Heart rate training uses your heart rate to determine your effort while exercising.
Monitoring it can optimize your fitness.
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co-founder of the Smart Fit Method, a fitness program designed to optimize cardiovascular health through exercise robotics and AI
In particular, many of us are paying more and more attention to ourheart health.
Given that heart disease is theleading cause of deathin America regardless of gender (scary!
), this makes total sense.
What is heart rate training?
Simply put, Heart rate training uses your heart rate to determine your effort while exercising.
Benefits of heart rate training
1. you’re gonna wanna exercise in the zone that is right for you!
Its safe
Keeping an eye on your heart rate could prevent overtraining, Dr. Steinbaum says.
The best zone for heart-healthy benefits?
Your heart rate is a more useful metric for tracking your fitness level than something like the scale.
co-founder of the Smart Fit Method, a fitness program designed to optimize cardiovascular health through exercise robotics and AI
Working out at our maximum aerobic function (MAF) allows the body to oxidize fat for energy.
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Who is heart rate training for?
Anyone can benefit from tracking their heart rate and using it to exercise in an optimal range.
As long as your doctor has signed off, improving aerobic threshold is useful for everyone, says Darnbrough.
Dr. Steinbaum agrees wholeheartedly (pun intended) that this is the ideal training method for all people.
It takes into account all fitness levels, she says.
If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your healthcare provider for guidance.
Both experts emphasize the importance of acknowledging your personal health and resting heart rate.
Understanding how fit you are can help guide how high your heart rate should be, says Dr. Steinbaum.
Depending on your baseline fitness, your heart rate zone will differ.
You could also opt for anApple WatchorFitbit, depending on preferences and budget.
Thereisa free option if youre ready to do some counting and calculating.
Simply take your pulse at your wrist, and count the beats for 15 seconds.
Multiply that by four, and thats your current BPM.
This is going to be your sweet spot.
Start with a shorter, 20-minute beginner class and see how your heart rate responds.
Want to jump into your ideal heart rate zone?
More is not better!
Dont push yourself too hard!
Be careful of your joints and muscle overuse and be conscious that overexertion can lead to injury.
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