How Do I Calculate My Workout Heart Rate?

In order to achieve optimal benefits of cardiovascular endurance training, you must be able to calculate your workout heart rate. In particular, you must find out your heart rate training zone. Knowing your workout heart rate zone allows you to start in the lower range of your zone and work gradually toward the higher end of it as your level of cardiovascular fitness increases. Your workout heart rate zone can be figured out by using a practical and effective method of calculating workout heart rate.

Step 1

Choose the appropriate formulate for calculating workout heart rate. There are a few formulas you can use. You can use percentage of heart rate max or the Karvonen formula. The Karvonen formula is a more practical and effective formula to use for calculating workout heart rate. The Karvonen formula takes into account your resting heart rate, which is a measure of a person's level of fitness.

Step 2

Calculate your heart rate maximum. In the textbook "NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training," authors Rogers and Baechle provide a simple way to start the Karvonen Formula. The equation for maximum heart rate is:

Maximum Heart Rate = 220 - Age

Your heart rate maximum is the highest you would ever want your heart rate to go during exercise participation.

Step 3

Calculate heart rate reserve. Your heart rate reserve is the difference between your predicted max heart rate and resting heart rate. The equation for heart rate reserve is:

Heart Rate Reserve = Maximum Heart Rate -- Resting Heart Rate

To figure out your resting heart rate, place your index finger and middle finger on the side of your wrist that's closest to your pinky finger. Feel for your pulse. Every time you feel your pulse, count it. Take your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply it by four to get your resting heart rate.

Step 4

Calculate your heart rate range for your workout. You will figure out a lower range and a higher range for heart rate during your workout. The equation for heart rate range is:

Heart Rate Range = (Heart Rate Reserve x .50% Intensity) + Resting Heart Rate

Heart Rate Range = (Heart Rate Reserve x .85% Intensity) + Resting Heart Rate

Step 5

Use the Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale. In the June 1987 International Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers indicated that the rating of perceived exertion scale was important to use in addition to traditional heart rate calculations, as it determines more of an overall body feel during workouts. The scale goes from 6 to 20, and during workouts you look at the scale and point out of where you are. The number you pick correlates with your estimated workout heart rate. So, if you picked 12, you would take 12 times 10 and get your estimated heart rate during your workout.

References

"The NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training. Human Kinetics." 1st Edition; R. Earle and T. Baechle; 2003
"International Journal of Sports Medicine." Using perceived exertion to prescribe and monitor exercise training heart rate. K. Dishman, R. Patton, R. Weinberg and A. Jackson. 1987.