heart rate zones

Exercise is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle. You need to exercise regularly to maintain your cardiovascular health and prevent the onset of diseases that could be fatal.
Whatever your exercise goals are, you cannot expect to achieve them by going at every type of exercise at full strength and energy. There are heart rate zones that you should learn about.
These heart rate zones have different effects on your training. For the most effective routines, you have to make sure that you keep within your heart rate zone.


These heart rate zones are determined using your maximum heart rate and your resting heart rate
Your training zone should be a percentage of the difference between these two heart rates added to your resting heart rate. You have to know whether or not you are unduly putting stress on your heart if you are to keep exercising towards better health. Here’s a rundown on the five heart rate zones within which you can choose to tailor your exercise routines:

1. Healthy Heart Zone – this zone is the most comfortable zone with your heart rate reaching only 50% to 60% of maximum. Ideal exercises in this heart rate zone would include brisk walking and light exercises. Training in this heart rate zone is advised for those who have medical or health impediments.
Cardiovascular health is maintained at this zone although no significant effects could be expected in the areas of endurance or strength. Warm up and cool down exercises fall under this heart rate zone.

2. Energy Efficient or Fat Burning Zone – this zone targets 60% to 70% of your heart rate. In this heart zone, you are developing our endurance and aerobic capacity. Staying in this zone is recommended for those who want to burn fat or maintain their weight. Walking or running on a treadmill machine, water exercises, and workouts that involve long and slow movements are ideal exercises for this heart rate zone. This zone allows for longer workout sessions that burn more calories.

3. Aerobic Zone – exercising in this zone gives you a heart rate range of 70% to 80% where you can experience efficient burning of fat and carbohydrates. Running is one exercise which you can do in this heart rate zones. Your lung capacity as well as your respiratory rate increases in this zone. You can stay in this zone if you want to prolong your exercise duration without being tired right away.

4. Anaerobic Zone – working out at 80% to 90% of your maximum heart rate brings you to this heart rate zone. You shift from metabolizing fat to using up your glycogen stores in your muscles in this zone. Running harder and faster could move you from an aerobic zone to an anaerobic zone.
This is where you start feeling the strain of exercising. It is not advisable that you stay in this zone for long periods of time. As the heart starts experiencing difficulties in pumping blood and oxygen to the muscles, it is often not expected for the muscles to sustain exercising at this heart rate zone for more than an hour.

5. Maximal or Red Line Zone – at 90% to 100% of your maximum heart rate, working out in this zone could actually be dangerous. Exercising in this zone should only be done in short periods usually as part of interval training. Usually, exercises in this zone involve racing sprints that develop speed.

You can switch to and from these heart rate zones as you vary your exercise routines. It is actually advised that you come up with an exercise program that targets various heart rate zones for more efficient training. You do not actually have to be a hardcore athlete to benefit from training in these zones.
Even if you are simply exercising for health, keeping in mind these heart rate zones can let you reap more benefits out of your exercise.