There is a direct correlation between heart rate and exercise. More specifically, the higher the intensity of exercise, the higher the heart rate. Heart rate, or HR, is the number of times your heart beats in one minute. The goal of exercise in general, and cardiovascular exercise in particular, is to elevate the heart rate safely to a point where blood circulation carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout the body is improved with less effort from the heart.
Target Heart Rate
To determine a safe target heart rate, or THR, to reach during exercise, you must first know what your maximum heart rate, or MHR, is. MHR is determined by subtracting your age from 220. For example, a 20-year-old would have an MHR of 200. Once you determine your MHR, you can calculate your THR based on your fitness level. The general fitness guideline is 70 to 85 percent of MHR. Elite athletes may go as high as 95 percent. For sedentary individuals or those with health issues, a percentage in the range of 50 to 65 range is better. To determine the THR for a 20-year-old, multiply his MHR by a percentage from the general guideline. Assuming he has no medical concerns, it would be safe to calculate for a higher percentage. The result of that calculation would be a THR for him to maintain throughout the majority of the duration of his exercise.
Target Heart Rate Range
Unlike the THR, which gives you a particular number to aim for, the target heart rate range, or THRR, is employed by many fitness professionals to give clients a greater range within which to exercise to achieve results while doing so safety. This method allows the participant to be progressive in attempts to elevate the heart rate. After determining MHR, that number is multiplied by the lower and upper limits of recommended percentages. For example, with the 70-to-85-percent guideline, the MHR is multiplied by 70 percent to determine the lower limit, and by 85 percent to set the upper range.
Benefits
Maintaining a predetermined THR or THRR for an extended time during exercise will improve your body's ability to take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide -- cardiorespiratory fitness. Also, the heart will have to beat less to distribute the same amount of blood throughout the body -- cardiovascular fitness. Lowering the resting heart rate, or RHR, is the overall goal of cardio exercise. Exercise helps decrease how hard the heart works when at rest.
Heart Rate Recovery
An efficiently working heart will return to near pre-activity RHR quicker at the end of exercise. It is best to measure your heart rate just prior to beginning exercise, then again immediately at the end of activity. Both measurements should be done for one minute. Typically, manual palpation at the radial pulse, or thumb side, of the wrist or at the carotid artery on the side of the neck is used. Also, you can use HR monitors that do the measuring for you. Although they can cost anywhere from $59 up to $199, heart rate monitors provide immediate feedback and eliminate the element of human error.
References
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Monitoring Exercise Heart Rate Using Manual Palpation; Dinesh John, et al.; 2007
- "ACE Group Fitness Instructor Manual, A Guide for Fitness Professionals, Second Edition"; American Council on Exercise; 2007
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