Exercise and heart rate go hand in hand but it can be a confusing concept. Your heart rate is how many times, or beats, per minute your heart contracts. Many people wonder what their target heart rate is when they exercise and the best way to reach that heart rate zone. Exercising within your target heart rate zone will ensure that you are getting the optimal intensity for your body, says HealthyForms.com.
Fat Burning Zone
For most people, burning fat is their main goal when exercising, and they want to burn as much as possible. To figure out your fat burning zone, subtract your age from 220. This will give you your MHR, or Maximum Heart Rate. Maximum Heart Rate is the highest number of times your heart can contract in one minute. The fat burning zone is between 60 percent and 75 percent of your MHR. For example, someone that is 30 years old will have a MHR of 190. Her target heart rate zone to burn fat is between 114 BPM to 143 BPM. Exercises such as running, swimming laps or hiking are best for getting in the fat burning zone because they are high intensity and require the use of major muscle groups.
Cardio Zone
In the cardio zone, your heart rate is 75 to 90 percent of its maximum. You will strengthen your cardiovascular system and burn more calories here than in any other zone. In a given period of time you'll burn more calories by working out at a higher intensity, i.e. cardio zone, than at a lower intensity, fat-burning zone, according to WashingtonPost.com. To attain this heart rate zone, vigorous exercise is required, such as plyometrics, sprinting or mountain biking.
Maintenance Zone
Exercising between 50 percent and 60 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate is best if you want to keep your heart & lungs healthy or maintain your current weight. Again, use the MHR formula, 220 - Age, to calculate this range. This zone is ideal for people looking to maintain a healthy cardiovascular and respiratory system. Exercises such as jogging, recumbent bike riding or power walking will get you in this range and help you maintain a healthy weight.
H.I.I.T.
H.I.I.T., or High Intensity Interval Training, is when you alternate between high-intensity exercise and moderate-intensity exercise. This form of exercise helps you keep your heart rate in your fat burning zone without doing continuous high-intensity exercise. An example of this would be running on a treadmill at a speed of 5.0 for one minute followed by running at a speed of 7.0 for 1 minute. Repeat for 30 minutes.
Checking Heart Rate
You can check your heart rate by using a heart rate monitor or by simply checking your pulse. While exercising, take your pulse, via the side of your neck or wrist, for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4 to get your heart rate for one minute. This is helpful to find what zone you're currently working in and to motivate you to increase intensity. Checking your heart rate will also help you estimate how many calories you burned during exercise.
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