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Training Heart Rates
 
Why do I need to know my heart rate during a workout?
The continuous activity of aerobic exercise increases endurance and helps your body use oxygen more effectively. It helps strengthen bones and muscles, but it is especially good for your heart and lungs. To benefit from aerobic exercise you need to keep your heart rate up during your workout. This means that you need to check your heart rate, or pulse, during your workout to see if you are on target. You want to make sure you are exercising hard enough to help your heart, yet easy enough so you can complete your workout safely. The key to good aerobic exercise is to maintain your target heart rate during your exercise for at least 30 minutes. You can also use your target heart rate to evaluate your progress over time.

What heart rate should be my target?
To figure out your target heart rate, you first need to figure out your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate depends on your age. It is calculated by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 220 minus 40, or 180 beats per minute.

Once you calculate your maximum heart rate, you can figure out your target heart rate, which is based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. For aerobic activity, you need to try to keep your heart rate between 60 and 85% of your maximum heart rate. For example, if you are 40 years old your target heart rate range is 106 to 153 beats per minute.

How do I stay in my target range?
During your exercise, check your pulse from time to time to see if you are within your target heart rate range. If your heart rate is too fast, then slow down. If your heart rate is below your target heart rate, then you need to pick up your pace.




  Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

  HIA File EXR4159F.HTM Release 9.0/2006. Copyright © 2006 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subdiaries. All Rights Reserved.


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