When you exercise, your heart can take only limited amounts of stress while still working within safe, healthy parameters. The upper limit of your safe working zone is commonly known as your maximum heart rate. Highly trained athletes can get some benefits from working briefly at more than 90 percent of maximum, but experienced non-athletes usually work at no higher than 85 percent of their maximum capacity.
Basics
Although a number of methods are available to calculate your maximum heart rate, a quick, commonly accepted approach requires you to subtract your age from 220. For example, 30-year-old people have a maximum heart rate of roughly 190 beats per minute. The percentage of your maximum heart rate that you aim for while exercising is called your target heart rate. The target rate you set depends largely on your level of fitness and your exercise experience. Beginning and infrequent exercisers typically work at 45 percent to 60 percent of maximum, while experienced, regular exercisers can usually work out safely at higher percentages.
Activity Benefits
When you work out at specific percentages of your maximum heart rate, you gain specific benefits to your health. For instance, people who exercise at 50 percent to 60 percent of maximum burn off relatively high amounts of fat-based calories and lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Those who work out at 60 percent to 70 percent of maximum get these same benefits but burn off even more calories. Trained athletes work at 70 percent to 80 percent of maximum to improve their cardiovascular and lung endurance, and at 80 percent to 90 percent to improve fatigue resistance and maximize their use of oxygen in competition settings.
90 Percent and Over
When you work out at more than 90 percent of your maximum heart rate, specific benefits from your activity include a heightened rate of calorie elimination, development of your maximum speed potential and development of the fast-twitch fibers in your muscle tissue. However, work at this level typically is reserved for elite athletes who have explicit approval from their physicians. Even then, people who exercise at more than 90 percent of maximum can typically sustain their efforts only for a short time.
Considerations
Even people in excellent physical shape usually work out at no more than 85 percent of their maximum heart rate, according to the American Council on Exercise and the American Heart Association. It typically takes a beginning exerciser who works out regularly six months or longer to reach this level of ability. Even then, you don't need to work at this level of heart exertion to stay in shape, and non-athletes will likely get the full benefits of their activity by working at roughly 75 percent of capacity. Do not attempt to work at 90 percent or more of capacity without consulting your doctor.
Member Comments