Exercise affects your heart rate in different ways, depending on the duration and intensity of your workout. Your heart works in conjunction with different energy systems in your body. You may burn oxygen during exercise, and you will burn different amounts of fat or glycogen. Knowing about how your heart works during exercise can help you plan a more effective workout.
Target Heart Rates
Your heart rate is the heart's beats per minute. Target Heart Rates (THRs) are used to create specific exercise routines, such as a fat-burning workout or an anaerobic training session. To determine target heart rates, first calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). For an accurate reading, perform a treadmill test administered by a health professional. A good forumula for calculating MHR is 220 minus your age. So, for a 40-year-old woman (we'll call her Deborah), MHR would be 220 minus 40 = 180.
Warmup THR
Rather than going from your resting heart rate (which is your heart rate during non-activity, such as sleeping or sitting at your desk) to a high number of beats per minute, gradually raise your heart rate with a warmup. Warming up puts less stress on your heart, which must coordinate with your blood flow, oxygen supply and muscle work during exercise. About 85% of the calories burned during this low-intensity workout are from fat.
Your warmup THR should be 50% to 60% of your MHR. For Deborah, that means multiplying 180 times .50 to .60 = 90 to 108.
Fitness THR
The Fitness Zone is reached by exercising at 60% to 70% of your MHR. At this level of work, your body burns mostly fat calories during exercise. Deborah's Fitness Zone THR would be 108 to 126.
Aerobic THR
During aerobic exercise, your body calls on oxygen to help perform the work. Aerobic exercise burns more calories than in the previous two zones, with about 50 percent of those calories coming from fat. Your THR for aerobic exercise is 70% to 80% of your MHR. Deborah's Aerobic Zone THR would be 126 to 144.
Anaerobic THR
During anaerobic exercise, you heart rate is between 80% to 90% of your MHR. Anaerobic exercise is done intensely, for a short period of time. Sports like tennis are anaerobic, with short, high-intensity points, and many breaks in between. Most of the calories burned come from glycogen, with only 15% coming from calories. Deborah's Anaerobic Zone THR would be 144 to 162.
Red Line THR
Red line or maximum training exercises have you working at 90% to 100% of MHR. This level of training is usually performed by elite athletes. This training should only be done with the approval of your physician or other medical professional. Deborah's Red Line Zone THR would be 162 to 180.
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