You step on the elliptical machine and the electronic readout indicates that your heart rate has reached zone 2 – the “fat burning” zone. Is this one of the best zone for weight reduction? Maybe you are more focused on cardiovascular health. Should you are attempting to succeed in a distinct zone?
Heart rate zones reflect how hard you are working during exercise (see “Tracking Exercise Intensity: How Do You Feel When You’re “In the Zone”?).” Gym equipment and watches that may monitor heart rate are probably the most common ways people determine which zone they’re in.
However, when you like numbers and concentrate to your pulse, you’ll be able to compare your perceived exertion rate to your estimated heart rate zone. You can use either method (RPE or heart rate zones) to be sure you meet your advisable weekly exercise goals: 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a mix of each.
Tracking exercise intensity: How do you’re feeling whenever you’re “in the zone”?Here’s how the speed of perceived exertion (RPE) scale corresponds to the five heart rate zones (see essential story to find out your maximum heart rate). |
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RPE 
|
Intensity or effort (based on how the exercise affects your respiratory or speech) |
Heart rate zone (percentage of maximum heart rate) |
|
1 |
Kim (quite simple, singable) |
Zone 1 (50% to 60%) |
|
2 |
Very easy (capable of speak in complete sentences) |
|
|
3 |
easy |
Zone 2 (60% to 70%) |
|
4 |
Moderate to easy (speech breaks down) |
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|
5 |
Moderate (respiratory becomes heavy) |
Zone 3 (70% to 80%) |
|
6 |
Moderate (difficult to talk) |
|
|
7 |
Moderately vigorous (deep, forceful respiratory) |
Zone 4 (80% to 90%) |
|
8 |
Dyspnea (labored respiratory, cannot talk) |
|
|
9 |
Forceful (very labored respiratory, borderline breathlessness) |
Zone 5 (90% to 100%) |
|
10 |
very loud (gasping for air) |
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Heart Rate Zone Formulas
Heart rate zones are based in your maximum heart rate (MHR) – an estimate of the best heart rate you’ll be able to achieve while exercising as hard as you might be exercising. The basic formula for calculating your MHR is 220 minus your age. But that is a ballpark figure, because other aspects are at play, including genetics and your baseline fitness level. A 65-year-old who jogs or plays tennis almost on daily basis may have a stronger, more efficient heart (and a lower resting heart rate) than a 65-year-old who only walks just a few times per week.
“For a more personalized estimate, you can use the Karunian formula,” says Reid. It takes under consideration your resting heart rate (RHR), which reflects your overall fitness. As such, it is a more accurate strategy to estimate your goal heart rate zone. You can find one Online target heart rate calculator which uses the age-based standard formula or the Caronian formula. For the latter, you must measure your RHR. It is best to do that very first thing within the morning before getting away from bed. (Don’t have a smartwatch to ascertain your heart rate? Press two fingers in your wrist to count your pulse as you watch 15 seconds tick by on the watch, then multiply the heartbeat count by 4.)
Weight loss vs heart health zones?
During easy-to-moderate intensity (zone 2) exercise, a greater proportion of the energy you employ comes from fat than whenever you exercise at a better intensity. “As your exercise intensity increases to zones 3 and 4, your body relies more on carbohydrates because they can produce energy more quickly,” says Reid. But for weight reduction, what matters most is the whole amount of energy your body burns over time, not the fuel source fat or carbohydrates during a selected workout.
Exercising in high heart rate zones has physiological advantages that improve your fitness and performance. “But you don’t have to train in zone 4 to get the cardiovascular benefits of exercise. Consistent easy-to-moderate intensity exercise is very effective,” says Reed. Finding an activity that you just enjoy and doing it consistently is a top priority.
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