Your heart rate doesn't always stay at the same level. It tends to rise when you exert yourself and lower during periods of rest. While raising your heart rate on a regular basis can help you strengthen your heart and reduce your risk of disease, you don't need to work out with your heart rate at maximum capacity. In fact, you will get the most out of your workout if you keep your heart rate within a safe range known as the target heart rate.
Maximum vs. Target Heart Rate
Your maximum heart rate is the highest rate your heart can achieve. Calculate your estimated maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from the number 220. You would have to endure a graded exercise test at a medical facility to get a more accurate representation of your maximum heart rate. Your target heart rate is about 60 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, but your doctor may recommend lowering your target to 55 percent or raising your target to 85 percent. However, most people shouldn't exercise above 85 percent or else they are at higher risk of orthopedic and cardiovascular problems without receiving significant extra benefits from the exercise, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Safe Maximum Resting Heart Rate
Multiple factors, such as your sex, body size, use of medications and body position can influence your resting heart rate. However, most adults are within the 60 to 100 beats per minute range at rest and most children are between 70 and 100 beats per minute. A well-trained athlete may have a resting heart rate that is around 40 beats per minute because his heart is so strong that it doesn't need to beat as many times to send out the same amount of blood. Although the "normal" resting heart rate maximum is a broad range, you may have an underlying health problem if your heart rate is unusually high. Consult your physician if your heart rate is consistently higher than 100 beats per minute when you are at rest, particularly if your fast heart rate is accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, fainting and shortness of breath, recommends MayoClinic.com.
Tips on Pacing
Don't jump headfirst into an exercise regimen if you have never exercised or if you are mostly sedentary. Begin at the low end of your target zone or drop below to about 50 percent in your first three or four weeks of beginning a new routine. Once you can comfortably exercise at this pace, build up slowly each week until you reach the higher end of the target zone. You may be able to exercise at 85 percent or higher after exercising regularly for six or more months, according to the American Heart Association.
Alternative Measures
Just because heart rate zones exist doesn't mean everyone's heart rates fit into it. You may feel overly exerted in the low end of the target heart rate zone or under-exerted when exercising at 85 percent. Discuss your observations with your doctor and allow him to assess other conditions that may be affecting your heart. If he rules out a health problem he may recommend using another scale, such as the Rate of Perceived Exertion, which requires you to rate your level of exercise intensity on a scale of zero to 10, according to Health Services at Columbia University.
References
- Health Services at Columbia University: Exercising Beyond My Maximum Heart Rate: Is This Safe?
- American Heart Association: Target Heart Rates
- Cleveland Clinic: Pulse and Target Heart Rate
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
- MayoClinic.com: What's a Normal Resting Heart Rate?
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