Know Your Target Heart Rate To Workout In Right Pace!

You should know target heart rate and correct training zone to know if you are training at the right pace.

Health care professionals know the importance of right pace during workout.

To get the benefits of workout, it is important that you should not tire too quickly. Target heart rate allows you to measure initial fitness level and monitor your improvement in fitness program.

Your pulse is measured in a periodic manner as you exercise and you should stay within 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. This range is called target heart rate.Target Heart Rate

Measuring target heart rate:

Heart rate can be measured easily by wearing the heart rate monitor. Alternately, without monitor also you can measure it.

To measure heart rate, index finger should be placed on the side of your neck between the middle of collar bone and jaw line. Now, the beats can be counted for sixty seconds.

Training zones:

Healthy heart zone: It is the warm up zone. Target heart rate should be 50 to 60 percent of maximum heart rate. It is the easiest zone if you are starting a fitness program.

For serious walkers, it can be used as a warm up. This zone helps in decreasing body fat, cholesterol and blood pressure. It also reduces degenerative diseases and injury risks.

Fitness zone: It is the fat burning zone. Target heart rate should be 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate. The benefits of this zone are similar to healthy heart zone, but it is more intense and burns more calories.

Aerobic zone: It is the endurance training zone. Target heart rate should be 70 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate. Training in this zone develops cardiovascular system.

Your body’s ability to transport oxygen to working muscles and carbon dioxide away from the working muscles can be developed and improved. If you are training for an endurance event, this is the preferred zone.

Anaerobic zone: It is the performance training zone. Target heart rate should be 80 to 90 percent of maximum heart rate. Training in this zone develops your lactic acid system.

During these heart rates, the amount of fat utilized is reduced and glycogen stored in the muscle is used. The by-product of burning this glycogen is lactic acid.

A point at which your body can no longer remove the lactic acid from working muscles quickly is your anaerobic threshold. With correct training, anaerobic threshold can be delayed and your ability to deal with lactic acid can be increased for a long period of time.

Red line zone: It is the maximum effort zone. Target heart rate should be 90 to 100 percent of maximum heart rate.

This zone burns highest number of calories and it is very intense. People can stay in this zone for shorter periods. If you are in good shape and cleared by a physician, then only you can train in this zone.

If you cannot measure pulse while exercising, alternatively, you can monitor your efforts during moderate activities like walking. If you are talking and walking at the same time, you are not working too hard. If you get out of breath quickly, it means you are working too hard and you have to stop and catch your breath.

If you are doing vigorous activities like jogging and brisk walking, you have to use target heart rate approach.

When you are starting an exercise program, target for lower heart rate in the beginning. Increase gradually to the higher part of your target zone. You can able to exercise comfortably up to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.