Target Heart Rate calculator
This website offers you the chance to calculate your target heart rate using the form below. Similarly, there are large numbers of gadgets on the market that you strap to yourself and they produce a range of impressive statistical results to prove how fit or unfit you are. So how do these calculators work? The simple formula for working out the average maximum for you is:
220 - your age = maximum heart rate
There are more apparently scientific ways by adding in your BMI. You can also be asked for subjective estimates of how fit or unfit you are. But, in terms of the theoretical maximum, these additional variables add little extra value. It remains a guesstimate. In reality, the form of the calculation is all to do with confidence in the result. If you feel better when you see a lot of variables added into a formula, feel free to use it. If actual measurement is your thing, you could hold your fingers on your wrist and take a regular count during exercise, or spend the money to buy a gadget. But all this misses the point. No-one is comfortable when working the heart at the maximum. People get the best results in terms of weight loss when they are in the target zone.
The question, of course, is where this should be. The answer depends. Work too hard and you may injure yourself. Work too lightly and you will not burn enough calories. If you cannot talk while exercising, you are probably working too hard. Should you feel dizzy or faint, this is a really bad sign. Stop whatever you are doing. You do not need the latest heart monitor to count the number of beats per minute (bpm). Common sense will tell you if you are overexerting yourself. The problem lies in knowing where the cut-off point comes at the other end. At this point, it becomes slightly arbitrary. Most people subtract 60 from their maximum. The first 30 bpm is a safety buffer zone. The target zone is therefore the second 30 bpm. So if you were 40 years old and of average fitness, your maximum would be 180 bpm and the target zone would be between 120 and 150. Some prefer to adjust the zone in line with age. Thus, in some calculators you will see a wider zone for younger individuals, with the zone tapering as people age. Before people could buy heart monitors, no-one worried about whether the right zone was 108 to 136. Just because you can measure more accurately does not mean it is useful to do so.
When you are ready to begin exercising, aim to warm up gently and then hold the heart rate steady at the appropriate target rate given in the chart which appears when you enter your age and resting heart rate into the form below. You should also select the interval for the calculation from:
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Results
Your maximum heart rate is per
Your heart rates for different training zones:
| Training zone |
% |
Heartbeat Rate |
| Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) |
50-60 |
|
| Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) |
60-70 |
|
| Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) |
70-80 |
|
| Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) |
80-90 |
|
| Red Line (Maximum Effort) |
90-100 |
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Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up): The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!
Fitness Zone (Fat Burning): This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training): The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.
Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training): Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.
Red Line (Maximum Effort): Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.
Resting Heart Rate: When you wake up in the morning and before you get out of bed, take your pulse for one minute. Do this for three mornings in a row. Add the three results together and divide by 3 to get the average.
Interval: You should count your resting pulse for a full minute. This gives you the most accurate reading, but it may not be convenient. If you prefer, you can count for 30, 15 or 10 seconds and either multiply the results by 2, 4 or 6, or use the calculator to do the math for you. Counting for fewer seconds is less accurate but this is not the most scientific of methods and some degree of estimation is acceptable. |
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