Sunday, September 9, 2007

Targeting Your Ideal Heart Rate When Training

Do you know your ideal heart rate for training purposes? Some people that are new to fitness believe they should simply push as hard as they can to get maximum benefits from exercise. This is not true and may actually harm you. Whether you're exercising for health purposes or because you want to lose weight, knowing your ideal training zone for heart rate can help you maximize your workout.

Your ideal zone will help you train the most effectively, burn the most fat, build the most muscle and have staying power for your workout.

Overdoing it can tire you out prematurely, leave you out of breath and make you so sore after a workout that it can take longer to recover for a following workout. Many websites tell you to do a talking test to ensure that you are not overdoing it. If you are unable to carry on a conversation while exercising, you are probably pushing yourself too hard.

You can buy heart rate monitors for your workout and / or you can measure manually. Many treadmills have heart rate monitors directly on the machine.

How do you measure your heart rate?

Many websites publish the formula. This particular method is taken from truestarhealth's website but is very commonly found online. Take 220 minus your age and that number equals your maximum heart rate. The ideal training zone is from between 65 to 85 per cent of this rate.

This rate has a margin of error and everyone is different depending on many health circumstances. If you are new to exercise and have been given the green light by your doctor, give it a go and try to target this range. Some are able to push a little harder and still get great results while others find the range a little too difficult to achieve. As you become more fit and become more aware of your personal levels you can find the best training zone for you.

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