Finding Your Target Heart Rate
by Maia Appleby
Many cardiovascular machines are equipped with heart rate sensors,
but unless your doctor has told you to maintain a certain pace, how
do you know what your heart rate should be?
In order to get a truly effective workout, you should do your cardiovascular
work within your training zone. This is a range dependent on your
age and is determined with an easy formula. Subtract your age from
220. Take this number and multiply it by .6 and you have your lower
exercise range. Multiply it by .8 and there's your higher exercise
range. (Don't like doing math? Just use our target
heart rate calculator, then!)
Be careful not to compare yourself to others, where heart rates are
concerned. Age is a very important factor in finding the right number,
regardless of one's fitness level. For example, a 67-year-old's range
is 92 to 122. A 24-year-old's range is 118-157. Some people naturally
have faster or slower heart rates than others, too. If you find that
your range is slightly abnormal, you will eventually become familiar
with a range that is "normal for you".
Beginners should work in the lower range, but more fit people can
work harder. As you can see in the numbers above, a fit 67-year-old
can work with the same heart rate level as a 24-year-old who is just
beginning to train. This is important to know, because many seasoned
exercisers are not working hard enough to effect real improvements.
They hit a plateau and just stay there, walking the same mile and
a half in thirty minutes day after day. This is fine for maintenance,
but if you want to become fitter, you should work a little harder.
How do you increase your heart rate just enough on a treadmill?
You might walk a few tenths of a mile faster to get results, or you
can increase the incline. Even a two percent grade makes quite a bit
of a difference. Instead of holding onto the bar, swing your arms
at your sides to get a more natural gait.
Since most machines in gyms do not have heart rate sensors, taking
your pulse at the wrist or neck may be necessary. Every five or ten
minutes, find your pulse, look at the clock and count beats for fifteen
seconds. Multiply this number by four to determine your heart rate.
If you're taking blood pressure medication, you may need to keep
your heart rate below a certain level (usually 120 or somewhere in
that neighborhood). Consult your physician for recommendations before
attempting to work in your higher exercise range.
Another option is a a chest-strap heart rate monitor, which is available
at sporting supply and department stores everywhere. When you wear
it, a wristband tells you your heart rate during your workout. Many
fitness centers have these on hand to loan out, so if you ask an attendant,
you may be able to monitor your heart rate without any extra cost.
Some fitness watches give you both your heart rate and an estimation
of calories burned.
You can usually get a pretty good idea of how hard you're training
just by how you feel. This is known in fitness circles at the "Rating
of Perceived Exertion" (RPE). You shouldn't be able to recite the
Gettysburg Address repeatedly, but you shouldn't be so winded
that you can't carry a conversation. If you're somewhere in
between and feel like you're working, you're probably right at your
target heart rate.
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