Depending on your training goals, you'll need to work within a certain heart rate range for best results. Training at a lower heart rate helps you get in shape and lose weight. Working slightly harder helps build cardio stamina and burns more calories. To train for sports, you'll work at an intense pace.
Calculating Maximum Heart Rate
To calculate your heart rate range for training, begin by determining your maximum heart rate. You can take a treadmill test administered by a health professional, use an online calculator, such as the one at LIVESTRONG, or use a manual formula. To calculate your MHR manually, subtract your age from 220 if you are a male and 88 percent of your age from 206 if you are a female.
Fat-Burning Heart Rate Range
If your training plan centers on building cardio stamina and muscular endurance because you are new to exercise, you will want to train using a target heart rate range between 50 percent and 70 percent of your MHR. For example, if you are a 40-year-old male, your MHR would be 220 - 40 = 180. Multiply 180 by .50 and .70 to get a target heart rate range for fat-burning exercise of between 90 and 126. Exercising at the lower end of this range is similar to a brisk walk and will allow you to continue to exercise without fatiguing to failure so you can build your stamina and endurance. Most of the calories you burn at this heart rate will come from fat.
Aerobic Heart Rate Range
If your training plan focuses on burning calories and maintaining cardiovascular stamina, you will train using an aerobic heart rate. This occurs when you work at a pace that is 70 percent of 80 percent of your MHR. You will burn more calories from glycogen at this heart rate, but more calories overall than during fat-burning exercise. Aerobic exercise, such as jogging or using an exercise machine, recruits your muscles' low-twitch muscles fibers.
Anaerobic Heart Rate Range
If you are training for most sports, such as tennis, football, soccer, basketball or volleyball, you will want to train your body's anaerobic energy system. At this pace of exercise, you will train your muscles' high-twitch fibers and primarily burn calories from glycogen. This training takes place using short bursts of activity followed by an active rest period. For example, you might sprint for 90 seconds, then walk for 90 seconds. This type of training helps you improve your ability to recover more quickly after a point or play. Your target heart rate range for anaerobic exercise is 80 percent to 90 percent of MHR.
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