As you run, your heart rate speeds up to compensate for your muscles' increased need for oxygen, which is transported through the blood. Because of this relationship, your heart rate is the perfect tool to measure your exercise intensity. Different heart rate values contribute to different benefits. Understanding the differences will add intelligence and efficiency to your daily runs.
Target Heart Rate
Your target heart rate is the best foundation on which to base your running program. Your target heart rate is based on your age and gender and provides vital information on the various types of running intensities, as well as their corresponding benefits. Your target heart rate is a range of heart rate values that equal 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. The maximum heart rate for men is equal to 220 minus age. Find the maximum heart rate for women by subtracting 88 percent of age from 206.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise provides an excellent cardiovascular workout and offers unrivaled weight loss benefits when compared to other forms of exercise. Aerobic exercise is found in the 70 to 80 percent range of your target heart rate. When you run for aerobic exercise and weight loss, it is best to run for at least 20 minutes per session. Typically, aerobic exercise consists of static intensity runs. In other words, runs in which you move at the same speed or intensity throughout the workout.
Interval Training
Interval training is a form of dynamic exercise that seeks to maximize cardiovascular fitness benefits by altering the intensity of your run as you exercise. While this speed of running does not correlate as well with weight loss, it will improve your fitness, your overall speed and your endurance more efficiently. Run using interval training by moving throughout your target heart rate range. For example, run at 60 percent of maximum heart rate for four minutes, then at 85 percent of maximum for one minute. Go back and forth between slow and fast running paces to change your heart rate intensity and reap the benefits of interval training.
Heart Rate Monitor
The best pace for your running depends on your heart rate. Because of this, a heart rate monitor is an invaluable tool for engaging in the most efficient running routines possible. Heart rate monitors are worn on your wrist, like a simple watch. They use sensors to monitor your pulse and display the information on an LCD face as your heart rate value in beats per minute. Use a heart rate monitor to run in your target heart rate range, for aerobic exercise or to monitor your interval training sessions. Some monitors even include alarms or alerts that notify you if you drop below or rise above your target heart rate intensity values.
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