| As an Orange County Personal Trainer, I know | | | | effort at all. |
| that your maximum heart rate is an important | | | | A rate of three would be light housework or an |
| guideline to measure your workout success. For | | | | easy stroll, say through a store. |
| many years, we have all been conditioned to use | | | | A rate of four to six is a moderate effort and is |
| the simplest formula available. That is the formula | | | | where most beginners start out. A rate of seven |
| 220 minus your age. | | | | if pretty hard and is probably only for runners and |
| From there it was easy to calculate your correct | | | | those in training for events. A rate of eight to ten |
| work out zones by simply multiplying the first | | | | is unsustainable and is the equivalent of dodging a |
| number by the percentage you wanted to be at. | | | | danger or sprinting for a bus. |
| (MHR x .5 to .7 or more depending on desired | | | | Heart Rate |
| intensity.) However, this is not all that accurate | | | | Wearing a heart rate monitor or trying to take |
| due to fitness level and body size, or other | | | | you heart rate with a stopwatch in hand is |
| factors. | | | | another method. If you have a ballpark figure of |
| To truly know your maximum heart rate, you | | | | what your maximum and target heart rates are, |
| really do need to turn to a testing facility where | | | | you can take your heart rate while still in motion |
| they can hook you up to several machines and | | | | and doing the exercise. |
| work you out until you drop from exhaustion. | | | | If you use one or more of the methods above |
| Then they can determine your maximum heart | | | | to keep a check on your rate during your |
| rate. | | | | workouts and at every workout, you can gauge |
| For most people this is impossible. A simple search | | | | your success and have a more effective |
| engine inquiry can show you many methods that | | | | fat-burning or cardio workout each time. |
| people use to attempt to calculate their maximum | | | | If you want to get the most out o your |
| heart rate. (Such as the Karvonen Method of | | | | workouts and know how to tell when you are in |
| calculating THR.) | | | | the workout zone, fat burning zone, and Cardio |
| Once you have a good idea want your maximum | | | | zone, then you need to be able to calculate your |
| heart rate is and what your target heart rate is, | | | | heart rate on the fly. Your general target zone |
| you need to figure out how to know when you | | | | for your maximum heart rate is generally |
| have reached your target heart rate while | | | | between 50-80% of your maximum heart rate. |
| working out. A combination of one of the | | | | If you are just starting out, a beginner to working |
| following methods should help you out. | | | | out, then you should take it slow at first. Start |
| The Talk Test | | | | out between 50-60% and slowly, over a few |
| If you can sing, joke, and carry on while you are | | | | weeks or months, work up your target heart |
| working out, chances are you are not working out | | | | rate to 70-80%. Start out with the lowest |
| much at all. This would be the easy level or a light | | | | intensity you feel good at for about 10 to 20 |
| stroll. | | | | minutes per session three to four days per week. |
| If you can maintain a conversation with someone, | | | | Once you reach a certain point, you will be at a |
| then you are probably in the moderate range. If | | | | midway between workout guru and just new to |
| you find maintaining a conversation challenging but | | | | the concept. In general, you want to keep your |
| still doable, you are working out at a good hard | | | | target heart rate roughly between 60-70%. You |
| level and are probably burning fat and working | | | | should be perfuming 30 to 45 minutes of cardio |
| your cardio. | | | | or fat burning exercise four to five times per |
| If you can barely get out a word or two, or | | | | week. |
| cannot carry on a conversation at all, you are | | | | Eventually you will become somewhat fit and |
| working out at a very intense level and if you are | | | | start wanting more from your workouts. By this |
| not an athlete, then this is the wrong level for | | | | time, your target heart rate should be about |
| you unless you are in training or doing something | | | | 70-80% of your maximum heart rate. You should |
| like intervals. | | | | be performing about six 30-minute sessions of |
| Rate of Perceived Exertion | | | | cardio per week OR you could perform three |
| This is similar to the talk test and can easily be | | | | 60-minute session of cardio or fat burning work |
| performed while you are working out. Many | | | | outs per week and spending the session in |
| professional trainers use this test frequently. The | | | | between burning even more fat by building muscle |
| scale is from 1-10 with one being nearly comatose | | | | strength and endurance. |
| and on a couch or asleep. You are not making an | | | | |