Exercise is generally divided into two categories: moderate and vigorous. The target heart rate for moderate exercise is typically from 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, and vigorous exercise is typically anything higher than 70 percent of your MHR. Experts say exercising at moderate levels is the minimum effort you need to improve your health, but many experts, including the American College of Sports Medicine, also recommend exercising at moderate and vigorous intensities.
Identification
To determine your THR for moderate and vigorous exercise, you need to know what your MHR is. To estimate your MHR, subtract your age from 220. You can measure your MHR more exactly by running on a 400-meter track at an accelerating pace wearing a heart rate monitor. Greg Crowther, a research scientist at the University of Washington, recommends running two laps at a comfortable pace, then increasing your pace by four seconds a lap until you can't continue. Your heart rate will increase as your pace increases and will level off near the point of exhaustion; that leveling off point is your MHR.
Considerations
Your MHR for running, Crowther says, will be slightly higher than your MHR for cycling. Cycling, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, is a nonweight-bearing exercise, so cyclists will burn fewer calories and have a lower heart rate than runners at the same level of intensity. Your MHR for swimming may be even lower than for cycling because of the nearly weightless environment of water and the cooling effect it has on your body.
Start Slow
Most people who are new to exercise can achieve their THR for moderate exercise by walking. People who have been sedentary find that their heart rate climbs rapidly and that they become out of breath quickly while walking. According to Washington University, that rapid heart rate and hard breathing indicates that your body is struggling to deliver enough oxygen to working muscles. Your response should be to slow down and do less strenuous exercise until your heart becomes stronger.
Intensity
The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends that you exercise at a heart rate between 50 and 75 percent of your MHR. Wear a heart rate monitor or measure your pulse off and on while you exercise to make sure you stay within this range. After getting used to exercising at this level, you can periodically increase your target heart rate to 85 percent, according to experts at the University of Maryland. Exercising at higher levels, Crowther says, burns more fat than exercising at lower levels.
Warning
According to University of New Mexico researcher Dr. Len Kravitz, regularly exercising will decrease your resting heart rate by five to 25 beats per minute. Although exercise won't increase your MHR, it will allow you to exercise more comfortably at increasing levels of intensity. For instance, before you start regular exercise, your heart rate might rise to 125 beats per minute during a walk. After exercising regularly, however, you may find that your heart beats at only 100 BPM during that walk, or that you are able to jog without exceeding 125 BPM.
Workouts
Crowther and others recommend that people blend vigorous exercise with moderate exercise in their training regimen. Moderate-intensity workouts give your body a chance to recover from vigorous workouts, and vigorous workouts put beneficial stress on your cardiovascular system, making you fitter and healthier.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Physical Activity
- Len Kravitz, Ph.D.:Vigorous Versus Moderate-Intensity Exercise
- Greg Crowther: Training and racing with a heart rate monitor
- American College of Sports Medicine: Energy Expenditure in Different Modes of Exercise
- Washington University: Blood, Sweat and Buffers
Member Comments