Weight loss is one of the most sought-after exercise goals and a great deal of research is regularly conducted in this area. One generally-accepted theory among exercise researchers is that exercising at lower intensities will cause you to burn a greater percentage of your calories from fat stores. However, your total calorie burn and fat loss are often less overall at lower intensities than if you exercised at a high intensity for the same time period. Tracking your heart rate during cardiovascular exercise helps you find the best mix of intensity and fat-burning percentage for your fitness level.
Step 1
Place your fingertips on the side of your neck just below your jawbone with a light amount of pressure when you first wake up in the morning but have yet to arise. Count your heart rate for a full 60 seconds to find your resting heart rate.
Step 2
Work out with your desired form of exercise, such as running, biking or stair climbing. Continue exercising until you reach your maximum speed for a full minute. Stop exercising and count your pulse for 10 seconds. Multiply that number by six to find your maximum heart rate.
Step 3
Subtract your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate to find your heart rate reserve for training. For example, if your maximum heart rate is 200 beats per minute and your resting heart rate is 70 beats per minute, your heart rate reserve is 130 beats per minute. Determine what target range between 55 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate at which you are comfortable exercising. The higher your limits, the more calories you will burn per session and the more weight you will lose overall.
Step 4
Multiply your heart rate reserve by the lower percentage of your target range, and add your resting heart rate to the result. For example, if you want your lower limit to be 65 percent, multiply your heart rate reserve of 130 by 0.65 to obtain a result of 84.5. Adding your resting heart rate of 70 to that result gives you a lower training limit of 154.5 beats per minute. Find your upper target limit with the same equation but insert your upper percentage. For example, if your upper limit is 80 percent, your target heart rate in this example would be 174 beats per minute.
Step 5
Equip yourself with a heart rate monitor or use the heart monitoring device on your exercise equipment to stay within your target heart range. Exercise within your target heart rate range for at least 150 minutes per week if it is a moderate pace or at least 75 minutes per week if you are working out near the upper limit of your maximum heart rate.
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