Target Heart Rate Issues....HELP!!??

I've recently invested in a polar heart rate monitor :)

 

The problem is....every site I go to gives me a different target heart rate, range. I'm sooooo confused!!!

 

Some say 99-150bmp

others     119-168

and a whole bunch of other ranges.... :(

 

I usually work out for about 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer, my polar tells me my average heart rate and max heart rate during the duration of my workout.

 

My average is usually around 145-155

My max is usually around 170-180

 

I'm 22

141lbs

resting heart rate: 72bpm

 

What are my zones!!! Help anybody please!! 

This helped me.

a person's target heart rate should be 50 to 70% of his or her maximum heart rate.

This maximum rate is based on the person's age. An estimate of a person's maximum age-related heart rate can be obtained by subtracting the person's age from 220.

For example, for a 50-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 - 50 years = 170 beats per minute (bpm). The 50% and 70% levels would be: 50% level: 170 x 0.50 = 85 bpm, and 70% level: 170 x 0.70 = 119 bpm Thus, moderate-intensity physical activity for a 50-year-old person will require that the heart rate remains between 85 and 119 bpm during physical activity.

Wow so I'm working more at like 80%....sheesh.

 

I don't feel overexerted.....should I cut back?? 

No don't cut back.  Using age as a starting point for calculating MHR is ok but it is usually way off.  The the zones are specific to your MHR so you can't go by what anybody else is doing.  If you don't feel overexerted you are not overexerted.  Besides working at 80% in not that high.  High Intenstiy, like HIIT, would be 85%-90% plus for most people.

Read this for good info on training with heart zones.:  http://www.howtobefit.com/determine-maximum-h eart-rate.htm

Your Max is 198

50% is 99

70% is 138

so your range is 99 to 138.

You don't want to over exert yourself because then you may get discouraged.

 

 

Your max is your max.  Nobody can tell you what it is without putting you through a stress test and it's exercise specific so it will be different of running, bicycling, swimming, etc.  And 70% is moderate intensity.  If you want to gain fitness don't be afraid to push yourself.  Please take the time to read the link I posted.

Thank you for the link, I will read it, I'm always looking for ways to educate myself on my body and fitness.

 

I do want to gain fitness while burning fat, I know that to burn strictly fat its better to stay within the 60-70% range, but even when you go higher though you are burning not as high of a percentage of calories from fat- your still burning more calories all together.

 

I don't feel like I am getting a good workout when I am at 135.

I think I'm going to stick with what I'm doing now, just keep working harder as my body allows it. Every time I exercise I like to push myself to do a little longer and a littler harder :)  

I use a polar HR and had a stress test done - I'm 26, weigh 140 (5'9") and I am in really good cardio shape (I run 5-6 mi, 5x/week).

Although you burn a higher percentage of fat in zone 1 & 2, the overall # of calories is lower. So, lets say you work out for 1 hour in zone 1 & 2  & you burn 300 cal - allmost all of it being fat. If you work out in zone 3, crossing into zone 4 for short periods, you may burn 600 or 700 calories, but 50% is pure fat fat - that equals the same amount of fat, if not a little more. 

my HR #s are:

55, resting

-119 zone 1

120-167 zone 2

168 - 188 zone 3 (AT - 188, means I start to burn sugars instead of fat when HR reaches 188)

189 - 206 zone 4, 206 max HR 

Well I have technically blown my heart to bits on several occasions by going over my "max heart rate" of 174 -- I'm 48 years old and using the age from 220 gives me a max of 172 but I've done that and some on a few occasions and have lived to tell the tale.  Like trhawley said your max is yours and only yours.  What your heart can do will vary. 

The "zones" to work out in vary for what you want to accomplish.  My HRM gives "workout program" suggestions of rates to target mostly its in my mid zone of 122- 139 but sometimes it wants me to do 35 minutes in the hard zone which is says is 140 - 156 but I usually can do 160 - 165 with little problems, granted I'm exhausted and can't keep at that rate for any length of time but I haven't died either.

Try working out as hard as you can to see what your "current max" is and then work to improve that as well as decrease your resting heart rate which will happen as you get fitter and you will also discover it gets harder to get your heart rate up as you get fitter.

I think the fact that the formula, 220 - age = Max Heart Rate is so inaccurate, especially for active adults, started the myth that the max heart rate number was a number that you should be careful to stay below while exercising for fear that you would damage your heart, like the red line on an automobile tachometer.  This is not true.  It is impossible to exceed your maximum heart rate.  It is by definition the maximum number of times that your heart can contract in one minute.

the HRM should be used as a measure of improvement.   The best way to gauge your workout is in percieved exursion.  There are several sites that will give you the scale, but essentially, if you are breathing hard,  but can still talk comfortably, that is a good zone.  For more fitness training, you may want to step it up a bit, but not for long.  You will see on your HRM that as your fitness increases, your heart will also improve.

 

 

when I swim I average 188-193 -- and although I am working hard, I am not over-exerted.  When I run or work on the elliptical, I am "dying" by the time my heart rate hits 150+.  I am 47 and have a resting heart rate of 51-54.  Listen to what trhawley says and read the article -- it is illuminating

do you belong to a gym? some gym's do vo2 testing, this is really the only way to be exactly accurate on your heart rate zones, it is about $90.00 (yes a little pricey) but very worth it. everybodies heart rate zones are completely different from each other. even if you are the same weight, height and age, each zones are different too. look into it. it totally changed the way i train, and workout.

Original Post by heatherlanders:

do you belong to a gym? some gym's do vo2 testing, this is really the only way to be exactly accurate on your heart rate zones, it is about $90.00 (yes a little pricey) but very worth it. everybodies heart rate zones are completely different from each other. even if you are the same weight, height and age, each zones are different too. look into it. it totally changed the way i train, and workout.

My Polar F11 HRM has this function.  For some reason my fitness level has taken a major nose dive from Elite to fair and now when I work my arse off in my cardio class and weight lifting I'm only burning about 3 cal a minute  this is really bumming me out.  Used to be I would burn 600 - 700 cals a work out now I'm lucky to do 250.  So yes the Vo2 test is the most accurate way to know for sure what your fitness level really is but also let it be known it changes the more or less you work out and stress factores and such.  So what it may be today may not be what it is a mnth from now. 

I would return it and get a Suunto T3 or T4, this brand does all the thinking for you.

I would go over my max heart rate (180) when I started doing cardio about 6 months ago with very little effort.  Within the 1st couple of minutes I would have my heart rate shoot up in the 170 range.  I would get scared and think that I was working too hard but obviously I am still here.  I've been running 3 miles a day for 6 months now and I can tell it takes much more for me now to get my heart rate up.  I also noticed my recovery is fast.  It used to take 5 minutes to get my heart rate down to 120 from 160 but now maybe only a minute.  I haven't used my monitor in a couple of months because it rubbed my skin raw but I will strap it on this weekend and see where my heart rate is.

"I would go over my max heart rate (180) when I started doing cardio"

For the record, you max heart rate (MHR) is the maximum number of times your heart can contract in one minute.  It is impossible to go over your maximum heart rate.  If your heart rate was over 180 then 180 is NOT your MHR.

Original Post by dbackerfan:

Original Post by heatherlanders:

do you belong to a gym? some gym's do vo2 testing, this is really the only way to be exactly accurate on your heart rate zones, it is about $90.00 (yes a little pricey) but very worth it. everybodies heart rate zones are completely different from each other. even if you are the same weight, height and age, each zones are different too. look into it. it totally changed the way i train, and workout.

My Polar F11 HRM has this function. For some reason my fitness level has taken a major nose dive from Elite to fair and now when I work my arse off in my cardio class and weight lifting I'm only burning about 3 cal a minute this is really bumming me out. Used to be I would burn 600 - 700 cals a work out now I'm lucky to do 250. So yes the Vo2 test is the most accurate way to know for sure what your fitness level really is but also let it be known it changes the more or less you work out and stress factores and such. So what it may be today may not be what it is a mnth from now.

did you change the vo2 setting in your polar? that will change calories burned. yes it does change over time but 6 months to a year if you workout alot, will have a drastic change not a month.

Original Post by heatherlanders:

Original Post by dbackerfan:

Original Post by heatherlanders:

did you change the vo2 setting in your polar? that will change calories burned. yes it does change over time but 6 months to a year if you workout alot, will have a drastic change not a month.

 I don't change the setting - I do the "fitness test" once a month as it reminds me and the last time it took the nose dive.  I was averaging between 50 and 58 for the last 2 years (i'm 48yo so thats good) but now I'm at 24.  I have been a bit slack in my cardio workouts in the last 6 months having always done something 7 days a week.