High Intensity: 70 To 85% Max Heart Rate
Working in the high-intensity heart rate zone takes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to burn more calories. You build aerobic fitness in this zone, improving your VO2 max .
Consistent high-intensity workouts can raise your anaerobic threshold , which is the point at which your body must use less-efficient pathways to generate energy for your muscles.To reach the minimum recommended amount of exercise each week you need 75 minutes in bouts of at least 10 minutes in this zone at a time, preferably spread throughout the week.
A combination of high-intensity and moderate-intensity exercise will also meet the guidelines. Examples of high-intensity cardio workouts include running, lap swimming, cycling faster than 10 mph, and high-intensity aerobic intervals workouts.
What Things Affect Heart Rate
Other than exercise, things that can affect your heart rate include:
- Weather. Your pulse may go up a bit in higher temperatures and humidity levels.
- Standing up. It might spike for about 20 seconds after you first stand up from sitting.
- Emotions. Stress and anxiety can raise your heart rate. It may also go up when youâre very happy or sad.
- Body size. People who have severe obesity can have a slightly faster pulse.
- Medications. Beta-blockers slow your heart rate. Too much thyroid medicine can speed it up.
- Caffeine and nicotine. Coffee, tea, and soda raise your heart rate. So does tobacco.
After: Refuel Your Tank
After your workout, Ms. Platt recommends refueling with:
- Fluids. Drink water, of course. Blend your water with 100% juice such as orange juice which provides fluids, carbohydrates.
- Carbohydrates. You burn a lot of carbohydrates the main fuel for your muscles when you exercise. In the 20-60 minutes after your workout, your muscles can store carbohydrates and protein as energy and help in recovery.
- Protein. Eat things with protein to help repair and grow your muscles.
Its important to realize that these are general guidelines. We have different digestive systems and a lot depends on what kind of workout youre doing, Platt said.So do what works best for you. Know that what you put in your body is as important as you what you do with your body . Both are crucial to keeping your engine performing at its best.
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How To Use Target Heart Rate Training Zones
Whether you’re doing cardio exercise for health, fitness, or weight loss, it’s important to work at a certain level of intensity. Your target heart rate is a more exact method of determining your exercise intensity rather than using your perceived exertion. Learn how different target heart rate zones can be used in your workouts to help you reach your goals.
How To Check Your Heart Rate During A Workout
As Thieme notes above, a heart rate monitor provides data in real time, and can sync with a mobile device for record keeping. If you dont have monitoring technology, its pretty difficult to gauge heart rate mid-workout, Pippin says.
But one option is to periodically measure your pulse: Stop moving, place your index and middle fingers on the inside of your wrist or side of your windpipe, and count how many beats you detect in 10 seconds. Multiply that number by 6 for a rough estimate of your current heart rate.
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What Is Your Target Zone
Target Heart Rate Zones by Age *
- Age: 20
- Target Heart Rate Zone : ** 120 170
- Predicted Maximum HR: 200
Your Actual Values
- Target HR
* This chart is based on the formula: 220 – your age = predicted maximum heart rate.
Your Resting Heart Rate
When you are at rest, your heart is pumping the lowest amount of blood to supply the oxygen your body’s needs. For most healthy adult women and men, resting heart rates range from 60 to 100 beats per minute. However, a 2010 report from the Women’s Health Initiative indicated that a resting heart rate at the low end of that spectrum may offer some protection against heart attacks. When WHI researchers examined data on 129,135 postmenopausal women, they found that those with the highest resting heart ratesmore than 76 beats per minutewere 26% more likely to have a heart attack or die from one than those with the lowest resting heart rates62 beats per minute or less. If your resting heart rate is consistently above 80 beats per minute, you might want to talk to your doctor about how your heart rate and other personal factors influence your risk for cardiovascular disease.
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What Is A Normal Heart Rate Under A Stress Test
Your target heart rate during a stress test depends on your age. For adults, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 minus your age. So, if youre 40 years old, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 40 = 180.
For diagnostic treadmill testing, some doctors try to achieve about 85 percent of the predicted maximum heart rate. This provides enough stress to adequately test the heart without maximizing the stress and potentially producing false positive results.
Prevent Overstressing Your Heart
When it comes to physical fitness, not everyone is at the same level. In other words, you are not going to be able to run as far as a long-distance runner in the same amount of time if you dont train for it.
But then there are things like medical conditions that prevent some people from being able to do very high-intensity activities or exercises/workouts.
Thats why its recommended to have an idea of your optimal heart rate range and aim to perform somewhere within that zone.
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Age And Fitness Level Based Formula
This formula uses your age and fitness level to determine your target zones. It is a more personalized number and recommended for people who are experienced exercisers. First, you must take your heart rate for three mornings in a row before getting up from bed. Once you have those numbers you can calculate their average by summing them and then dividing the sum by 3.
/ 3 = Morning Resting Heart Rate
This is the single best indicator of your state of fitness. Once you have this number established as a baseline, you can use it to understand more about yourself than you can imagine. Take it again every once in a while, at least once every two weeks. As your fitness improves, you will most likely see that number going down.
If you see an elevated number, it could mean one or more of the following:
- You did not recover from a hard workout the day before
- You need more rest
- Your body has begun fighting off an oncoming illness
Your estimated maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. In order to get your target heart rate zones you need to do the following calculations:
|
Heart rate zone |
What Is A Normal Heart Rate
A normal resting heart rate is usually between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Your number may vary. Children tend to have higher resting heart rates than adults.
The best time to measure your resting heart rate is just after you wake up in the morning, before you start moving around or have any caffeine.
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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.
Training Using Your Target Heart Rate
When creating a training plan to use on your home treadmill or home exercise bike, there are a variety of methods to help you achieve your goal. You can alternate intervals, work in circuits, or keep your rate of perceived exertion on a scale of 1 to 10 in mind when designing your workout plan.
Another option you can try when exercising on your home fitness equipment is training in your target heart rate zone.
Target heart zone training
During a workout session, it can be a challenge to know if youre working too hard, not hard enough or just the right amount. Using your target heart rate takes the guesswork out and allows you to adjust your intensity levels to ensure that youre getting the most out of your fitness session every time.
Your target heart rate is a percentage of your maximum heart rate. To calculate the maximum rate, just take 220 minus your age. For example, if you are 30, your maximum heart rate is 190. Once you have that number, you can check your heart rate throughout your workout to determine if you need to ease back on the intensity level or push yourself harder.
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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.
Where Is It And What Is A Normal Heart Rate
The best places to find your pulse are the:
- wrists
- side of your neck
- top of the foot
To get the most accurate reading, put your finger over your pulse and count the number of beats in 60 seconds.
Your resting heart rate is the heart pumping the lowest amount of blood you need because youre not exercising. If youre sitting or lying and youre calm, relaxed and arent ill, your heart rate is normally between 60 and 100 .
But a heart rate lower than 60 doesnt necessarily signal a medical problem. It could be the result of taking a drug such as a beta blocker. A lower heart rate is also common for people who get a lot of physical activity or are very athletic. Active people often have a lower resting heart rate because their heart muscle is in better condition and doesnt need to work as hard to maintain a steady beat. A low or moderate amount of physical activity doesnt usually change the resting pulse much.
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Find Your Exact Maximum Heart Rate
Our research shows that the variation in maximum heart rate within age groups is fairly large. Genetics contribute more to maximum heart rate than physical fitness. Therefore, it’s hard to make a calculator that can estimate maximum heart rate precisely, and we recommend all of you who want to find your real HRmax to test yourself by pushing yourself to exhaustion:
If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can measure the maximum heart rate by holding two fingers to your neck for 30 seconds right after finishing the test. Double the number you get to find your HRmax.
Low Intensity: 40 To 50% Max Heart Rate
The low-intensity heart rate zone keeps you at a comfortable heart rate and is a good choice for beginners or as a warmup. You should always start an exercise session with a couple of minutes in the low-intensity zone to get your blood circulation going. Beginners may start with low-intensity cardio to build exercise tolerance and get used to walking, cycling, or using cardio equipment.
At low intensity, you are getting the benefits of being active rather than sedentary. Sitting for long periods can raise health risks. The drawback of staying in this zone is that you are not getting the extra benefits of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise in reducing health risks or achieving the minimum amount of exercise recommended each day.
Examples of a low-intensity cardio workout are to take a walk at a comfortable, easy pace or use a stationary cycle with little tension in pedaling.
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How To Calculate Your Target Heart Rate
This article was co-authored by Steve Bergeron. Steve Bergeron is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, and the Co-Owner of AMP Fitness in Boston, Massachusetts. With over a decade of experience, Steve specializes in educating, guiding, and empowering his clients to develop healthy habits and reach their individual fitness goals. He holds a BS in Exercise Physiology and is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach , ASCM Health and Fitness Specialist , Strong First Kettlebell Coach , and Certified Functional Movement Screen Specialist . AMP Fitness mission is to create a community that is inclusive and gives people the tools and support they need to succeed.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 2,656,595 times.
Why Is Your Target Heart Rate Important
The intensity at which you perform a physical activity is an important component of getting in shape, achieving your performance goals, or engaging in physical movement, in general.
Johns Hopkins cardiologist Seth Martin, M.D., M.P.H. defined target heart rate zone perfectly in simple termsThink of it as the sweet spot between not exercising hard enough and overexerting.
Benefits of aiming for a specific heart rate zone include:
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Find Your Target Heart Rate
Your target heart rate numbers will depend on your age and fitness level. There are a few ways to determine these. You can use the Karvonen formula or a target heart rate chart.
Even more conveniently, heart rate detection is now featured in many activity monitors as well as chest strap heart rate monitors. These devices will ask you for your age, monitor your resting heart rate, and determine your heart rate zones for you.
During exercise, these devices will often indicate which heart rate zone you are in so you can increase or decrease your exertion. As well, some treadmills, stationary cycles, and elliptical machines will have handgrip heart rate detectors that allow you to monitor your heart rate zones.
The target heart rate zones for aerobic exercise range from 50 to 100% of your maximum heart rate. You will see a confusion of numbers when you check different references. For consistency, the heart rate zones referenced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association will be explained.
Treat Your Feet Right
From blisters to heel pain, uncomfortable foot and lower body conditions can keep you from being as active as you want to be. Learn more about some common causes and solutions for foot and lower body issues. Finding more comfort and ease may be just what you need to get moving.
Be sweet to your feet. They support you and keep you moving and grooving, whether on the job, for fun, or when youre rocking your favorite activity or sport. Most Americans will log about 75,000 miles on their feet by age 50. And about half of us experience pain or other foot problems at least some of the time.1 Our feet deserve a little TLC! Start with the basics:
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