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Hi Everyone, Last week I wrote about how to find your maxHR. The objective this week is to figure out what to do with that number. The maxHR is used as the reference point or anchor for which you create your target zones. A target zone is a heart range that guides your workout by keeping your intensity level between an upper and lower heart rate limit. There are various target zones that are suggested for an individuals to follow that correspond with a specific exercise goal. IE. Improved fitness zone = 70-80% of maxHR. Let's take a casual look at the zones.
Zone 1: 50-60% of maxHR: This is the warm up/cool down zone. You can definitely get healthier in this zone but you will not have a marked improvement in strength or endurance. If you are out of shape or have heart problems then spend most of your time in this zone to safeguard the heart and progress once a base has been established. Zone 2: 60-70% of maxHR: Fat burning zone. You burn a higher percentage of stored fat versus carbohydrates in zone 2. However, you should plan on exercising longer to maximize caloric expenditure. Zone 3: 70-80% of maxHR: Fat and carbohydrates are burning only at a 50/50 ratio but more calories are needed than in zone 2 to get the work done. Improved fitness is the result. Zone 4: 80-90% of maxHR: "Feeling the burn" You are getting faster and fitter. The body is working very hard to sustain this effort level and usually can not do so for more than an hour. The body does not produce oxygenated blood fast enough to the muscles so it turn to working anaerobically. Note-often times I meet people you go to spinning classes a couple of times a week but do not lose any weight. I encourage them to heart rate train and they realize that they train almost the entire class in this zone. They need to back off on the speed and resistance to lower their heart rate to either zone 2 or 3 in order to burn fat if weight loss is an objective.
Zone 5: 90-100% of maxHR: All out! It hurts here and can only be done a few minutes at most. No real need to be here unless you are training for the likes of the 100 m sprint in Beijing. This zone has increased potential for injury. There is so much you can do with this zone information. You can train for any kind of active event out there or you can just use it for general fitness. A nice base plan is to do 10 minutes in each of zone 1, 2, and 3 for a 30 minute workout. Go for 5 days a week. Start there if you are new for a few weeks and then challenge by staying in zone 2 and 3 for longer periods of time. One more thing, maxHR and training zones will be different for different sports depending on the nature of the activity. My maxHR, hence training zones are much higher for running than for cycling. Good luck and Happy Jumping! Tressa
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