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A heart rate monitor is nothing more than a high-tech play toy until you learn how to use it.
After all, someone training for the Hawaii Ironman wouldn’t work out in the same heart rate
zone as an average Jill just looking for basic fitness. Or would she? To learn how to set
your target zone, we went to a guru on the topic, Sally Edwards, a 14-time Hawaii Ironman
finisher and author of two books on heart rate training.
Before you set your target zones, Edwards says you must calculate a critical benchmark:
your maximum heart rate. What is your maximum heart rate? Simply, the fastest your heart
can beat for one minute. (This figure is far greater than your “sedentary heart rate”,
which is your pulse while sitting or relaxed. That figure may be 70 beats per minute for
the average Joe and as low as 40 to 50 beats per minute for world-class athletes.) To
compute your maximum heart rate, Edwards has developed the following formula.
210 – 1/2 your age – 1% of your body weight + 4 (Women do not need to add 4.) Example:
If you are a 40-year-old, 200-pound man, your maximum heart rate is 192 (210–20=190–2+4=192).
According to Edwards, your maximum heart rate cannot be increased through training, and a
high number does not predict better performance.
Once you figure out your maximum heart rate, you can target one of five specific heart rate
zones to meet your health and fitness goals:
ZONE 1: Beginners and warm-up/cooldown
Goal: 50%–60% of Max HR
Reached by brisk walking, this pace strengthens your heart and improves muscle mass while reducing
body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk for degenerative disease. Health improves in this
zone, but neither endurance nor strength is gained. Zone 1 is a good warm-up/cooldown for serious
athletes.
ZONE 2: Getting going
Goal: 60%–70% of Max HR
Reached by jogging slowly, this pace trains your body to burn fat for fuel. Up to 85 percent
of the calories burned in this zone are fat calories.
ZONE 3: Aerobic fitness
Goal: 70%–80% of Max HR
Reached by running, this zone taxes all your body’s systems, forcing increases in the number
and size of blood vessels; lung capacity and respiratory rate; and size and strength of
heart. Bottom line: You can exercise longer before becoming fatigued.
ZONE 4: Anaerobic athlete
Goal: 80%–90% of Max HR
Reached by running faster, this zone pushes your heart rate into anaerobic (“without oxygen”)
territory, where your heart can’t pump enough blood and oxygen to supply the exercising
muscles. You “feel the burn” in your muscles, which can only handle this for a limited
time (less than an hour) before they begin to shut down.
ZONE 5: Redline
Goal: 90%–100% of your Max HR.
Reached by running all out for short bursts for less that a couple of minutes at a time
(known as “interval” training). It hurts. And there’s an increased risk of injury. But it is essential for teaching the body to go
faster.
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