Healthy Heart Zone (Warm Up) 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate The easiest zone and probably the best for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for those who wish to train harder. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also has a low risk of injury and helps to decrease the risk of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone however is also considered the ideal zone for losing weight. Your exercise is more intense allowing you to burn a significantly greater number of total calories.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) 70 - 80% of maximum heart rateThe aerobic zone is your next step up. Training in this zone will provide greater improvements in your cardiovascular and respiratory system. It will effectively increase the size and strength of your heart as well as your VO2max (highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise). This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event or want to raise your fitness to a new level. Again, with the greater intensity you will burn more calories.
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Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate Training in this zone will also improves your cardiovascular and respiratory systems. On top of this it increases your ability to tolerate lactate. This means that you will improve your endurance as well as your ability to fight fatigue.
Red Line (Maximum Effort)90 - 100% of maximum heart rateDespite burning the highest number of calories, exercising in this zone is very intense. Most people can only maintain this intensity for a short period of time. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.
NB. The harder you train the more calories you burn. However, you do not want to train above your current fitness level. It would most likely be too hard to sustain the intensity for a period of time. You would burn more calories performing a lower intensity exercise for a greater period of time.
CALCULATING YOUR HEART RATE FOR TRAINING
Using the Karvonen Method
The Karvonen Method is the most accurate way for determining what your heart rate should be during exercise. All it requires is for you to know your resting heart rate and the intensity at which you are wanting to exercise.
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = 220 - age
Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) = MHR - Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
Target Heart Rate = (HRR x Exercise Intensity %) + RHR
EXAMPLE:
A 30 year old individual with a RHR of 75 is wanting to lose weight by training in the Fitness Zone for fat burning. This requires an intensity of 60-70% of their MHR.
MHR = 220 - 30 = 190 beats per minute (BPM)
HRR = 190 - 75 = 115 BPM
Target Heart Rate = (115 x 0.6) + 75 (115 x 0.7) + 75
= 144 BPM to = 155 BPM
How Do I Determine My Resting Heart Rate?
Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are not doing anything. Using a heart rate monitor is the easiest and most accurate way of measuring this. Heart rate monitors are available at all Fitbiz stores. Alternatively you can count the number of beats per minute by feeling your pulse. If you are unsure how to take your pulse contact your Fitbiz consultant.