These days, it seems like you have to be a cardiologist or an algebra whiz to exercise efficiently. Athletes and people trying to lose weight are confused. What's the difference between your fat-burning and cardio-zones; resting heart rate and maximum heart rate? What's the truth about heart rate and exercise? Read on for a heart-rate primer.
The basic philosophy of aerobic/cardio workouts is to exercise hard enough to elevate your heart rate and breathing, strengthen your heart and burn calories. A strong heart lasts longer and burning calories helps you lose weight. How do you know if you're working too hard or not hard enough? The American Heart Association recommends this simple method for determining your exertion level:
- If you can talk and walk at the same time, you aren't working too hard.
- If you can sing and maintain your level of effort, you're probably not working hard enough.
- If you get out of breath quickly, you're probably working too hard - especially if you have to stop and catch your breath.
- If your workout is harder than moderate walking, you may want to try working toward a target heart rate of 50-85% of your maximum heart rate.
Your maximum heart rate (MHR) is the absolute top speed your heart can beat at any time. Nobody can work out for long if his/her heart is pumping at 100% capacity. If you want your workout out to last a while, you need to exercise at an exertion level you can maintain for a while without becoming exhausted.
If you've hopped on a treadmill (or any cardio machine) lately you've seen the fat-burning and cardio-zone graphs and programs. These are target ranges for how fast your heart should beat during exercise. Fat-burning zones are thought to burn the most calories because they're less intense than cardio zones and you can work out longer. Cardio zones are considered best for heart health because they're more strenuous. These zones are based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
How do you figure out your target zones? First, calculate your MHR. One popular method for calculating your MHR is to subtract your age from 220 (for men) or 226 (for women). For example, a 30-year-old woman's MHR would be 176. Her fat burning zone is 60-70% of her MHR or 105 to 123 beats per minute. Her cardio zone is 70-85% of her MHR (123 to 150 beats). The math is simple but the formula isn't terribly accurate because it assumes everyone of the same age has the same maximum heart rate. They don't. That's because not everyone has the same resting heart rate.
The average healthy person's resting heart rate is somewhere between 60 and 90 beats per minute. Find yours by counting your pulse for a minute first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Next, pull out your calculator and use either the Karvonen Formula or the American Heart Association's target heart rate calculator to determine your MHR. After that, adjust your level of exercise exertion to meet your fat-burning or cardio zones. That means checking your pulse during exercise and adjusting your routine to maintain a specific heart beat range. The math gets complicated quickly.
Tracking your heart rate is important for some people like serious athletes or people with heart disease. For the rest of us? Not so much. Working toward your target zones can be motivating if you're trying to bump past a plateau or achieve specific performance goals but it isn't essential and can even be distracting.
Remember this: the formula for weight loss is easy - burn more calories than you consume. That's it. The truth about heart rate and exercise? It's arithmetic, not algebra.
