When you are exercising, it is smart to track your progress by way of your heart rate. This keeps you aware of your intensity and lets you know if you need to speed up or slow down. Maximum heart rate is the highest achievable heart rate you can obtain during exercise.
Determining Maximum Heart Rate
Maximum heart rate is determined by using a simple formula. This is important information you need while working out and it varies depending on how old you are. To get your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is 180 beats per minute. The older you are, the higher your maximum heart rate will be.
Target Heart Rate
Your maximum heart rate is only one facet that you need to take into consideration while working out. During a bout of exercise, it is not feasible or healthy to remain at your maximum heart rate throughout. That is what the target heart heart is for. This is a heart rate that ranges between 50 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. To determine your target heart rate, you have to do another equation. Multiply your maximum heart rate by .5 and .85. Using 180 for an example, this would come out to a range of 90 to 153.
Checking Heart Rate
Once you have determined your maximum and target heart rate, you can monitor your progress during your workouts. The best way to do this is by checking your radial pulse. This is located on the inside of your wrist right beneath your thumb. Position two fingers of one hand on your arm and feel for your pulse. Once you have located it, count the beats for 10 seconds and multiply by 6. For example, if you count 20 beats, your heart rate is 120. You can then match this up to your target heart rate range to determine if you need to work out with more or less intensity.
Interval Training
Although you cannot exercise at your maximum heart rate for your entire workout, you can reach it for short periods of time with interval training. This is done by alternating back and forth from a high to low intensity. By doing high-intensity exercise, you will experience a high caloric expenditure once you are done. Your best bet in this case is to invest in a heart rate monitor. These come equipped with a chest strap, transmitter and wrist watch. The transmitter reads your heart rate and sends a signal back to the watch where you can easily read it while working out. You can also set up a target heart rate where the monitor will sound an alarm if you move out of the range.
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