How to Find (And Train In) Your Personal Heart-Rate Zones
Heart rate training is becoming increasingly common. Workouts based on heart rate, like HIIT programs, are the go-to sessions for many across the country, as they are both effective and time-sensitive. Plus, fitness trackers with built-in heart-rate monitors are becoming increasingly accessible. However, knowing your heart rate is only half of the equation.
Getting the best results from workouts that are based on heart rates requires you to learn your heart-rate zones for low, moderate, and high-intensity exercise.
Find your zones
The first thing you will need to do to find your heart rate zones is to determine your maximum heart rate, or the hardest you will be able to exercise. After finding your max heart rate, you can calculate your zones. Low-intensity workouts should have your heart rate between 35 to 50 percent of your max heart rate, moderate intensity is between 50 to 70 percent of your max heart rate, and high-intensity is between 70 to 90 percent of your max heart rate.
Every level of workout will give you a different effect; for example, low-intensity workouts are great for burning fat, moderate-intensity will build your endurance, and high-intensity will increase your speed and power. So training within your heart rate zone for workouts of every intensity will help you achieve all of your workout goals.
Formulas
Calculate your max heart rate by subtracting your age by 220. For example, if you are 50 years old, subtract 50 from 220 to get a maximum heart rate of 170. This number is the average maximum number of times your heart should beat per minute during exercise.
Once you have found your maximum heart rate, you can calculate your other zones.
Determining your target heart rate zone:
1. Subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate.
2. Calculate your resting heart rate by counting how many times your heart beats per minute while you are at rest. Try in the morning. The number is normally between 60 and 100 beats per minute for the average adult.
3. Calculate your heart rate reserve (HRR) by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum.
4. Multiply your HRR by the lower percentage you want to work in. Then add your resting heart rate to this number.
5. Multiply your HRR by the higher percentage you want to work in. Then add your resting heart rate to this number.
6. The two numbers you get is your average target heart rate zone for the level of exercise you would like to do.
For example, say your age is 50 and you want to have your heart rate in the moderate-intensity zone, 50 to 70 percent of your max heart rate zone.
1. Subtract 50 from 220 to get 170, this is your max heart rate.
2. Check your resting heart rate when you wake up. Say it’s 85 beats per minute. Calculate your HRR by subtracting 85 from 170. Your HRR is 85.
3. Multiply 85 by 0.5 (50%) to get 42.5, then add your resting heart rate of 85 to get 127.5.
4. Multiple 85 by 0.7 (70%) to get 59.5, then add your resting heart rate of 85 to get 144.5.
5. Your target heart rate for a moderate-intensity workout is between 127.5 and 144.5 beats per minute.
Why heart-rate train?
Training in heart-rate zones can be very beneficial. It can help you lose or maintain body weight, reduce cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and triglyceride, improve overall fitness and insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure.
Heart-rate zones are not only beneficial for athletes who want to improve all facets of their fitness levels, but also for people new to working out who want to know their safest highest heart rate.
However, your goal should not be to hit your max heart rate every time. The more you train, the stronger your heart will become. This means it will take fewer beats per minute to pump blood throughout your body, lowering your heart rate.
How to know if you are in the zone
If you do not have a device that can check your heart rate regularly, there are other methods you can use.
1. Stop briefly.
2. Take your pulse for 15 seconds. To check your pulse over your carotid artery, place your index and middle finger on your neck, to the side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers between the bone and tendon over your radial artery, which is located on the thumb side of your wrist.
3. Multiply the number by four to calculate your beats per minute.
It is only a guide
Your calculated maximum heart rate is only a guide. Based on genetics, fitness level, medications, and many other factors, your maximum heart rate may be 15 to 20 beats per minute higher or lower than your calculated max heart rate. If you want to find a more specific max heart rate, seek out an exercise physiologist or a personal trainer.