For maximum benefit while exercising, you should keep your heart rate in a range called your target heart rate. If your heart is not beating fast enough, you will not reap all of the benefits of cardiovascular exercise. If it is beating too fast, you may put yourself at risk for injury and may tire too easily to finish your workout. Your target heart rate is based on your age and fitness level.
Mathematical Calculation
One way to figure out your target heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. That number is your maximum heart rate. When you are performing moderate exercise, your heart rate should be between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. For a more vigorous workout, you can allow your heart rate to rise to 70 to 85 percent of the maximum. For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is 180. Fifty percent of that rate is 90 beats per minute, 70 percent is 126 beats per minute and 85 percent is 153 beats per minute.
Alternate Method
If you do not want to take your pulse periodically, you can guage about how close you are to your target heart rate by how you feel. If you are able to talk while exercising, you are probably at or around your target heart rate. If you can carry a tune, you are most likely below your target heart rate and if you can't talk and have to stop and catch your breath, you are probably working too hard, states the American Heart Association.
Recommendations
If you are pushing yourself above your target heart rate, you may suffer an injury or experience a lot of soreness after your workout. For most people, a moderate intensity workout is best, keeping the heart rate between 50 and 70 percent of the maximum. This will help you to not burn out and may encourage you to stick with your exercise program. If you do not exercise hard enough, you will not experience weight loss or the other benefits of aerobic exercise.
Taking Your Pulse
If you choose to calculate your heart rate, you need to find your pulse and count beats correctly. To do this, gently press with your index and middle finger on your inner wrist under your thumb. You should feel your heartbeat in your wrist. If you don't, try locating your pulse on the side of your throat. Using a stopwatch, count the number of beats that you feel in 60 seconds. You can also count the number of beats for 30 seconds and multiply by two to find the number of beats per minute.
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