Optimum Heartrate?
- Thread starter Sprite1
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Figured there would be 10 replies explaining this by now, but since there isn't... basically you want to be at least 60% of your max heart rate, in which you need to calculate, just search for a max heart rate calculator on google. The typical "fat burning zone" is about 60-70% of your max heart rate. However, if you are physically able to, and can keep it up over extended periods of time, you can go beyond the upper 70% and still burn more overall calories and lose more weight, so don't get hung up about the upper threshold. Also if you're doing this, don't just do it for 5 minutes, it needs to be for extended periods of time, theoretically at least half an hour. Some people say anywhere from 25 to 45 though.
Joel1
0
Ok class, today we will learn about heart rates. First of all, let me just say that my heart rate monitor was the best $20 fitness investment I have ever made. They are $20 on ebay all the time. I have a Bell F18. Good investment. You can also firgure these things out by calculating your beats over a 10 second span and then mulitplying by 6. Anyway on Monday, I did a max heart rate test. This works by warming up for about 10 minutes, and then doing an all out full force workout for 20 minutes, to the point where you are exhausted at the end of the workout. Then you take your average heart rate over that time- mine was 168 bpm- and divide that number by .9, and when you divide by a number smaller than 1, it gives you a larger number, so I ended up with a max heart rate of about 185. Then I wore my heart rate monitor to bed, and while laying there watching TV, I got a resting heart rate of about 58. Ok, so now I know my range. Next I went to fitzones.com and they have a calculator for each zone for my heart rate and the zones are as follows:
Zone 1- Warm up- about 50- 60% of you max heart rate. Good for a warm up.
Zone 2- Fitness zone- best for fat burning- about 60-70 percent of your max.
Zone 3- Aerobic zone- cardio endurance training zone- the zone I try for. 70-80% of the MHR.
Zone 4- Performance zone- this is when your body makes more lactate then it can get rid of. You start cramping and burning- exhaustion sets in quickly. People can train in the zone for as little as a minutes all the way up to 2 hours for studs like me...lol. No, I mean studs like Lance Armstrong- he actually can go at this zone indefinitely...what a stud. Not that I am gay or anything but that Lance Armstrong....anyway....lol this zone is 80-90% of the max.
Zone 5- Redline / heart attack stroke mode- not really but this is hardcore, people can only so this for like moments.
Ok...so zone 2 burns fat the most effieciently, but zone 3 burns fat well, and grows the heart and lungs. Zone 4 burns a lot of calories, but mostly depletes the glycogene in the blood, and the fat stays in place. THis all has to do with how much oxygen is required for metabolise fat. If theres not enough air coming it, then fat stays and carbs get burnt. This is why runners "carbo load' before a race.
Now, if you burn up your carbs while working out, like in zones 3 and 4, then fat gets used up to replace them, so its not bad to use those for a fat burn.
Also, another easier way to calculate Max HR is 220-age=mhr, but its not real accurate- especaily for overweight or sedintary people. You can go to fitzones.com to calculate your zones if you know your RHR and MHR. For me, I need to stay between 147-160 to stay where I want to be.
Zone 1- Warm up- about 50- 60% of you max heart rate. Good for a warm up.
Zone 2- Fitness zone- best for fat burning- about 60-70 percent of your max.
Zone 3- Aerobic zone- cardio endurance training zone- the zone I try for. 70-80% of the MHR.
Zone 4- Performance zone- this is when your body makes more lactate then it can get rid of. You start cramping and burning- exhaustion sets in quickly. People can train in the zone for as little as a minutes all the way up to 2 hours for studs like me...lol. No, I mean studs like Lance Armstrong- he actually can go at this zone indefinitely...what a stud. Not that I am gay or anything but that Lance Armstrong....anyway....lol this zone is 80-90% of the max.
Zone 5- Redline / heart attack stroke mode- not really but this is hardcore, people can only so this for like moments.
Ok...so zone 2 burns fat the most effieciently, but zone 3 burns fat well, and grows the heart and lungs. Zone 4 burns a lot of calories, but mostly depletes the glycogene in the blood, and the fat stays in place. THis all has to do with how much oxygen is required for metabolise fat. If theres not enough air coming it, then fat stays and carbs get burnt. This is why runners "carbo load' before a race.
Now, if you burn up your carbs while working out, like in zones 3 and 4, then fat gets used up to replace them, so its not bad to use those for a fat burn.
Also, another easier way to calculate Max HR is 220-age=mhr, but its not real accurate- especaily for overweight or sedintary people. You can go to fitzones.com to calculate your zones if you know your RHR and MHR. For me, I need to stay between 147-160 to stay where I want to be.
That sounds more like a lactate threshold test. Actually that's pretty much exactly what you do to get your approximate lactate threshold, at least until you get to the point where you get your average, you just don't do that extra math at the end.
Joel1
0
Exactly. You reach your lactate threshhold about about 90% of you MHM. Thats why on some cardio equipement it has some umbrella statement decals that say like 60-70% fat burning 70-90% cardio zone 90+ high intestity zone, and then gives average heart rates for maybe a 30 year old or something.
That's too general of a statement, everybody is different based on how much they have trained, which is the whole point - you want to increase your lactate threshold. Max heart rate is mostly fixed for the most part, but LT is trainable. Also, according to the article below, if it is measured properly, only elite professional athletes will have a lactate threshold that is 90% of their max heart rate.
But, all of this is WAYYYYYYYYY outside of the realm of what the original poster was trying to find out.
You don't need to know all this stuff to lose weight, so just ignore us.
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Sprite1
New member
Ok I only just got time to sit and read the replies to my question... thanks for taking the time to explain it, but this is quite in depth!
From what I've read, I have gathered that basically I need to stay between 60-80% of my max heart rate during excercise, but preferably between 60-70? Is this right?
Also I am still not quite sure how I can work out my maximum heart rate to calculate this; 220-age is 201 for me, but FatGuyTri says this is not very accurate?
I really do only need to know it in very basic terms or I get a bit lost Thanks for the replies though people!
From what I've read, I have gathered that basically I need to stay between 60-80% of my max heart rate during excercise, but preferably between 60-70? Is this right?
Also I am still not quite sure how I can work out my maximum heart rate to calculate this; 220-age is 201 for me, but FatGuyTri says this is not very accurate?
I really do only need to know it in very basic terms or I get a bit lost
Thanks for the replies though people!From what I've read, I have gathered that basically I need to stay between 60-80% of my max heart rate during excercise, but preferably between 60-70? Is this right?
Also I am still not quite sure how I can work out my maximum heart rate to calculate this; 220-age is 201 for me, but FatGuyTri says this is not very accurate?
I really do only need to know it in very basic terms or I get a bit lost
From a weight loss perspective, it's just not rocket science. You can get down to the nitty gritty when measuring performance, but you're not doing that. Alot of what was mentioned above doesn't apply to you, that's why I said we were way off topic. The basic calculation is plenty accurate for your usage. Due to the fact that most authorities on this subject debunks the 60-70% "fat burning zone" as a myth and that you can go beyond that upper threshold and lose more weight, I would say to just do that basic measurement, take 60% of that, and do AT LEAST that amount, but getting to this number shouldn't be hard. Plus, there's no real reason to worry about working out near your max heart rate and getting the bad anaerobic effects that was mentioned, because if you could do that, you wouldn't be here.
So, in summary, in my opinion, given the time limitations you have, or at least how long you want to work out, you should really just work out to the point where your heart rate is continuously as high as comfortably and as safely as you can stand it to be, with 60% being the minimum. Anything beyond the upper 70% threshold will still burn more overall calories, on top of the calories that you're burning from fat, so you're losing even more weight. 70% is just the upper threshold of how much you can burn from fat during the actual exercise period.
I agree that a heart rate monitor is the best way to go. Bios Fitness, Polar and Timex all make them. They can range a lot in price and functions, but you should go for a unit with a wireless chest strap. Do NOT buy a one-touch unit that senses your pulse with your fingertips. It's not useful for when you're exercising.
Most heart rate monitors have target zone settings - you can set the zone you want your heart rate to be in. And then you turn on the zone alarm and it will beep if you are too high or too low your "ideal/target" heart rate during exercise. It'll keep you from working too hard or not pushing yourself enough. There are some general guidelines for figuring what those numbers should be as the others explained!
Good luck!
Most heart rate monitors have target zone settings - you can set the zone you want your heart rate to be in. And then you turn on the zone alarm and it will beep if you are too high or too low your "ideal/target" heart rate during exercise. It'll keep you from working too hard or not pushing yourself enough. There are some general guidelines for figuring what those numbers should be as the others explained!
Good luck!