Jogging strengthens the heart muscle and reduces the risk of heart disease and other health issues, such as hypertension and diabetes. Jogging forces the heart and lungs to work harder to deliver oxygen to the body. The ideal heart rate to strive for while jogging varies depending on your fitness goals and health status.
Heart Rate
Just as lifting weights builds muscle, jogging builds your heart muscle by forcing it to work harder. As a result, the heart becomes stronger and works more efficiently. Exercise heart rates are calculated as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, which is 220 minus your age. If you are 38 years old, your maximum heart rate is 182. Jogging at that rate, however, can only be done over a short distance and time. It's the equivalent of sprinting. To jog for a longer time will require you to work at a lower intensity calculated as a percentage of your target rate.
Heart Rate for Losing Weight
For weight loss, you should jog for 30 minutes or more, at least five days a week. To sustain jogging over that amount of time, the recommended target heart rate is 65 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. To calculate this, you multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.65 and 0.85. So a 38-year-old would have a target heart rate range between 118 and 155 (220 - 38 = 182, 182 X 0.65 = 118, 182 X 0.85 = 155).
Heart Rate for Increasing Jogging Speed and Endurance
Interval training provides the workout the heart needs to allow you to run faster and longer. Interval training alternates low and high intensity workouts for 20 to 30 minutes with each interval lasting 30 seconds to two minutes. The heart rate at the low interval is 55 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate, whereas the heart rate during the high level is 85 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate. Using the example of a 38-year-old jogger, the low interval heart rate would be 100 to 118 beats per minute and the high interval would be 155 to 173 beats per minute.
Heart Disease and Hypertension
Standard calculations of heart rate work well for joggers who have no history of heart problems or take medication for hypertension. Because jogging puts a strain on the heart and medication for hypertension is designed to keep your blood pressure low, you shouldn't jog without a doctor's approval and heart rate recommendation if you have these ailments. Your doctor will provide guidelines for determining your target heart rate. Purchase a heart rate monitor to have constant feedback about your heart rate during your jog.
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