Target Heart Rate Zone

The goal of exercising could be maintaining your weight, losing weight fast, toning and conditioning your heart and enjoying the health benefits. To enjoy the benefits of exercise programs, you need to exercise with certain intensity. If you work with excessive intensity, you will tire soon, especially, if you have been inactive. So, depending upon your age, weight, lifestyle, etc. you are expected to decide the target heart rate for exercise.

Target Heart Rate Zone (THRZ) Formula

Your resting heart rate is the heart rate measured when you are resting. The normal resting heart rate for children above 10 and adults is 60-100 Beats Per Minute (BPM). Well trained athletes exhibit a resting heart rate of about 40-60 bpm. They have a healthy heart and therefore the heart can pump the required amount of blood to the body with minimum efforts (beating). During exercise, your heart rate increases as the heart has to work faster to meet the increased demand of blood and oxygen from the body organs. If the heart starts beating too fast and hard, it may go into fibrillation. So, pacing yourself during exercise is very important.

To know your target heart rate zone for exercise, you should calculate your maximum heart rate first. As your heart rate goes on increasing during exercising, you can actually note down your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) with which you can exercise. MHR is the maximum number of times your heart can beat without getting injured. Over stress can damage the heart. With fast beating heart, you will be able to speak only one-two words and might be gasping for breath. One can work with MHR for a very short interval of time during exercise. You might feel breathless. According to health professionals, one should stay within 50 to 85 percent of his/her maximum heart rate. The easiest way to know your MHR is to use the age-adjusted formula.

• MHR for women = 226 - age
• MHR for men = 220 - age

Your heart rate during exercise reflects the exercise intensity and it lets you know that with how many number of heartbeats per minute, you can gain the maximum training benefits from an aerobic workout. Here follows the formula to calculate target heart rate during exercise.

Healthy THRZ = 50-85 % of your MHR.

Healthy Zone to Work Out

You can also use a THRZ calculator which is commonly available on the Internet. There you have to feed your age, gender, etc. and you get the answer instantly. Actually, depending upon the intensity of exercise, various heart rate zones are determined by the experts. While working with 50 to 60% of the maximum heart rate, you are said to be working with low intensity. But this is the safest workout zone. You can speak fully and normally while working in this zone. This also is referred to as the 'healthy zone to work out'. Beginners may start to work out in this zone and may gradually increase their intensity, as the body gets conditioned slowly.

Those who are suffering from illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. and those who are taking medicines should consult their physician before determining the MHR and the target heart rate zone for exercise. Moreover, your MHR may vary according to the exercise also. MHR during swimming is different from the MHR during the workout on a treadmill.

Working with 60 to 70% of the maximum heart rate is referred to as working in fitness zone. Here, you may start breathing heavily and may find it difficult to speak whole sentences. You burn more fat and more number of calories while working in this zone.

Those who undergo endurance training, need to work out in higher intensity zones. Working with high heart rate of about 70 to 80% of your MHR helps enhance the capacity of the heart and lungs. Trained athletes can work in this heart rate zone. Anaerobic zone is the zone when your heart rate during exercise is at about 80 to 90% of your MHR. Such high heart rate can be reached during circuit training for a short while. You can even work at 90-100% of your MHR for a short while after consulting your physician and physical trainer. Generally, working with 50-85% of your MHR is considered as safe.

THRZ Chart for Men and Women

THRZ for Women Age THRZ (50-85%) Average Maximum Heart Rate (100 %) 20 years 103-175 BPM 206 BPM 25 years 101-170 BPM 201 BPM 30 years 98-166 BPM 196 BPM 35 years 96-162 BPM 191 BPM 40 years 93-158 BPM 186 BPM 45 years 91-153 BPM 181 BPM 50 years 88-149 BPM 176 BPM 55 years 86-145 BPM 171 BPM 60 years 83-141 BPM 166 BPM 65 years 81-136 BPM 161 BPM 70 years 78-132 BPM 156 BPM

THRZ for Men Age THRZ (50-85%) Average Maximum Heart Rate (100 %) 20 years 100-170 BPM 200 BPM 25 years 98-166 BPM 195 BPM 30 years 95-162 BPM 190 BPM 35 years 93-157 BPM 185 BPM 40 years 90-153 BPM 180 BPM 45 years 88-149 BPM 175 BPM 50 years 85-145 BPM 170 BPM 55 years 83-140 BPM 165 BPM 60 years 80-136 BPM 160 BPM 65 years 78-132 BPM 155 BPM 70 years 75-128 BPM 150 BPM

This was all about determining the ideal heart rate during exercise. Consult your physician and physical trainer before determining the correct THRZ for you and enjoy a active and healthy life.