Working out on a regular basis is the best way to gain benefits from exercise, regardless of your goals. After consistent training, you get a pretty good feel for how your body reacts to stress and what to expect with your workouts. Monitoring your aerobic training zone, which is also known as target heart rate, is a technique that allows you to easily stay on top of your progress. This takes a little bit of legwork and some basic math skills.
Step 1
Determine your maximum heart rate. The maximum heart rate, or MHR, is the highest heart rate you can achieve during a bout of exercise. You need to know this information to determine your aerobic training zone. Subtract your age from 220 to get this number. If you are age 50, for example, your maximum heart rate is 170.
Step 2
Use your maximum heart rate to determine your aerobic training zone. The American Heart Association recommends staying within 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate while exercising. Determine your aerobic training zone by multiplying your maximum heart rate by the decimal equivalents of 50 and 85 percent. Use 170 from Step 1, for an example. The equation is 170 x .5 and 170 x .85. Your training zone will then be 85 to 145 beats per minute.
Step 3
Apply your aerobic training zone to your workouts. Position the index and middle finger of one hand on the inside wrist of your other hand right below your thumb. Feel for your pulse and count the beats for 30 seconds. Double this number and match it up to your aerobic training zone. For example, if you count 52 beats, your heart rate is 104. This falls into your target heart rate if you use the example from Step 2.
Tips and Warnings
- During exercise, you might have to come to a stop to check your heart rate.
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