What's All This Heart Rate Stuff About?

Do you have a fitness tracker and ignore the heart rate application? Do you go to group glasses and the instructor asks you to count your heart rate and you just pretend to! This could be your missing link to why you workout and find your weight or fitness doesn't budge!

To get the most out of your workout, you need to be working out at around 70-85% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).

To calculate your MHR:

1. 220 - your age  (there are some different formulas to this, this is your general/basic one)
2. Then calculate 85% of this.

For example; if you are 30 years of age

1. 220 - 30 = 190
2. 190 x 85% = 161

Your goal is 161bpm (beats per minute) for the majority of your cardio/aerobic based workout

If you are looking at your heart rate monitor on your fitness watch and it reads 100bpm you are likely not working hard enough - you might feel that you are, but you aren't! So step it up a notch and kick it up to at least 70% of your MHR.

Some additional safety points to note:

1. Do not aim to work out at your total MHR (220-age),  it needs to be at 70-85% of your MHR. Working out at your MHR can usually only be sustained for very short times, like doing a sprint and may lead to injury or burnout.
2. If you are injured, have high blood pressure, have a cold or have a breathing condition like asthma then you may need to work at a lower percentage, try for 60-75% of your MHR. Please consult your doctor.
3. You should be reaching 70-85% of your MHR during the core of your aerobic/cardio based workout, not at your warm up, warm down and stretches.
4. If you are doing a strength/resistance based workout then you might not reach this because the goal of this type of workout is not cardio or fat burn, it's to gain strength and will burn calories in a different way.

By Sharon Bouwer
Registered Personal Trainer
Owner Operator of Letsgetactive.co.nz