Heart Rate Zones: How to Calculate Your Pulse for Running, Fat Burning, and Strength Training

Why Measure Your Heart Rate During Exercise

Measuring heart rate ensures the safety and effectiveness of your workouts. Each person has a maximum heart rate (HRmax), the highest number of beats per minute your heart can handle. Exercising near this limit for extended periods increases the risk of atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. Knowing your heart rate helps avoid these risks and ensures your workouts are productive.

What are Heart Rate Zones

There are five heart rate zones, each representing a range of HRmax percentages. To calculate your target heart rate for each zone, multiply your HRmax by the respective percentage or use gadgets like sports watches with heart rate monitors.

Healthy Zone (up to 57% of HRmax): Suitable for activities like walking or gentle cycling. This zone helps with recovery.

Fitness Zone (57-63% of HRmax): Ideal for weight loss and can be achieved through brisk walking.

Aerobic Zone (64-76% of HRmax): More intense and suitable for beginners, it helps improve endurance and burn fat.

Anaerobic Zone (77-95% of HRmax): High-intensity training for advanced athletes, useful for building endurance and losing weight.

Maximum Zone (96-100% of HRmax): Recommended only for professional athletes with medical clearance.

How to Calculate Your Maximum and Target Heart Rates

Karvonen Formula

Developed by Finnish physiologist Martti Karvonen, this method calculates the target heart rate zone for cardio workouts.

Target Heart Rate = [(max HR − resting HR) × %Intensity] + resting HR

Other Formulas

Astrand

HRmax (men) = 220 - age, HRmax (women) = 226 - age

Tanaka

HRmax = 208 - (0.7 × age)

Gulati (for women)

HRmax = 206 - (0.88 × age)

How to Calculate Heart Rate for Fat Burning

For fat loss, maintain 64-76% of your HRmax during workouts. Calculate it as:

Fat Burning Heart Rate = (220 − age) × 0.64 to (220 − age) × 0.76

Tracking Your Heart Rate

Manual measurement is inconvenient and inaccurate during workouts. Use these gadgets for better accuracy:

• Sports Watches and Fitness Bracelets: These use photoplethysmography to measure heart rate and can store data to track progress.
• Chest Heart Rate Monitors: Most accurate, these devices work like a mini ECG and can transmit data to your phone or watch in real-time.

Conclusion

1. Tracking heart rate during exercise helps determine workout effectiveness and health risks.
2. There are five heart rate zones, each suited for different exercise intensities.
3. Use the Karvonen formula to calculate the ideal heart rate for cardio.
4. For accurate measurements, use chest or wrist heart rate monitors.