7 Surprising Benefits of Training at a Targeted Heart Rate

Targeted Heart Rate Training: How to Burn Fat and Get the Most Out of Your Exercise

Heart rate training has been gaining popularity in recent years, and for good reason. By monitoring your heart rate, you can optimize your workouts to achieve your fitness goals, whether that’s burning fat, building endurance, or preventing injuries.

But how exactly does heart rate training help you? And how do you determine your own heart rate zones? In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of heart rate training and how to implement it into your exercise routine.

How Heart Rate Training Helps You

Heart rate training offers a number of benefits for fitness enthusiasts of all levels. Here are a few ways that it can help you:

1. You can get the most out of your exercise: Your target heart rate depends on the type of exercise you’re doing. For example, if you’re jogging, you want your heart rate to be in a different range (lower) than if you’re in the middle of an intense anaerobic set. By knowing the optimal heart rate for each type of exercise, you can make sure you’re exerting yourself enough — but not too much — to get the results that you want.

2. You can see how your body responds to different types of exercises: Heart rate training can show you what you’re good at and what you need to work on. Where are you quickly overexerting yourself? Where are you doing well? By monitoring your heart rate, you can get a sense of where you need more work — whether that’s fitness-related or technique-related.

3. It prevents you from overtraining: While you may have the mental toughness to push through the pain, heart rate training can help you identify when you are overexerting yourself. The end result means that you can prevent injuries and burnout.

Which Rates Pair With Which Exercises?

Now that we know how heart rate training can benefit your workout, let’s take a closer look at which zones are the best for certain types of exercise. Here’s the breakdown:

– Easy: 60% – 70% – This zone is ideal for slow runs or recovery runs. It’s the best place for your heart to pump blood and for your muscles to use oxygen.

– Aerobic: 70% – 80% – This zone helps you develop cardiovascular fitness and helps improve your body’s ability to get oxygen to your muscles and pull carbon dioxide away from them. In this zone, you should still be able to carry on a conversation.

– Anaerobic: 80% – 90% – This zone is where your muscles build up lactic acid, also known as “the burn.” Training in this zone helps your body increase its threshold before lactic acid buildup, meaning that your muscles get stronger and have more endurance. In this zone, you’re breathing heavily and your muscles are quite tired.

– Red Line: 90% – 100% – This zone should be used sparingly and only for short periods of time. Here is where you’re building up a sizeable oxygen debt to your muscles, so you can’t maintain this zone for long.

How to Determine Your Own Heart Rate Zones

Now that you understand the different zones and when to use them, it’s time to determine your own heart rate zones. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Find your resting heart rate. Take your pulse right when you wake up or when you’re totally relaxed.

2. Calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. There’s your max heart rate. If you are 30, for example, then your max heart rate should be 190.

3. Find your heart rate reserve: This number is just your max heart rate minus your resting heart rate. If your max heart rate is 190 and your resting heart rate is 60, then your heart rate reserve would be 130.

4. With these numbers, you can calculate anything. Just multiply your target percentage by your heart rate reserve and add your resting heart rate. For example, if you want to reach 70%, your heart rate reserve is 130, and your resting heart rate is 60 — then you would just multiply 130 by 0.7, which is 91, and add your resting heart rate for a total of 151. That means, to reach your 70% zone, you’d be looking for a heart rate of 151 beats per minute.

5. If all else fails, you can just find a handy heart rate zone calculator to do the work for you.

Final Thoughts

Heart rate training is a powerful tool for anyone looking to optimize their workouts and achieve their fitness goals. By understanding your heart rate zones and monitoring your heart rate during exercise, you can avoid injury, overtraining, and burnout, while also improving your endurance and overall fitness. So why not give it a try and see how it can benefit you?

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