Target Heart Rate

[countryboy]

As many others are doing, I am looking to lose weight and start a healthier lifestyle. I have been dieting / working out (aerobic for now) for 5 weeks and seeing great progress... Will add weight training this week.

A couple of quick questions.

What is the "target heart rate" for performing aerobic activity?

The way I was taught:
(220 - age) X .85 = max
(220 - age) X .65 = min

For me this would equate to 154.7 max, 118 min. (38 yrs old)

While using the treadmil and the eliptical, my heart rate (as measured by the machine) is continually around 155 - 165, and if I "push it" a little will run around 165 - 175.

If I go by how I feel (breathing / muscles) the higher heart rates do not bother me. If I stay around 140 - 155, it feels too easy.

I am doing something wrong by working out at the higher levels?

How accurate are the machines (Precor) for determining your heart rate? If I check manually (carotid artery) I get very similar results, but it is not easy while on the machines..

Thank-you in advance..

 

[LG Diver]

As many others are doing, I am looking to lose weight and start a healthier lifestyle. I have been dieting / working out (aerobic for now) for 5 weeks and seeing great progress... Will add weight training this week.

A couple of quick questions.

What is the "target heart rate" for performing aerobic activity?

The way I was taught:
(220 - age) X .85 = max
(220 - age) X .65 = min

For me this would equate to 154.7 max, 118 min. (38 yrs old)

While using the treadmil and the eliptical, my heart rate (as measured by the machine) is continually around 155 - 165, and if I "push it" a little will run around 165 - 175.

If I go by how I feel (breathing / muscles) the higher heart rates do not bother me. If I stay around 140 - 155, it feels too easy.

I am doing something wrong by working out at the higher levels?

How accurate are the machines (Precor) for determining your heart rate? If I check manually (carotid artery) I get very similar results, but it is not easy while on the machines..

Thank-you in advance..

Hey, here's a question on this board I can speak to semi-intelligently! I'm not a professional trainer, but having been a triathlete for several years now, I can speak to HR training a bit. First off, forget the formulas. They are so inaccurate as to be totally worthless in trying to gauge target exercise levels. There are accurate ways of doing this that require physical testing of various sorts, like a 30 min time trial on a bike or similar running tests, but if your primary goal is weight loss and general fitness at the moment you don't need to overly complicate this. Basically, for optimal weight loss your HR should be at the point that you can comfortably carry on a conversation. If you were to get on a bike or treadmill in the gym, warm up well for 10 minutes, then gradually start increasing resistance or speed, you'll notice that you'll find a point where your breathing first start to become deeper and more rhythmical. Note that I'm not referring to hard, labored breathing- this is something totally different. What I'm referring to is a much easier level of effort, it's just the point where you go from not noticing your breathing at all, to where your breathing becomes rhythmical with your cadence or stride and a little deeper. This is where you want to be. Working at higher levels is not "wrong" it's just working a different system of the body. If you were looking to increase cardiac output or increase your anaerobic threshold, there's benefit to some training at a higher HR, but weight loss and general cardiac conditioning is best achieved at the HR I described. This is also a good "base" training HR from which you can ultimately add some higher intensity work. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want more info. I can point you to some good links.

-John

 

[LG Diver]

How accurate are the machines (Precor) for determining your heart rate? If I check manually (carotid artery) I get very similar results, but it is not easy while on the machines..

Sorry- I got so excited and carried away I didn't answer the last part of your question. I don't know about the Precor's specifically, but in general the most accurate and most convenient method of measuring HR is with a HR monitor. These are typically two part systems with a chest strap that sends a signal to a watch. You can then glance down and see your HR at any time. Some treadmills and bikes can also read the signal from chest straps, so you could also see it continuously on the treadmill's display. The REALLY advance ones even let you download data to a PC after exercise. A good HR monitor is probably the best investment you can make if you're serious about fitness. Look at the Polar HR monitors. They make some really nice inexpensive monitors that are dead reliable. You don't need a lot of bells and whistles. The one feature that you may want to consider if you work out mostly in the gym is an HR monitor with a "coded" transmitter so your watch can distinguish your chest strap from the ones of others in the gym, or from noise that comes from all the treadmills and other electronics in the gym.

 

[jepuskar]

My target heart rate is anything above 0.

 

[coach_izzy]

As many others are doing, I am looking to lose weight and start a healthier lifestyle. I have been dieting / working out (aerobic for now) for 5 weeks and seeing great progress... Will add weight training this week.

The key to suscessful weight control (that means mantaining whatever losses you accomplished) is a solid program of resistance training, which will increase your metabolic rate and turn you into a calorie burning machine. The over-reliance on the so called "aerobic" training is the sad legacy of Doctor Cooper in the 1960s with his flawed views on exercise. That along with the former food pyramid are what made America's waistline expand.

Modern research and anecdotal evidence keep proving how ineffective "aerobic" training is when it comes to long term weight control (once again, long term maintenance is the true measure of success). Sadly, it seems one of those things that refuses to die the death it deserves.

Keep in mind that at the initial stages, you will see results, regardless of what you do. That is simply the body adapting to the stimulus, so your results in the exercise department have very little to do with your doing aerobics, but rather, on starting an exercise program.

Hire a qualified fitness professional for a few sessions so he can help you put an exercise program together. If you think you're fine on your own, see if you can answer the following questions "What is the relationship between the central nervous system, Acetylcholine, Calcium Ions, and Motor end plates? How does the Class of lever of any given joint affect the selection of exercises, type, or resistance?

If the answers came inmediately to you, AWESOME! You'll do well putting a solid program together. If the questions seemed irrelevant to your goals, then by all means, please seek the help of a qualified fitness professional. It'll make all the difference in the world.

Your hunch about the Heart Rates is correct, and you're doing nothing wrong. I would not put too much emphasis on it though. Heart Rate training has very limited applications, but are seldom worthy for someone in otherwise good health. Fit athletes usually exceed their "max" heart rates when training their energy systems and their tested V02 Peak volumes prove it. By the way, if you really want to improve your V02 Peak, you should focus on lactate treshhold training rather than traditional "aerobics".

If you still want to monitor your heart rate, invest in a polar system. They've gone down in price considerable and are quite accurate. Just remember that there's a 20 second delay in most commercial models, thus, you will see your heart rate increasing even after you stop your bouts. It does not mean that your HR is still going up, but rather, the monitor is catching up. You'll be surprised at how a good resistance training program can bring your HR substantially.

Congrats on starting your exercise program. Let me emphasize again, to seek the assistance of a good professional to help take your next step. You'll be surprised on how much you'll learn and how much more enjoyable your training becomes. Best of luck and good health.

 

[SteveDiver]

115-H/R Fat Burn
130-H/R Max Fat Burn
145-H/R Aerobic

These figures are for a 40 year old.... IMO Cardio is good for a mininum of 20 minutes 3 times weekly.

 

[coach_izzy]

115-H/R Fat Burn

Fallacy! Circulatory lipids broken down does NOT equate Fat (lipocyte) burning. Perhaps the most misinterpreted piece of science. Debunked by Dr. Mel C. Siff, Michael Yessis, and many more.

130-H/R Max Fat Burn

Fallacy! "max fat burn" occurs during REST!! yes, REST! "The metabolism of fats furnishes about two thirds of the energy we require at rest" (Siff, Mel C. Supertraining, Pg 79) Another poorly understood and mangled fact.

145-H/R Aerobic
These figures are for a 40 year old.... IMO Cardio is good for a mininum of 20 minutes 3 times weekly.

20 minutes of "cardio" 3 times per week should be sufficient IF done properly. Doing so involves going well beyond the "target" areas, and is NOT pleasant physically, though the conditioning it produces is far superior to traditional training modalities.

 

[SteveDiver]

My program works well for ME...all programs need to be individualized not based on a study or muscle mag... IMO to just pump Iron without cardio is lazy...

I have been working out with P90X.

 

[Cacia]

what is involved in lactate threshold training? Is this drop sets?

also, is it better for me to do 20 minutes every day at HR 135, or 3 times week at higher intensity, say 150 for 30 minutes? (Now I go 20 minutes around 130, q day)

 

[LG Diver]

The key to suscessful weight control (that means mantaining whatever losses you accomplished) is a solid program of resistance training, which will increase your metabolic rate and turn you into a calorie burning machine. The over-reliance on the so called "aerobic" training is the sad legacy of Doctor Cooper in the 1960s with his flawed views on exercise. That along with the former food pyramid are what made America's waistline expand.

Modern research and anecdotal evidence keep proving how ineffective "aerobic" training is when it comes to long term weight control (once again, long term maintenance is the true measure of success). Sadly, it seems one of those things that refuses to die the death it deserves.

Keep in mind that at the initial stages, you will see results, regardless of what you do. That is simply the body adapting to the stimulus, so your results in the exercise department have very little to do with your doing aerobics, but rather, on starting an exercise program.

Hire a qualified fitness professional for a few sessions so he can help you put an exercise program together. If you think you're fine on your own, see if you can answer the following questions "What is the relationship between the central nervous system, Acetylcholine, Calcium Ions, and Motor end plates? How does the Class of lever of any given joint affect the selection of exercises, type, or resistance?

If the answers came inmediately to you, AWESOME! You'll do well putting a solid program together. If the questions seemed irrelevant to your goals, then by all means, please seek the help of a qualified fitness professional. It'll make all the difference in the world.

Your hunch about the Heart Rates is correct, and you're doing nothing wrong. I would not put too much emphasis on it though. Heart Rate training has very limited applications, but are seldom worthy for someone in otherwise good health. Fit athletes usually exceed their "max" heart rates when training their energy systems and their tested V02 Peak volumes prove it. By the way, if you really want to improve your V02 Peak, you should focus on lactate treshhold training rather than traditional "aerobics".

If you still want to monitor your heart rate, invest in a polar system. They've gone down in price considerable and are quite accurate. Just remember that there's a 20 second delay in most commercial models, thus, you will see your heart rate increasing even after you stop your bouts. It does not mean that your HR is still going up, but rather, the monitor is catching up. You'll be surprised at how a good resistance training program can bring your HR substantially.

Congrats on starting your exercise program. Let me emphasize again, to seek the assistance of a good professional to help take your next step. You'll be surprised on how much you'll learn and how much more enjoyable your training becomes. Best of luck and good health.

Sorry, but it's been shown that the resting metabolic rate of a pound of muscle is nearly identical to that of a pound of fat. So, if you want to talk about fallacies, the myth that replacing a pound of fat with a pound of muscle will increase your metabolic rate is right up there with the best of them.

That's not to say that people will not benefit from resistance training, as all adults start to lose muscle mass at a rate of ~1% per year after age 35, but resistance training alone is not an effective means of weight control.