Walking on a treadmill or pedaling at a slow speed on an exercise bike may not be enough for those dedicated to losing weight through diet and exercise. Instead, higher-intensity workouts might be needed to maximize their weight-loss potential and see the results they desire.
This is where understanding heart rates, fat burning zones, and more comes into play. Calculating and measuring these rates and zones are the key to fat loss and gaining muscle in a healthy manner.
Wondering how to determine which zone you need to be in during your next workout? Keep reading. We'll answer that question and more here.
What You Need To Know About Heart Rates
Everyone has a heart rate. That should be obvious. With that said, some people tend to have a higher or lower heart rate than others.
This is measured by calculating or counting the number of beats your heart makes per minute. You can either put your hand on your pulse and count the number of beats for 10 seconds and multiply by six or use a smartwatch that has a heart rate zone calculator.
There's a bit more to this than just being able to calculate your general heart rate. You need to know what it is at various times. As you work harder, your heart pumps harder to move oxygen around your body.
Resting Heart Rate
Your resting heart rate is exactly what it sounds like. It's your heart rate when you're sitting down, laying down, relaxing,eating, or simply not doing anything taxing at all. The average person has a resting heart rate of between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Studies have shown that people who work out regularly and are in good physical shape tend to have lower heart rates, closer to the 60 beats per minute measurement. This is especially true for people who participate in endurance training.
However, it's normal for this to vary, and as long as your resting heart rate is in the general zone (60 to 100), you're okay and should have nothing major to worry about.
Maximum Heart Rate
Maximumheart rate is a measurement of how many beats per minute your heart can handle without overtaxing itself. This maximum number of times varies based on many factors, from how old you are to how much you exercise. In general, your maximum heart rate should be between 150 to 200 beats per minute.
Younger people tend to have a higher maximum heart rate, while older people fall on the lower end of the spectrum. If you want to calculate your exact maximum heart rate, take your current age, and subtract it from 220. The resulting number is, you guessed it, your maximum heart rate.
Note that going over your maximum heart rate is dangerous, and it can lead to many medical issues, such as sudden heart failure. However, don't let that scare you since your main goal is to end up in the fat burning zone, not the maximum zone.
Fat Burning Heart Rate
Next, there's your fat burning heart rate. This is what you want to target. In order to get this range of numbers, you have to do a little more math.
Take your maximum heart rate and divide it in half. Then, take your maximum heart rate and multiply it by .7. This gives you a range of numbers between 50% (what you get by dividing) and 70% (what you get by multiplying) that encompass your fat burning heart rate.
When you work out, this should be your target heart rate to get the most benefits.
The Cardio Zone
To add another level to yourfat burning heart rate range, there's a measurement known as the cardio zone. People who really want to achieve weight loss and muscle gain try to keep their heart rates while exercising in this range, which is between 70% and 80% of their maximum heart rate. You might reach your cardio zone while you’re sprinting, for example.
Although those who focus on this range of numbers and stay within them tend to be semi-professional or professional endurance athletes, anyone can choose to use this measurement instead of the fat burning zone.
Why Does Your Heart Rate Matter?
It's easy to overlook the role of your heart rate when you're exercising, paying attention to your muscles and joints instead. After all, that's where you feel the burn. However, if you want to work out efficiently, you need to pay attention to and even chart your heart rate, as it plays a significant role in your fitness routine.
When you exercise, you more than likely notice that you are sweating. This is a sign that your heart rate has gone up (as it usually does when you're doing something besides relaxing). When your heart rate rises, so does the number of calories you burn. The two work together to help you lose weight. This is why you need to pay attention to your heart rate and keep it in that fat burning or cardio zone.
Higher intensities will raise your heart rate more, while lower intensity exercise will keep you lower in your heart rate zone. Working out at different intensities has varying benefits.
Other Factors That Can Contribute to Weight Loss
Your target heart rate zone is not the only contributing factor when you’re trying to lose weight.
The total calories you consume can impact the process, as well as the balance of your diet: how many carbohydrates you’re consuming compared to protein and so on. You will also want to consider your portion sizes.
Make sure that you’re staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water.
High-Intensity Exercise Suggestions
Now that you know the importance of tracking your heart rate and staying in the fat burning zone while exercising, it's time to go over some different high-intensity workouts. Remember that lifting weights might make you sweat, but you need to be in the cardio or fat burning zone when you want to burn fat.
Here are a few physical activity ideas:
- Fitness Classes – Various fitness classes, from those focusing on dance, yoga, stepping on and off of blocks, and more, can help you get your heart rate into the right zone.
- Walking, Running, and Jogging – All three of these can be done either outdoors or inside, either by spending time on a track, park path, road, or exercise device, like a treadmill. Even better, these exercises encompass a variety of fitness levels, making it easy to find the right one for your current fitness level.
- CrossFit – A combination of cardio and weightlifting, these timed fitness routines will definitely get you in the right fat burning zone. You'll find that they're very effective.
- HIIT – High-Intensity Interval Training focuses on reaching your max heart rate for short periods, accompanied by short periods of rest. This type of exercise allows a person exercising to burn more calories than steady-state cardio.
- Swimming or Water Aerobics – These activities are often overlooked because they take place in the water. Both swimming and water aerobics can help you get your heart rate in the cardio or fat burning zone.
Tracking Your Heart Rate While Exercising
Of course, it's hard to keep an eye on your heart rate and know how long you've spent in thefat burning zone without a way to monitor or track said heart rate. Thankfully, there are a few different options for you to choose from:
Chest Trackers
A chest tracker is a device that's strapped to your chest, right over your heart. These chest straps are often connected to another device, like a wrist tracker or an app. They are lightweight, comfortable, and more accurate than wrist trackers because they record your heart rate directly from your heart itself.
You can even find waterproof chest trackers that you can wear when swimming, although most are water-resistant, meaning that your sweat won't damage them. Most manufacturers of wrist trackers also make ones designed to be wrapped around the chest, and these devices are very compatible with other versions made by the same company.
Wrist Trackers
Wrist trackers are the most common. They sit on your wrist where a watch would normally rest and track your heart rate through your pulse. While you can get a smartwatch that does everything from connecting to your phone, playing music, noting the number of steps you've taken, and even tracking your heart rate, others are designed for exercise purposes.
These simpler devices will track your heart rate, steps, and the number of miles you've gone, but only connect to a specific app on your phone to share this information, not pick up everything else that your phone does as well. Which version you choose (smartwatch versus fitness tracker) is up to you. Both will do the job nicely and are available at a number of price points.
Apps, Programs, and Final Thoughts
In addition to chest and wrist heart rate monitors and trackers, numerous apps and programs can help you keep an eye on your progress. Many of these apps are designed for smartphones and work in tandem with your trackers, connecting with them through Bluetooth technology.
Plus, some of these programs providemeal tracking as well, helping you meet your weight loss and fitness goals all at once. It’s worth potentially considering including these in your exercise regimes.
Sources:
What's a Fat-Burning Heart Rate and How's It Calculated? | Healthline
What Is a Fat Burning Heart Rate? | MedicineNet
Fat Burning Heart Rate: Everything You Need to Know | Medical News Today