Aerobic exercise places extra demands on your muscular system, causing your muscles to require extra oxygen. Your body sends more oxygen to your muscles by causing your breathing to deepen and speed up, and by boosting your heart rate. Knowing how to keep track of your heart rate while exercising helps you get the most benefits from each exercise session.
Finding Your Target
Your maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart could beat, theoretically, during the highest intensity of exercise. Subtracting your age in years from 220 gives you an idea of your own maximum heart rate in beats per minute, but the number is just an estimate, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although you should never attempt to exercise at your maximum heart rate, having an idea of what it is can help you figure out the best range for exercise. Your target heart rate for exercise is within 50 percent to 85 percent of your maximum. For example, a 40-year-old would have a predicted maximum hear rate of 180 beats per minute and should exercise at an intensity that causes his heart rate to beat within 90 and 153 beats per minute.
Warning
You may have a medical condition or take a medication that affects your maximum heart rate and target heart rate zone, so your doctor will have to adjust your exercise program accordingly. Get a medical check-up before you begin any exercise regimen to reduce your risk of health complications. Your doctor can help you set up a program and make heart rate recommendations based on your physical condition, needs and exercise goals.
Considerations
The maximum heart rate formula doesn't apply to 30 percent to 40 percent of the population, according to the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. This isn't just limited to people taking medications or those with health conditions. As a result, you might discover that you wear down quickly at 40 percent of your predicted maximum heart rate after months of working out or sail smoothly through a workout at 80 percent as a novice. If you believe this is true for you, talk to your doctor. She may recommend that you do the "talk test," which is exercising at a pace that allows you to talk but not gab or sing. She may also ask you to exercise within a moderate range of 3 to 5 on an exertion scale of 0 to 10.
Tips
Stick to the lower end of your target range -- 50 percent to 70 percent -- when doing moderate-intensity activity and exercise within the higher range when doing activities such as running. However, if you're barely beginning a workout program, stick to 50 percent end and gradually work your way up to 70 percent to 85 percent over the next weeks to months, the American Heart Association says.
References
- American Heart Association: Target Heart Rates
- Health Services at Columbia University: Exercising Beyond My Maximum Heart Rate: Is This Safe?
- Arthritis Today: Keep on Track with Your Target Heart Rate
- University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics: Heart Rate: Its Importance to Fitness
- Cleveland Clinic: Heart and Vascular Health & Prevention
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