therefore it gives a much better result than the formulas that use only the maximum heart rate.
Calculating your heart rate zones using the Karvonen formula is very easy and it takes only a few minutes. I will show you what steps you have to follow and at the end there is an example included, too.
To use this formula you need to know your resting and maximum heart rates.
After the calculation you will have your heart rate zones and anaerobic threshold that you can apply to your training the exact meaning and application of the zones and threshold varies with every training plan.
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How Is Target Heart Rate Calculated
- Resting Heart Rate. Measure your heart rate while at rest by counting the number of beats your heart makes in 1 full minute the first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Begin counting the first beat as zero.
- Maximum Heart Rate. Determine your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.
- Maximum Heart Rate Reserve. Subtract your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate.
- Lower Limit of Heart Rate. Multiply your maximum heart rate reserve by 0.5 to determine 50% of your heart rate reserve. Add this number to your resting heart rate.
- Upper Limit of Heart Rate. Multiply your maximum heart rate reserve by 0.7 to determine 70% of your heart rate reserve. Add this number to your resting heart rate.
- Voilà . Your target heart rate range is between your lower and upper limit of your heart rate. Keep in mind that this calculation does not take into account any of your specific health conditions or medications. Check that your health care provider agrees with your calculated target heart rate.
Be careful! This calculation does not take into account any of your specific health conditions or medications. Check that your provider agrees that the target heart rate youve calculated is safe for you.
How To Know You’re In The Zone
While you are exercising, you can determine your heart rate by checking your fitness tracker, a heart monitor, an Apple watch, or doing it the old-fashioned way.
To check your pulse manually, place the tips of your index and middle fingers over the radial pulse on your wrist and press lightly. Count the number of heartbeats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2. This will give you the number of beats per minute . Youll have to briefly stop exercising to check it this way.
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Target Heart Rate Zone Calculation Methods
- Basic by Age
- This is historically the most common calculation and used by the American Heart Association. THR is calculated by multiplying percent intensity by the MHR. Example: At 70% intensity THR = MHR x 0.70.
- Karvonen by Age & RHR
- This method calculates THR using the Karvonen Equation. MHR is calculated using age and allows you to enter a measured RHR. Example: At 70% intensity THR = x 0.70) + RHR.
- Karvonen by MHR & RHR
- This method calculates THR using the Karvonen Equation and allows you to enter both a measured MHR and a measured RHR. Example: At 50% intensity THR = x 0.50) + RHR. Where MHR – RHR is called your Heart Rate Reserve .
TheAmerican Heart Association recommends target heart rate zones for exercise at 50% to 85% intensity of MHR and defines a heart rate during moderately intense activities at 50-70% of MHR, and heart rate during hard physical activity at 70-90% of MHR.
How To Check Your Heart Rate
Using a heart rate monitor with a chest strap sensor is the most accurate way to see your heart rate continuously during exercise.
Heart rate monitors can be linked to a mobile app or wrist display to alert you when you are in your chosen heart rate zone. Many fitness bands and smartwatches also have this feature. They use LED sensors to detect your pulse while you exercise.
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Measure Your Heart Rate
To determine your heart rate, use your first two fingers to press lightly over the blood vessels on your inner wristthe side by your thumb. Count your pulse for ten seconds and multiply this number by six.
If your heart rate is 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, you have hit your target heart zone and are working at the right level of intensity.
Wearing a multifunctional fitness tracker such as the Fitbit, or Nike+ FuelBand SE, does the work for you. The device is worn like a bracelet or watch and measures your heart rate.
Exercising at the right level of intensity improves heart and respiratory endurance and helps keep your workout at a level that is vigorous enough to meet your health goals.
How To Find Your Target Heart Rate
First, it helps to know your resting heart rate, Martin says. Find your pulse . Then count the number of beats in a minutethats your resting heart rate. The average resting heart rate is between 60 and 100, he says. The more fit you are, the lower your resting heart rate for very fit people, its in the range of 40 to 50 beats per minute.
Target heart rate is generally expressed as a percentage of your maximum safe heart rate. The maximum rate is based on your age, as subtracted from 220. So for a 50-year-old, maximum heart rate is 220 minus 50, or 170 beats per minute. At a 50 percent exertion level, your target would be 50 percent of that maximum, or 85 beats per minute. At an 85 percent level of exertion, your target would be 145 beats per minute. Therefore, the target heart rate that a 50-year-old would want to aim for during exercise is 85 to 145 beats per minute.
But theres an easier way to figure it out if you want to skip the math: Wear a fitness tracking device, or exercise on a treadmill or other machine that calculates target heart rate for you, Blaha suggests.
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Heart Rate Tips To Keep In Mind
- Start at your beginning. Before getting overly concerned about your heart rate, Martin says, its best to simply get moving. If you havent exercised much before, start where youre comfortable and gradually exert yourself more over time.
- Listen to your body. Your body provides other indicators of how hard its working that you need to consider along with heart rate. Pay attention to how hard youre breathing or sweating, and stop if you feel very uncomfortable, Martin says. Devices recording your heart rate have been known to malfunction, for exampleanother reason listening to your body is important.
- Remember that target heart rate is just a guide. Dont get overly fixated on numbers, Martin says. Ideally, they just push you to work a little harder.
Nail Every Workout With Target Heart Rate Zones
Now that your heart rate zones are set and you know what they mean, you can work out at the right intensity again.
Using your Fitbit tracker, start a workout as you normally would. As you begin moving, no matter which PurePulse-enabled tracker you own, youll see a visual representation of your zones.For instance, in the picture above the heart is in the cardio zone. Want to work on speed? Pick up the pace. Looking to blast fat? Ease up to drop back into your Fat Burn zone. When you adjust your pace on the fly, your Fitbit tracker responds instantly.
If you see the outline of a heart but no dashes, your heart rate is below 50 percent of your max, meaning youre not in a zone. And thats totally ok! If you want to get a cardiovascular boost, just increase your intensity. Here are four ways to upgrade your walk to a workout.
Heart rate reading seem off? Follow these guidelines to increase PurePulse accuracy.
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Is Resting Heart Rate Different By Age
For most of us , between 60 and 100 beats per minute is normal.1 The rate can be affected by factors like stress, anxiety, hormones, medication, and how physically active you are. An athlete or more active person may have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute. Now thats chill!
When it comes to resting heart rate, lower is better. It usually means your heart muscle is in better condition and doesnt have to work as hard to maintain a steady beat. Studies have found that a higher resting heart rate is linked with lower physical fitness and higher blood pressure and body weight.2
Understanding Target Heart Rate Zones
There are multiple heart rate zones that are detailed by the percentage of your maximum heart rate, and each can target a certain type of fitness.
Healthy heart zone: This zone describes where your heart rate should be during your warm up, which is approximately 5060 percent of your maximum heart rate. This zone is perfect for those just beginning to workout, as well as for reducing blood pressure and cholesterol.
Fitness zone: This zone is more intense and burns more total calories than the previous. It occurs between 60 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Aerobic zone: This is between 70 and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate and is most often reached during endurance training. It is meant to improve the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Anaerobic zone: Between 80 and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate, this zone is used for performance training and improves the cardiorespiratory system, which helps you to better fight fatigue.
Red line maximum: The highest zone, which between 90 and 100 percent of your maximum heart rate, and very little training utilizes this intensity. Only those in exceptional shape should train in this zone with the approval of their physician.
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Its Even Easier With This Heart Rate Calculator:
Lets use a 35-year old person as an example:
- max heart rate = 220 35
- max heart rate = 185
- target heart rate for max performance = max heart rate x .85
- target heart rate = 185 x .85
- target heart rate = approx. 157
Getting healthy and staying fit requires training in an appropriate heart rate zone. The easiest way to do this is by wearing a heart rate monitor or smartwatch. Many of the most popular devices are compatible with the adidas Running and adidas Training apps to make tracking your health and fitness easy and fun.
The app guides your workouts so that you are always in the most effective heart rate zone for your unique body.
How Do I Get My Heart Rate In The Target Zone
When you work out, are you doing too much or not enough? Theres a simple way to know: Your target heart rate helps you hit the bullseye so you can get max benefit from every step, swing and squat. Even if youre not a gym rat or elite athlete, knowing your heart rate can help you track your health and fitness level.
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What Is Your Activity Level
Your target heart rate depends on how physically fit you are. For example, if you are not active and not physically fit, your target heart rate is a little lower than the target heart rate of someone who exercises every day. This tool gives you a range of what your target heart rate is, based on how much you usually exercise.
To find your target heart rate range, you will choose the category that best matches your level of physical activity. The categories are:
- Not active. You do less than 30 minutes of light activity no more than 2 times a week. Cleaning house, slow walking, and playing golf are examples of light activity.
- Moderately active. You do up to 30 minutes of light to moderate activity 3 to 5 times a week. Brisk walking, jogging, riding a bike, swimming, and playing tennis are examples of moderate activity.
- Very active. You do more than 30 minutes of moderate activity at least 5 times a week.
Target Heart Rate Zone
Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
One way of monitoring physical activity intensity is to determine whether a persons pulse or heart rate is within the target zone during physical activity.
For moderate-intensity physical activity, a persons target heart rate should be 50 to 70% of his or her maximum heart rate. This maximum rate is based on the persons age. An estimate of a persons maximum age-related heart rate can be obtained by subtracting the persons age from 220. For example, for a 50-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 50 years = 170 beats per minute . The 50% and 70% levels would be:
- 50% level: 170 x 0.50 = 85 bpm, and
- 70% level: 170 x 0.70 = 119 bpm
Thus, moderate-intensity physical activity for a 50-year-old person will require that the heart rate remains between 85 and 119 bpm during physical activity.
For vigorous-intensity physical activity, a persons target heart rate should be 70 to 85% of his or her maximum heart rate. To calculate this range, follow the same formula as used above, except change 50 and 70% to 70 and 85%. For example, for a 35-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 35 years = 185 beats per minute . The 70% and 85% levels would be:
- 70% level: 185 x 0.70 = 130 bpm, and
- 85% level: 185 x 0.85 = 157 bpm
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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:
Why Do We Need Heart Rate Training Zones
We all know that exercise is great for our health. It reduces our risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, reduces blood pressure, and can be helpful on a weight loss journey.
The heart rate training zone you aim for depends on what you want from your exercise . If you are training for a , you will be looking to train at different HR zones than a person who is more interested in weight loss and calories burned.
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