Exercising Within Your Target Heart Rate
Exercising within your target heart rate range
is important to achieving cardiovascular fitness, particularly in
lowering the risk of heart disease. Your level of exertion determines
what percentage of your maximum heart rate you are working in.
Various percentages of your ideal exercising heart rate, or zones,
produce different results. Working within an acceptable zone of
your maximum heart rate, maintaining that level for 20 minutes or
longer, 3 or more times a week will produce positive results toward
a healthy heart.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease
is the leading cause of death among Americans, with 23 million people
diagnosed and nearly 1 million deaths annually. Hypertension,
high cholesterol levels, and obesity are leading contributors to
heart disease, and all three can be reduced or illuminated by participating
in aerobic exercises two to three times per week that maintain a
percentage of your maximum heart rate.
Cardio exercises play such a vital role in maintaining a healthy
heart that according to the American Heart Association, “Most
beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular disease
mortality can be attained through moderate-intensity activity (40%
to 60% of maximal oxygen uptake, depending on age). The activity
can be accrued through formal training programs or leisure-time
physical activities.”
Determining Your Maximum Heart Rate
- Men - One of the simplest ways of determining your maximum
heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. Men who are
athletic or physically fit should subtract their age from 205.
- Women - Woman determine their maximum heart rate by subtracting
their age from 226. Women who are athletic or physically
fit should subtract their age from 211 to determine their target
heart rate.
- Men and Women – The most accurate way to determine
your maximum heart rate is to have a professional evaluate your
physical condition during a stress test.
Target Heart Rate Workout Range
Once you have established your maximum heart rate, you will want
to maintain a level that is 55 to 85 percent of your maximum heart
rate. The level you maintain depends on your fitness goals and your
current fitness condition.
- 50% – 60% of Maximum Heart Rate – This is
a good percentage of target heart rate for persons who have not
exercised in a while or who are only interested in moderate cardiovascular
conditioning. This percentage of target heart rate is also
ideal as a warm up for people who are participating in more vigorous
activities. Working in the 50% to 60% range of your maximum
heart rate will burn mostly calories from fat and help to lower
blood pressure and cholesterol.
- 60% - 70% of Maximum Heart Rate – This more intense
percentage range or zone or will burn calories faster and will
help to burn mostly calories from fat and lower blood pressure
and cholesterol.
- 70% to 80% of Maximum Heart Rate – This is an aerobic
target heart rate zone and works to improve cardiovascular and
respiratory efficiency and increase the size and strength of your
heart. Exercising at this increased heart rate will burn more
calories than previously listed zones and will help to burn about
50% of calories needed from fat and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
- 80% - 90% of Maximum Heart Rate- This percentage of target
heart rate is ideal for improving your body’s ability to
use oxygen and increase endurance levels. This fitness level,
known as the anaerobic zone, burns about 15% of the calories needed
from fat and aids in the lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol.
- 90% to 100% of Maximum Heart Rate – This percentage
of target heart rate is usually only reached by professional athletes
or people who are very fit and usually is difficult to sustain
for prolonged periods of time.
Monitoring Your Target Heart Rate
Manually measuring your pulse is done by counting your pulse rate
for ten seconds and multiplying that number by six.
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