Target Heart Rate For Exercise
Your target heart rate is 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. It is the level at which your heart is beating with moderate to high intensity. To determine your maximum heart rate, take 220 and subtract your age.
Sustaining a workout at this pace improves cardiorespiratory endurance. So knowing your target heart rate helps you pace your workouts. Exercising at the right level of intensity will help you avoid burning out or wasting time with a workout thats not vigorous enough to help you meet your goals.
Target Heart Rate Zones
Heart rate zones are a useful tool for gauging your exercise intensity. First, you need to determine what your target heart rate is.
Target heart rate is calculated based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. In general, you should exercise in the range of 50%85% of your maximum heart rate. For a 20-year-old person with a maximum heart rate of 200, the target heart rate range during exercise is 100 to 170 beats per minute .
How do you decide what your target number is? If you’re just starting out, you should aim for the lower end of this range. You can also choose your target heart rate based on your exercise goals.
Target heart rate can be broken down into five different zones that help you achieve different exercise goals. Heart rate increases with each higher zone.
How To Monitor Heart Rate
Once a person has calculated their target heart rate zones, they can find out whether or not they are meeting these ranges by measuring their heart rate while running.
The most basic method for testing heart rate is to count pulse rate by hand. To do this, a person can place two fingers lightly on the opposite wrist until they can feel the pulse.
Count the number of pulse beats that occur in 30 seconds and multiply this by two to find out the number of beats in 60 seconds.
An easier way to measure heart rate during exercise is to wear a wristwatch or chest monitor that picks up on heartbeat. There are many products to choose from, such as heart rate watches and heart rate straps, online.
Otherwise, it may be a good idea to book some time with a treadmill or a personal trainer to get accurate heart rate readings and set goals.
Although an increased heart rate is one aim of exercise, pushing the heart too far can be harmful.
Signs that a person is pushing their heart too far include chest tightness, difficulty breathing, and a relative inability to talk while running.
If a person notices any of these signs, they should slow down and concentrate on breathing steadily. If a person always experiences chest pain with exercise, they should seek a professional medical opinion immediately.
It is important to note that these target heart rates are for average individuals who are otherwise healthy.
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What Are The Things To Remember While Reaching Your Target Heart Rate Zone
- Never skip warming up or cooling down during exercising. Skipping these can cause muscle injury and chronic pain.
- Choose exercises that suit you. You can do muscle strength training and aerobic activities. Aim for at least twice a week strength training of all major muscles . You can use free weights or do activities such as planks, squats, or lunges.
- There are two kinds of aerobic activities. You can do any one of these or a combination of these.
- Moderate aerobic activity: Get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity such as brisk walking or swimming.
- Vigorous physical activity: Get at least 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity such as jogging or running.
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Determine Target Heart Rate Zones
You can get different fitness benefits by exercising in different heart rate zones. These five exercise zones are based on the percentage ranges of maximum heart rate. In each zone, you will feel a different level of exertion and your body will be burning a different percentage of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
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What Is A Heart Rate Monitor
Heart rate monitors measure your heart rate while working out, which may help you reach your target rate safely and efficiently without exceeding your maximum heart rate.
You can use heart rate data to adjust your intensity, maintain an appropriate pace, and boost your cardiorespiratory endurance. Over time, you may be able to sustain higher intensities for longer durations with a lower heart rate.
Some heart rate monitors track only your heart rate, while others provide additional workout metrics such as speed, distance, and breathing rate.
Keep reading for our picks of the 9 best heart rate monitors, plus tips on how to choose the best monitor for you.
Benefits Of Aerobic Zone Exercises
Aerobic exercise provides numerous benefits including reducing your risk of a heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Other benefits include:
- Losing weight and helping to keep it off
- Lowering and controlling blood pressure
- Increasing stamina and reducing fatigue during exercise
- Activating the immune systems and warding off viral illnesses, making you less likely to get colds or the flu
- Strengthening your heart
- Boosting mood, easing the lows of depression and reducing tension and anxiety
- Improving sleep
- Managing chronic conditions, reducing pain and increasing function in people with arthritis, and enhancing the quality of life in people who have had cancer
- Boosting HDL good cholesterol and lowering LDL bad cholesterol
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Learn How To Take Advantage Of Your Aerobic Heart Rate Zone During Workouts
When you work out, how do you tell if youre getting the most out of a workout? Are you pushing too hard or not hard enough? Targeting your aerobic heart rate zone and exercising at the right intensity can help you maximize the effectiveness of your aerobic workouts and better meet your fitness goals.
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
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Vigorous: 77% To 95% Of Mhr
The vigorous heart rate zone is from 77% to 95% of your maximum heart rate. You are now in the vigorous-intensity zone. You will be breathing very hard and able only to speak in short phrases.
This is the zone to aim for when training for endurance. It spurs your body to improve your circulatory system by building new blood vessels and increases your heart and lung capacity. Aiming for 20 to 60 minutes in this zone is believed to give the best fitness training benefits.
With the increase in intensity, you burn more calories in the same amount of time, as you are covering more distance in that same time. The calories you burn depend most on distance and your weight. If you go farther in the same amount of time, you burn more calories per minute.
In the vigorous zone, you burn 50% of your calories from carbohydrates, less than 1% from protein, and 50% from fat.
You would typically be in this zone by running or cycling, but you could achieve it by racewalking or walking fast for an aerobic walking workout.
When you train at the high end of this range , this intense exercise will improve the amount of oxygen you can consumeyour VO2 max. This exertion level takes you to the limit where your body begins to produce lactic acid. Runners, cyclists, and racewalkers use this zone to build their ability to go even faster.
In the high end of the vigorous zone, the body burns 85% carbohydrates, less than 1% protein, and 15% fat.
How To Choose A Heart Rate Monitor For Exercise
To choose the perfect heart rate monitor for exercise, youll want to:
- Do you want what type of product? Are you buying a product?
- Measure the space: Theres nothing worse than falling in love with heart rate monitor for exercise only to discover it wont fit!
- Think about aesthetics: Does colour matter to you?
- Read reviews and talk with friends: Knowledge is power! Other heart rate monitor for exercise users can be a helpful source of information about how well a mat holds up and whether there are any downsides, which you should know before purchasing.
- Do some bargain shopping: Coupons and sales can help you save money, so you can spend it on something else youd enjoy.
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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.
How Often Should You Be Working Out At A Moderate Or Vigorous Intensity
The Australian Department of Healthâs Physical Activity Guidelines recommend adults do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise five times a week , or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise a week . Here are a few simple tips for making physical activity part of your every day.
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During: Make A Pit Stop
Whether youre a professional athlete who trains for several hours or you have a low to moderate routine, keep your body hydrated with small, frequent sips of water.
Platt notes that you dont need to eat during a workout thats an hour or less. But, for longer, high-intensity vigorous workouts, she recommends eating 50-100 calories every half hour of carbohydrates such as low-fat yogurt, raisins, or banana.
Where Should My Heart Rate Be When I Do Cardio Training
Your fitness level will dictate where your heart rate should be during cardio training. Depending on what Stage of cardio training you are in, your heart rate should be anywhere between 65 90% of your maximum heart rate. You will first want to determine your maximum heart rate with the following equation: 220 Your Age. Initially, you will want to engage in lower levels of intensity , whereby the only heart rate zone you will use is zone 1- 65 75% of your maximum heart rate. Once you are able to complete this training for 30 minutes it is an indication that you can progress to a more advanced type of training in cardiorespiratory Stage training. Stage II cardio training involves the incorporation of more intense intervals after which you recover in lower intensity of 65 75% MHR. After progressing through Stage II, you can then begin training in Stage III where you incorporate a much more intense interval of cardio followed by a reduced workload and finally recovering in the lower intensity level . For example, if you are 40 years old, you would use the above calculations in the following manner: 220 40= 180 MHR. Zone 1 is a target heart rates of 180 x .65 180 x .75 , zone 2 target heart rates of 180 x .80 180 x .85 , and zone 3 target heart rates of 180 x .86 180 x .90 .
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Examples Of Aerobic Workouts
Moderate aerobic workouts do not have to include jogging or walking mile after mile on hard pavement, or swimming laps in a pool. Varying types of exercise will help you work different muscle groups, avoid letting your body get used to the strain, and let you find workouts that you personally enjoy.
Moderate Aerobic Workouts
- Stair climbing and elliptical machine
- Spin class and other stationary bike routines
- Circuit training
- Chores such as sweeping, vacuuming and mopping can also provide moderate aerobic exercise
Vigorous Aerobic Workouts
Vigorous aerobic activity occurs when your breath is coming hard and fast and its difficult to talk or maintain a conversation with your exercise partner. These workouts consume more oxygen to complete the activity. Examples include:
- Cycling more than 10 mph or uphill
- Heavy gardening
- Tennis and other court sports such as handball, squash and racquetball
- Team sports with lots of running or movement like basketball, soccer and hockey
What Your Heart Rate Can Signal
During cardiac assessments, experts often take into account resting heart rate, how quickly it increases during physical activity, heart rate recovery and heart rate variability, said Daniel Cantillon, the associate section head of cardiac electrophysiology and pacing at the Cleveland Clinic.
For most people, it is considered normal to have a resting heart rate when the heart is pumping the lowest amount of blood you need between 60 and 100 beats per minute, according to the American Heart Association. Generally, a lower resting heart rate is associated with higher cardiovascular fitness. Some athletes, for instance, have resting heart rates well below 60.
A low resting heart rate can indicate a heart thats physically fit, Martin said. If your hearts in good shape, with each beat of the heart then youre pumping blood efficiently to the rest of your body.
If, on the other hand, a person at rest has a high heart rate, that indicates that the hearts working harder than we would expect it to have to work at that state, he said.
Another marker that can be tracked with technology is heart rate variability, or a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat. A fair amount of heart rate variability, Cantillon noted, can indicate a healthy autonomic nervous system.
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Effectiveness Of Targeting Fat
While a fat-burning heart rate sounds like an appealing way to lose weight, it’s not the only consideration. You can think of weight loss in simple terms of total caloric intake minus calories burned.
Caloric intake depends mainly on the consumption of macronutrients, like fat, carbohydrates, protein, and more. These contain variable amounts of calories per gram, ranging from 49 calories/gram.
Fiber also plays a role in caloric intake, since insoluble fiber is not absorbed.
Furthermore, studies have taken into consideration the role of the “gut microbiome” in weight loss and metabolism, as well as the number of health conditions a person has.
Easy Steps To Find Your Target Heart Rate Range
Ryan Lawson, Exercise Specialist
Were all familiar with the phrase use it or lose it, and it perfectly applies to our body and muscles. Muscles are made to be used, and if theyre neglected its our health and quality of life that suffers.
Cardiovascular exercise is defined as any activity that increases your heart rate. Elevating your heart rate for an extended period of time will improve your heart health. A stronger, healthier heart is able to more efficiently deliver oxygen to the muscles and also burn more fat while youre exercising and resting.
The benefits of a stronger heart through cardiovascular exercise are numerous. In addition to a stronger heart and lungs, regular exercise has been shown to lead to better sleep, less stress, reduction in mood swings and depression and an overall more active lifestyle.
You have a target heart rate zone that you should strive for during activity. A simple way to calculate it would be to first find your predicted maximum heart rate, which you can find by subtracting your age from 220. Once youve figured your maximum heart rate, you can find your target healthy heart rate range by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 65 percent to find the low end of that range and multiply your maximum heart rate by 85 percent to find the high end of the range.
Example: The maximum heart rate for a 45-year-old is 175 and the target heart rate range would be about 113 to 149 beats per minute.
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