Heart Rate Target Zones

By Lisa VanWilliams

Do you need to step up your game on the elliptical, treadmill, or stair climber to lose those last few winter pounds? This can help you as a guideline to monitor your fitness level and avoid anytime undertraining or overtraining. Get your heart pumping harder than normal because that's when the health and fitness benefits start to happen. Start on the low end of the zone and work your way up to the higher end over a course of time. Give your body time to make the adjustments. The American Heart Association uses these averages as guidelines:

Age	Target HR Zone 50-85%	Average Maximum Heart Rate, 100%
20 years	100-170 beats per minute	200 beats per minute
30 years	95-162 beats per minute	190 beats per minute
35 years	93-157 beats per minute	185 beats per minute
40 years	90-153 beats per minute	180 beats per minute
45 years	88-149 beats per minute	175 beats per minute
50 years	85-145 beats per minute	170 beats per minute
55 years	83-140 beats per minute	165 beats per minute
60 years	80-136 beats per minute	160 beats per minute
65 years	78-132 beats per minute	155 beats per minute
70 years	75-128 beats per minute	150 beats per minute

Some machines will even have the tools & guidelines posted right on them at the gym. If you need to do it yourself, the Mayo Clinic says,

"To measure your heart rate, simply check your pulse. Place your index and third fingers on your neck to the side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery - which is located on the thumb side of your wrist.
When you feel your pulse, count the numder of beats in 15 seconds. Multiply this number by 4 to calculate your beats per minute. "

What does working out at 60-70% capacity do for you? It improves the ability of your heart to pump blood and improve the muscles' ability to utilize oxygen. The body becomes more efficient at feeding the working muscles, and learns how to metabolize fat as a source of food.*

70-80%? This is where you want to be for the most effective overall cardiovascular fitness. Increases your cardio-respitory capacity: that is, your ability to transport oxygenated blood the muscle cells and carbon dioxide away from the cells. It will also increase your overall muscle strength.

Source:

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/Target-Heart-Rates_UCM_434341_Article.jsp
http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/heart-rate-calculators/hrzone