Work Out Right With Your Target Heart Rate

Do you ever feel like you’ve worked and worked in the gym without seeing any results? It’s possible you’re simply at the wrong heart rate.  

In order to get the most out of your workouts, it’s essential to get your heart rate on target. But what is “on target” and how do you get there?

The American Heart Association provides all the information you need in order to exercise effectively. Essentially, your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. Keep in mind that the figures here are averages, so only use them as guidelines, or go to our easy to use calculator and get your specific numbers.

 

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

 

Once you know your target heart rate, you can adjust the intensity of your workout in order to reach it.   You can monitor your heart rate manually or with a gadget.

To manually check your heart rate, periodically check your pulse. The AMA recommends this method:

  • Take your pulse on the inside of your wrist, on the thumb side.
  • Use the tips of your first two fingers (not your thumb) to press lightly over the blood vessels on your wrist.
  • Count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to find your beats per minute.

The other way to monitor your heart rate is with a heart rate monitor. When at the gym, they can be found on most cardio or aerobic equipment, but you can also purchase personal ones. We recently discussed heart rate monitor options in this blog.

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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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