Your heart rate is directly linked with the intensity of your workouts and so the harder you work, the higher your heart rate will be. It follows that as you become more trained, your heart will be able to do more work with less effort. You can check your heart rate using a heart rate monitor or by taking a quick 10-second pulse count.
For general fitness improvements, 60-85% of your maximum heart rate is a good range to see improvements in health and body composition. If you are trying to improve your cardio system, I would suggest training closer to 85% and for weight loss, keep your heart rate closer to the lower end of this range near 65%.
Your maximum heart rate is estimated by a simple formula which you can apply. Simply take the number 220 and subtract your age to find your estimated maximum heart rate. Then multiply that by your desired target heart rate percentage.
E.g. A 25 year old female looking for weight loss may want to exercise at a heart rate range of 65-75%.
220-25=195 (maximum predicted heart rate range)
195 x .65 = 126 (65% of maximum heart rate)
195 x .75 = 146 (75% of maximum heart rate)
Healthy living is one good idea every person should adhere to.. Exercise is one of the things that a person should do. In order for you to keep track of your heart’s condition, a heart rate monitor watch is a good thing to have.
Comment by kris — July 22, 2009 @ 10:51 am