I have been a personal trainer for several years now and the most popular question that I get asked is, “what should my heart rate be when I’m exercising?” My response to them is, “what is your goal or workout objective?”
Honestly, when I exercise, I really do not even check my heart rate because I just push myself until I can’t push anymore. But, I am just a young buck and that is acceptable. I take this question seriously because most people need to pay attention to their heart rate so they don’t “over do it.” If your goal is to lose weight, you need to push yourself a little bit and get that heart rate up high enough to where you’re breaking a sweat. On the other-hand, if you’re trying to maintain or just working out to stay active, you need to try and stay in the target heart rate zone.
The target heart rate zone is a recommended heart rate range that you should maintain while exercising. This range varies depending on who you ask, but I am going to supply you with a few ranges depending on your exercise goal. Find your goal below and follow the calculations.
Goal 1 – If you are a little older and exercise to maintain your current level of fitness:
220-Age
Then take that number and multiply it by 60 and 80% to find your target heart zone.
Example: 70 year old 220-70=150 150x.6=90 150x.8=120 THR zone=90-120
Goal 2 – If you are exercising to lose weight and increase level of fitness:
220-Age
Then take that number and multiply it by 70 and 90% to find your target heart rate zone.
Example: 40 year old 220-40=180 180x.7=126 180x.9=162 THR zone=126-162
Goal 3 – If you are an athlete:
220-Age
Then take that number and multiply it by 80 and 100% to find your target heart rate zone.
Example: 25 year old 220-25=195 195x.8=156 195×1.0=195 THR zone=156-195
Please consult a physician for further advice if you have any health concerns. Again, these are my recommendations and please feel free to respond back.