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Heart rate program
The old motto; “no pain, no gain” is a myth that has been
overpowered by the benefits of exercising comfortably. A great deal
of this success has been promoted by the use of heart rate monitors.
With the proper use of a heart rate monitor, many people find that
their usual choice of exercise intensity was either too high or too low
and exercise is much more enjoyable by maintaining their heart rate
in the desired benefit range.
To determine the benefit range in which you wish to train, you must
first determine your maximum heart rate. This can be accomplished
by using the following formula: 220 minus your age. This will give you
the maximum Heart rate (MHR) for someone of your age. To
determine the effective heart rate range for specific goals you simply
calculate a percentage of your MHR. Your Heart rate training zone is
50% to 90% of your maximum heart rate. 60% of your MHR is the
recommended for burning fat while 80% is recommended for
strengthening the cardio vascular system. This 60% to 80% is the
zone to stay in for maximum benefit.
For someone who is 40 years old their target heart rate zone is
calculated:
220 – 40 = 180 (maximum heart rate)
180 x .6 = 108 beats per minute (60% of maximum)
180 X .8 = 144 beats per minute (80% of maximum)
So for a 40 year old the training zone would be 108 to 144 beats per
minute.
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