By: Hamish Abbie BPhEd, BComm, CHEK L1, XLR8 Coach, REPs
Training in your Target Heart Rate Zone
How to use your Heart Rate to Train more Effectively
For years fitness professionals, exercise enthusiasts and athletes, have used Target Heart Rate Zones as an easy and objective method to quantify and monitor training intensity.
Using your Target Heart Rate Zone when exercising can help you maintain your own best pace - not so hard that it hurts and not so slow that you don't get results.
To calculate your Target Heart Rate Zone you must first determine your Heart Rate Max (HRM). This can be done by subtracting your age from 220. To determine your zone you then multiply your HRM by the percentage range relevant to the zone you intend to train in.
Heart Rate Max (HRM) = 220 - Age = ______ x % Training Heart Rate Zone
How to determine your Heart Rate Training Zone
There are 5 distinct heart-rate training zones, each of which are believed to incite a different training response. The one that best suits you depends on your current level of fitness and your training goals.
Healthy Heart Zone (Warm Up) 50-60%HRM. This is the best zone for people starting out with their fitness programme, as it is not too strenuous and carries a low risk of injury. It is also a safe zone to stay in if you have high blood pressure or a history of heart disease. Consistently holding this level of intensity for 30 minutes most days, has been shown to reduce body fat, blood pressure, cholesterol and the risk of degenerative disease.
Fat Burning Zone (Weight Management) 60-70%HRM. If you are slightly overweight and relatively inactive this is the best zone for you, as it will permit you to exercise at a steady pace for long periods. This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories (85% from fat).
There is some debate as to whether or not there is a magic “Fat Burning Zone” however evidence suggests that a greater percentage of fat is burned in Zone 2 than in the more intense Zone 3. For successful long-term weight management, the most important thing is consistent calorie burning. In other words, exercise as long as you can, as frequently as you can, at a level you find comfortable.
Fitness Zone (Aerobic Conditioning) 70-80%HRM. This zone is right for you if your want to improve your cardiovascular and respiratory condition. This is not a zone for you to start out in, if up until now you have been relatively sedentary. If you're fairly fit and want to maintain or improve your current level of fitness then this will be your preferred training zone. In this zone it is estimated that 50% of your calories burnt are from fat stores.
Athletic Performance Zone (Anaerobic Conditioning) 80-90%HRM. Training in this zone puts a lot of stress on you and should not be done unless you have a sold base of fitness. The aim of working in this zone is to improve your VO2 max, teaching your body to better tolerate lactic acid build up and fight fatigue. This is ideal for sport specific training and should be included in any performance conditioning programme.
Red Line (Maximum Effort) 90-100%HRM. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so. Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense and so most people can only train in this zone for a very short period of time.
How to determine your heart rate?
Polar Heart Rate Monitors offer the most convenient and accurate way to monitor your heart rate. Certain models even allow you to pre-programme your Target Training Zones, with the monitor emitting audible ques when you fall out of your zone. Click here to see our range of Polar Heart Rate monitors.
An alternative is to take your pulse from your carotid artery. Count the number of beats you feel over a period of 10 seconds then multiply this figure by 6 to get your heart rate. You can count for a longer period of time to get a more accurate reading but be sure to be consistent in your method.
