There are several ways to control the intensity of your workout. Most best way determine intensity is measure pulse during the workout (during the first five minutes of the workout and before the cool-down).
There are two ways in which you can measure pulse during the workout. The most accurate way is to use a heart rate monitor. In this case, the heart rate sensor is attached around chest. This monitor is linked to a digital watch that gives you accurate information about your heart rate at any given time during your workout. Another way to measure the pulse is by palpation or carotid artery, either the temporal artery, or radial artery. It is more convenient to use the carotid or radial artery. The carotid artery can be easily felt by applying index finger to the neck in the middle of the line connecting the lower jaw and the middle of the collarbone. Palpation of the radial artery is carried out by placing your index and middle finger on inside wrists, and thumb on outside wrists.
When measuring your heart rate, you determine the number of beats per minute (counting the number of beats in 60 seconds). For convenience, many people count the number of beats in 6 seconds and then multiply the resulting number by 10 or simply add 0 to the resulting number. For example, if you counted 12 beats in 6 seconds, this means that your heart rate is 120 beats per minute. Although counting the number of beats in 6 seconds is most convenient, keep in mind that the longer the time interval you use to count the beats, the more accurate the result will be. For example, counting the number of beats for 30 seconds and then multiplying the number by 2 will provide a slightly more accurate result than counting the number of heartbeats for 15 seconds and multiplying the resulting number by 4, or counting the number of beats for 10 seconds and multiplying the resulting number by 6. Always use the same time interval that you have chosen for yourself.
Training in pulse zones.
How do you know if you're training too hard or not hard enough to achieve the results you want? To answer this question it is necessary to conduct training in certain pulse zones Oh. There is a concept of maximum heart rate (pulse), which is taken as 100%. This is the maximum heart rate at which your heart can beat. This indicator is individual. In order to train in specific heart rate zones, you must first determine your maximum heart rate (pulse).
You can do this using one of two existing methods. The first method is to use a formula that determines the maximum heart rate depending on age, in this case you must subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 40 years old, then according to this formula, your maximum heart rate will be 180 beats per minute. Another method is more accurate and reflects individual characteristics. It involves conducting a medical or fitness test to determine maximum heart rate. This test is usually performed using a stationary bicycle or repetitive exercise for several minutes and requires very strenuous effort. Therefore, this test should only be performed under the supervision of a doctor. We will not explain how to carry out this test now, because it is only carried out by experienced professionals.
After determining your maximum heart rate, you need to determine what heart rate zone you will be training in. There are five heart rate zones, and the difference between the next and previous heart rate zones is 10% of the maximum heart rate. Training in each zone has its own characteristics and results.
Heart healing zone.
The first zone is called the “heart healing zone.” It lies between 50-60% of your maximum heart rate. Training in this zone is the most comfortable and easiest. This zone is best suited for people who are either just starting to exercise or have a low level of fitness. For those of you who walk, you are most likely training in this zone. Despite the belief that training in this zone does not burn enough calories or be intense enough to improve cardiovascular and respiratory health, it has been shown to reduce fat, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Training in this zone also reduces the risk of degenerative diseases and is non-traumatic. When training in this zone, 10% of carbohydrates (as a source of energy), 5% of proteins and as much as 85% of fats are burned.
Fitness area.
The next zone is called the “fitness zone”; it lies within 60–70% of your maximum heart rate. Again, when training in this zone, 85% of fats, 10% of carbohydrates and 5% of proteins are burned. As studies show, when training in this zone, you ensure the mobilization of fats (i.e., the release of fats from cells) and the transport of fats (the entry of fats into the muscles). Thus, when you train in this zone, you force your fat cells to increase the rate of fat release, and your muscles to burn fat. However, the results of training in this zone are not limited to what you can achieve by training at an intensity of 50-60% of your maximum heart rate. By training in this zone, you increase the total number of calories burned compared to the previous zone and further improve the condition of your cardiovascular and respiratory systems. When you train in this zone, you burn more calories simply because the workout is more intense.
Aerobic zone
The third zone – the “aerobic zone” – involves training at an intensity of 70–80% of your maximum heart rate. This is the most preferred area for endurance training. When training in this zone, the functionality of your body increases significantly, the number and size of blood vessels increases, the vital capacity of the lungs and tidal volume increase. Pulmonary ventilation intensifies, and the arteriovenous difference in oxygen increases. Moreover, stroke volume (the amount of blood pushed out by the left ventricle per contraction) increases and resting heart rate decreases. What does all this mean? This means that functional state your cardiovascular and respiratory systems improve, as well as the size and strength of your heart. When training in this zone, 50% of carbohydrates, 50% of fats and less than 1% of proteins are burned. In addition, as the intensity of the workout increases, the number of calories burned also increases.
Anaerobic zone
The next zone is called the "anaerobic zone", which lies between 80-90% of your maximum heart rate. When training in this zone, the indicator of maximum oxygen consumption (the maximum amount of oxygen consumed during training) improves, which means that the condition of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems also improves, tolerance to lactate (lactic acid) increases, you become more resilient, that is, you are more capable endure fatigue. Since the intensity of the workout in this zone is higher than in the previous three zones, the number of calories burned is higher. In this case, 85% of carbohydrates, 15% of fats and less than 1% of proteins are burned.
Red line zone.
The last zone is called the "red line zone", it lies within 90–100% of the maximum pulse. When training in this zone, remember that you are working at your maximum. pulse, your heart will not be able to beat faster. When training, this zone burns maximum quantity calories, with the share of fat being the smallest percentage compared to other zones. So, 90% of carbohydrates are burned, only 10% of fats and less than 1% of proteins. The intensity of work during training in this zone is so high that not everyone is able to withstand the minimum 20-minute workout or even the first 5 minutes of training. You can only train in this zone if you are in very good physical fitness and under the supervision of a doctor. People typically use this zone for interval training. For example, you train for three minutes in the aerobic zone, and then for one minute in the red line zone, and then again in the aerobic zone. This is called interval training.
When you see the first results of your training, the inspiration and joy that you will experience will make you think that the changes that have occurred in you were worth the effort. Action creates motivation. Good luck to you!
Heart rate is the heart rate or, in simple terms, pulse. Average resting heart rates for men are 60-70 beats per minute, for women 70-80 beats per minute. These values increase with age. With regular training, on the contrary, your resting heart rate will decrease.
To find out your resting heart rate, you need to measure your pulse while lying down, preferably in the morning, immediately after waking up. You can find out your pulse at rest and at other times; to do this, you need to lie down and lie quietly for 5-10 minutes, and then take a measurement. If your resting heart rate is much higher or lower than these values, then this is probably a reason to see a doctor.
To calculate your individual heart rate values for training, enter your data in the fields heart rate calculator and press "Calculate". Heart rate values for different zones will appear in the table.
Heart rate calculator
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Pulse values and description of pulse zones
| Your heart rate range | Pulse zone, % | Result of work in this area | Recommendations |
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Light activity zone: 50%-60% | Adaptation to stress and recovery | Load for beginners and for adapting to training after a long break |
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Beginning of fat burning zone: 60%-70% | Fat burning | Ideal load for fat burning and development entry level endurance |
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Aerobic zone: 70%-80% | Endurance + fat burning | Enough high load. Develops endurance well and burns calories effectively |
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Anaerobic zone: 80%-90% | Development physical endurance | High intensity. Training the heart muscle and increasing endurance |
| Maximum speed and energy return | Work in this area is only possible for a short time and only for experienced athletes | ||
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Maximum heart rate: 100% |
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Raising your heart rate above this value is dangerous to your health! |
Why calculate the maximum and minimum heart rate for running training and what are heart rate zones?
Pulse for fat burning
Let's start with the fact that the calculation of pulse zones or heart rate (heart rate) using formulas and calculators is not done to find the mythical fat burning zone. If only because it simply does not exist.
To be more precise, the body is constantly in fat burning mode, and not just during some special period of cardio exercise. Fat is the optimal type of fuel for it. We will not consider this issue in more detail now, but you can read about it in the article:.
So, the first thing to remember is that the calculation of heart rate zones is carried out solely to determine the safe level of load when running and for the productivity of the workout, and not for quick weight loss.
Target heart rate zone
Different levels of load in the future have different effects on the final results of training. Each workout (or part of it) has the goal of entering and staying for a set time in a certain heart rate zone, depending on what we want to achieve.
In the general classification, it is customary to divide three pulse zones:
Zone 1: 60-70% from max. heart rate (HRmax)
Zone 2: 70-80% from heart ratemax
Zone 3: 80% or more from heart ratemax
This corresponds to three load levels: lung, average And heavy(including interval training).
The end result of all running and cycling training is the ability to maintain a high pace for a long time at a lower heart rate. Therefore, special attention is paid to general endurance and endurance cardiovascular system(stroke volume of the heart).
This most important requirement is met first And second heart rate zones, that is, a load not exceeding 80% from maximum and allowing you to remain in aerobic mode.
Third pulse zone included in training to develop explosive strength and in preparation for competitions. In other cases, especially for beginner runners, it is very undesirable to cross the threshold of 80% of heart ratemax. Heavy and super-heavy load levels can only be considered when you already have a good workout and a healthy cardiovascular system.
There are also intermediate target heart rate zones. But this is not so important at the amateur level. We just need to mention separately warm-up mode(warm-up) is 50 —60% Heart ratemax.
Your maximum heart rate
It is better to obtain this data in a sports laboratory. There are, of course, formulas and calculators for calculating maximum heart rate and target zones. The results they give are very approximate, since primitive equations do not take into account either the anaerobic threshold, or your level of training, or even your gender.
The most popular formula is:
Heart ratemax = 220 - your age
With it you can quickly estimate maximum permissible load for an ordinary untrained (but healthy) person, with a resting heart rate of approximately 60-70 beats/min.
Heart ratemax = 205.8 - (0.685 * age)
By further calculating percentages from the resulting number, you can roughly figure out at what heart rate your main workout begins and what level of load you should try to maintain.
But this is for those who love mathematics. Others can simply insert their age into heart rate zone calculator:
Let us remind you that such calculations are very approximate, and laboratory research, including ANNO, is necessary to move into the serious category of athletes-runners and cyclists.
Age heart rate table
There is also a table of target pulse zones in nature, which is provided by Heart Association. In this case, you can see the safe heart rate zones for cardio training, otherwise called the heart health mode:
| Age | Target HR zone 50-85% | Average maximum heart rate, 100% |
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| 20 years | 100-170 | 200 |
| 30 years old | 95-162 | 190 |
| 35 years old | 93-157 | 185 |
| 40 years old | 90-153 | 180 |
| 45 years old | 88-149 | 175 |
| 50 years | 85-145 | 170 |
| 55 years old | 83-140 | 165 |
| 60 years old | 80-136 | 160 |
| 65 years old | 78-132 | 155 |
| 70 years old | 75-128 | 150 |
We've introduced you to the basic calculation methods needed for running (and other cycling) training. Despite the lack of accuracy of the results, you can roughly understand the heart rate ranges. However, to get a complete picture, you need to know all the other physiological nuances that are unique to your body.
Heart rate control
Control heart rate It’s better not with your hands and a stopwatch, but with the help of . The only caveat is that too cheap heart rate monitors work approximately the same as the formulas for calculating heart rate, and the radio signals of cheap sensors get confused with each other if you run in a group.
Good running watches cost good money, but if you have already realized that training has become a part of your life, then feel free to buy any model from Garmin or Suunto, you won't regret it. This way you will receive all the data in a convenient format, easy to analyze and protect your heart from overload.
However, you can rent a heart rate monitor from someone. If it turns out that you are doing the entire workout in a heart-friendly mode, and your goal is only to improve your health and control your figure, then you can abandon this device and continue running for your own pleasure.
Any workout should be effective, comfortable and as safe as possible for the cardiovascular system.
But how can you determine whether the training process is going correctly, and whether it’s time to slow down?
Feeling the pulse
First you need to find out your maximum heart rate (MHR), individual for each age.
MHR = 220 - age.
After determining the MHR, you can choose what load the workout will put on the heart. To do this, you need to measure your pulse during exercise, and it is advisable not to stop them.
The easiest way to measure your pulse is with electronic heart rate monitor. But if this useful device is not on the household, then the pulse can be felt on the wrist or the carotid artery, which runs along the side of the neck.
Exists five so-called pulse zones, which differ from each other in the result of training and the degree of load on the heart.
Let's wake up the heart
If the pulse quickens to around 60 percent of MHR, training enters the zone heart health. This zone is comfortable for those with poor physical fitness to train in. Or for those who have just started warming up, since such a load is the safest for an “unwarmed” body.
The best way to work in the “heart” zones is regular walking on a flat surface.
Let's start burning fat
Indicator in 70 percent of MHR moves the workout into the fitness zone. To achieve this heart rate, you will have to increase the load and go from step to quick step uphill, slow running or gymnastics - depending on the level of preparedness.
During this type of training fat burning begins, and burns more calories than in the previous zone.
Optimal level
When the heart rate increases to 80 percent MHR training goes into aerobic zone. This intensity of heart contractions can be achieved by moving from calm gymnastics to dancing or step aerobics.
True, the amount of fat used decreases, and fat begins to flow into the “firebox.” carbohydrates.
Training endurance
When the heart rate reaches 90 percent of MHR, the so-called anaerobic training zone. Most mobile vehicles correspond to this load level. sports games, cross-country skiing, skating and intense cycling.
As experts say, it is good to train in the anaerobic zone. general body endurance. Since this level of stress increases the amount of oxygen needed for body cells, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems have to work with greater intensity.
However, less and less fat is used, and almost only carbohydrates are burned. Therefore, it is recommended for those who want to lose weight alternate aerobic and anaerobic training zones so as not to tire the body so much and waste optimal quantity calories.
Maximum load
If the heart rate reaches 90-100 percent from the maximum heart rate, the workout has entered the last zone, or the red line zone. It contains cardiovascular and respiratory system work at the limit. For example, when climbing a mountain sharply on a bicycle or running very fast.
This zone burns the maximum number of calories, but most of the percentage comes from carbohydrates. Only a person can train in such a zone for a long time. in very good physical shape or professional athlete.
Experts recommend that beginners refrain from such stress. And usually a short workout in the red line zone alternates with a previous anaerobic load during interval training.
If you are tired of writing down the sequence of exercises on notebook sheets, go to our website and create your own training plan. If you can print it out and take it with you to the gym.
For a long time I was sure that in order for training to have maximum effect, you need to give 120%. You need to train sparingly, until you can’t move a single limb. It turned out that such training can not only be dangerous, but also not bring the expected result. When jogging, swimming or other types of activities that increase the load on the heart, it is necessary to constantly monitor such an indicator as heart rate.
Heart rate is the heart rate, or in common parlance, the pulse rate. Typically, the lower this indicator, the better the health of a person’s cardiovascular system is considered (with the exception of some diseases, such as bradycardia) - this means that the heart needs fewer contractions to pump the required volume of blood. In addition, heart rate can serve as an indicator of training intensity. To do this, firstly, you need to calculate the MHR (maximum heart rate) of a person using the formula 220 - age. Now, depending on what percentage of the MHR the heart rate is during training, it can be assigned to one of the zones and understand how it affects the body.
- Therapeutic (cardiac) zone - 60-70% MHR. This area is for people with weak physical training. In this zone, the load on the heart is very gentle, and the likelihood of harm is low. In this zone, as a rule, the pulse is located during morning exercises, not a very intense workout or even a regular walk.
- Low (fitness) zone - 70-80% MHR. Training in this zone is what people who want to lose weight need. During such training, the body actively burns fats in the body to maintain its strength. A person is in this pulse zone, for example, while jogging or climbing stairs.
- Aerobic zone - 80-90% MHR. Even more intense exercise, even more calories burned. But the body no longer has enough time to receive all the energy it needs through the breakdown of fats, so carbohydrate reserves also begin to be spent in this zone. This zone corresponds, for example, to dancing or step aerobics.
- Anaerobic zone - 90-95% MHR. This zone promotes maximum development human endurance. However, in this mode, the body burns almost only carbohydrates, so doctors advise alternating aerobic and anaerobic (for example, cross-country skiing, intense cycling) training.
- The maximum load zone is more than 95% of the MHR. Training in this zone is usually done professional athletes shortly before the competition. For people who want to lose weight or simply improve their health, exposing themselves to such stress is not only not useful, but also dangerous.
So what conclusions should we draw from all this information? The most important thing is to know your goal. Why are you training? If you want to lose weight, alternate between fitness and aerobic workouts. If this already seems not enough for you and you want to improve own endurance- you can add it to your schedule anaerobic training. If you just want to improve your condition, turn on training plan activity in the first four zones. The main thing is to remember that excessive zeal and bringing yourself to a faint state with heavy training have not yet benefited anyone.
