Heart rate increases during exercise are a normal and healthy response of the cardiovascular system. People just starting out on an exercise program will experience a wide range of heart rates from rest to exertion. Trained exercisers will have a more even response. Heartbeat changes during exercise also occur with age, so the same workout for people ages 30 and 50 will produce different heart rate responses.
Maximum Heart Rate Estimate
An easy heart rate formula for exercise is to subtract your age from the number 220. This is a theoretical maximum heart rate. It is not possible to exercise at the maximum heart rate for more than a minute or so -- constantly going over your limit can lead to injury. The American College of Sports Medicine publishes guidelines for exercise heartbeats. For beginning exercisers, it is recommended to keep the heart rate at 60 percent of maximum for most of the workout, but occasional higher rate intervals of 30 seconds are beneficial.
Warm Up and Cool Down
At the beginning of exercise the heartbeat is close to resting rate, anywhere from 50 to 80 beats per minute, also called BPM. Instead of plunging into the workout, a warm up period of several minutes will get your heartbeat to increase gradually. Trained exercisers will have heartbeat increases almost immediately as their heart is conditioned to produce an exercise response. As an example, a 35-year-old exerciser should aim to reach a heartbeat of 120 BPM, or 65 percent of maximum heart rate. Cool down period is the reverse -- trained exercisers will see a much faster return to a resting heart rate.
Heartbeat During Exercise
During exercise, a rule of thumb is to keep heart rate at 60 to 70 percent of maximum 75 percent of the time. The remaining 25 percent of the time should be split into intervals of higher intensity, anywhere from 75 percent of maximum to 90 percent of maximum for trained exercisers. Playing a game of soccer or rugby can be considered as a set of intervals. Solo exercisers using a treadmill, rowing or participating in boot camp type workouts can structure a series of peaks to fit this pattern.
Abnormal Heart Responses to Exercise
When exercising, a healthy heart will speed up and slow down according to the demands of the exercise. Post-exercise heartbeats will slow down and gradually return to a resting level within a few hours. If the heartbeat suddenly speeds up, slows down, then speeds up seemingly out of sync with the pace of the workout, it can indicate heart disease. Similarly, an elevated heart rate hours after exercise can indicate cardiovascular problems, and a visit to the doctor should be scheduled.
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