Monitoring your heart rate can be an effective way to get the most out of your exercise program. Keeping track of your heart rate and controlling how fast or slow your heart is working when you exercise is called heart rate training. Studies are showing that heart rate training helps people reach their exercise goals quicker and more efficiently.
To start heart rate training you must know what your maximum heart rate is as it will be the number that you use to determine your heart rate zones. However, before you get started learning what your maximum heart rate is, you should realistically judge which fitness category you fall within:
Poor Shape: You haven’t exercised in the past two months. Fair Shape: You do aerobic activity at least twenty minutes, or walk one mile or more, at least three times a week. Good Shape: You run at least five miles per week or you exercise almost every daily.
Once you have chosen your level of fitness, the following test can help you learn the vicinity of your maximum heart rate.
Walk One Mile: Walk a mile at an even pace either on a treadmill or at a track. When you are nearing the end of your mile, or in the last quarter of your mile, take your heart rate. Add 40 to this number if you listed yourself in poor shape; add 50 to this number if you listed yourself in fair shape, and add 60 to this number if you listed yourself in good shape.
Once you know what your maximum heart rate is, you can begin heart rate training. The easiest way to keep up with your heart rate during a workout is to use a machine that has a heart rate control monitor. Most quality treadmills and fitness machines come with heart rate control monitors. A monitor will tell you what your heart rate is during your workout so you know what heart rate zone you are in at any given time. A heart rate monitor becomes your personal trainer and takes the guesswork out of heart rate training. The readings let you know when you are over exerting yourself, or when you should give yourself a little extra push so you can stay in a target zone longer, or even push yourself up to the next heart rate zone.
Various Heart Rate Training Zones
A heart rate training routine should last between 20-30 minutes, and you should cycle in and out of the different heart rate zones throughout the workout.
Healthy Heart Zone: In this zone your heart rate is 50%-60% of your maximum heart rate and you can easily talk to someone.
Fitness Zone: You find it is getting a little harder to talk and you are breathing heavier. You heart rate is at 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate.
Aerobic Zone: Your breathing will be very hard and you won’t be able to talk with people in long sentences, but you can speak in short phrases. Your heart rate is 70%-80% of your maximum heart rate.
Anaerobic Zone: Your breathing will be labored and you will only be able to gasp out a word or two. Your heart rate is 80%-90% of your maximum heart rate.
Red Line Zone: You are in your maximum output zone and you will only be able to keep up the pace in this zone for a few minutes.
Heart rate training is a great way to reach your weight loss or training goals faster. Using a quality treadmill, or other exercise machine, that is equipped with a heart rate control monitor is by far the easiest way to heart rate train. These machines enable you to know exactly what is going on with your heart rate so you can effectively move in and out of your heart rate zones.
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