Shooting for Target Heart Rate
Ever feel like someone is not telling you the whole story? This can apply to politics, religion, marriage and even exercise topics! So many times people ask me “What is this thing ‘Target Heart Rate’?” Every one tells you to exercise at this or that ‘target heart rate’, but no one ever explains it. Well, that’s what we’re here for at Lighten The Load – to give you the straight scoop about healthy and fine living on the road. And exercise is certainly part of healthy living on the road!
First, understand that the idea of Target Heart Rate (THR) is important because THR is the easiest and quickest way for us to determine how hard, or the intensity, of our exercise program. The intensity of our exercise is important because reaching the goal of our exercise program – whether we want to lose weight or whether we just want to exercise for general health – will depend upon exercising at the right intensity.
There is a tremendous volume of literature dating back almost 40 years where exercise physiologists have systematically determined the correct exercise intensity for a multitude of different populations – from cardiac rehab patients to athletes. These exercise intensities are usually listed as a percentage of the maximal heart rate capacity (technically, this called the ‘Karvonen Method’ or heart rate reserve). For general health and weight loss, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends exercising from 40-70% of your heart rate reserve. Once we calculate what heart rates this ’40-70%’ corresponds to, you’ve got your target heart rate!
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We Interrupt This Article for a Special Bulletin:
If you are on heart medication including beta-blockers, Target Heart Rate as an indication of exercise intensity probably will not work for you because many of these medications interfere with how your heart rate is regulated. If you fall in this category, see your physician and a clinical exercise physiologist (CEP) for other ways of monitoring your exercise intensity.
Now we return you to our regularly scheduled program……+++++++++++++++++
If you were an athlete or training for an athletic competition, the heart rate percentages would be much higher, but for most folks, exercising in the range of 40-70% will help you reach your health goals while minimizing the chance of injuries and exhaustion. Working out in the 40-70% range will even help you burn more fat! (but that’s the topic of another article!).
You might note that an exercise range is actually a fairly big range. Consulting with a properly credentialed exercise professional – see our article on that topic - can help you figure out the exact exercise intensities for you!
Okay, so let’s say you’ve decided that you want your THR to be 40-70%; how do you calculate your THR? Easy enough – just print out, or jot down on paper the answers to the questions below in the “Calculating Target Heart Rate” area and you’ve got your target heart rates!
Once you’ve got your THR, use them! The next time you’re out exercising, stop and take your pulse for 15 seconds. Multiply that number by four (4) and compare that answer to your THR range. If your pulse is below your THR, speed up your exercise. If your pulse is above your THR, slow down! Just remember, the idea is to take control of your exercise program so you can stay healthy!
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Calculating your Target Heart Rate:
Follow these simple steps to calculate your Target Heart Rate. It may look complicated, but it’s not!
1. Insert your age in years _______________
2. Subtract your age from 220: 220 - ____________ = ______________
(this number is your predicted maximal heart rate and should range from 140-200 beats per min)
3. While looking at the second hand of your watch, measure your pulse in your wrist (don’t use your thumb!) or in your neck (don’t press too hard!) for 15 seconds. Put the number here ____________
4. Multiply the number you got in #3 by 4. ___________ x 4 = ____________
(this is your resting heart rate and should range from 40 – 80 beats per min)
5. Subtract your resting heart rate (#4) from your predicted maximal heart rate (#2):
__________(max HR) - ___________ (rest HR) = _____________
(this is your Heart Rate Reserve - HRR!)
Now, time to calculate your THR intensities! (We’re going to use 40-70% - substitute the percentage your exercise professional gives you!)
6. Multiply your heart rate reserve (from #5) by the two intensities (40% and 70%):
For example:
0.40 x ___________ (heart rate reserve) = _______________ (40% of HRR)
0.70 x ___________ (heart rate reserve) = _______________ (70% of HRR)
7. Add your HRR% to your resting HR. Viola! Your Target Heart Rates!
__________(40% HRR) + ___________ (rest HR) = ___________ (40% THR)
__________(70% HRR) + ___________ (rest HR) = ___________ (70% THR)
One last note: You may be wondering why you can’t just multiply the exercise intensities – 40-70% - with the maximal heart rate and get your targets. If you used this method, you would see that some of your exercise intensities would be below your resting heart rate. This would mean that you’d have to slow down to exercise? Crazy! That’s why we use Heart Rate Reserve! +++++++++++++++
