FollowText.com » Fitness » Weight-loss » Reach Your Weight Loss Goals Faster with Heart Rate Training

Reach Your Weight Loss Goals Faster with Heart Rate Training

by: ToriiTompson
Total views: 2 | Word Count: 686

To get the most out of a fitness program and reach your goals sooner, you should know that keeping up with your heart rate is vital. Yet, you can take it to another level. Instead of just monitoring what your heart rate is during a workout, you can use these numbers continually throughout your workout and do heart rate training. Heart rate training is when you keep up with your heart rate so you can take your body into different heart rate zones during your workout. Heart rate training is becoming the preferred method of exercise for many people because exercise goals are met sooner and more efficiently.

To begin heart rate training you must determine your maximum heart rate. This number will be used to calculate your heart rate zones. However, before you test yourself to find out what your maximum heart rate is, be honest with yourself about your fitness level:

Poor Shape: You haven't exercised in the past two months. Fair Shape: You do aerobic activity at least twenty minutes, or walk one mile or more, at least three times a week. Good Shape: You run at least five miles per week or you exercise almost every daily.

After you have determined your fitness level, you can do the following test to find your maximum heart rate. While this test won't give you your exact maximum heart rate, it will get you in the immediate vicinity.

One Mile Walking Test: Use a treadmill or go to a track where you can accurately walk one mile. Walk at a steady and even pace. The last quarter of your mile you should take your heart rate. If you listed your fitness level as poor, add 40 to this number. If you listed your fitness level as fair, add 50 to this number. If you listed your fitness level as good, add 60 to this number.

After you have done your adding, this number will be your maximum heart rate target zone and you can start planning out your heart rate training routine based off of it. Heart rate training is easiest when you use exercise equipment, such as a treadmill, that is equipped with a heart rate monitor. The monitor will act as your trainer letting you know what heart rate zone you are throughout your workout. Using monitors saves time and lets you stay focused on your workout-instead of trying to do the monitoring manually and doing the calculations in your head. All you have to do is look at the heart rate monitor and you will know when to intensify your workout, back it down, or continue your pace, depending on your routine.

Your Individual Heart Rate Training Zones

A heart rate training routine should last between 20-30 minutes, and you should cycle in and out of the different heart rate zones throughout the workout.

Healthy Heart Zone: You feel comfortable and your heart rate is at 50%-60% of your maximum heart rate.

Fitness Zone: In this zone your heart rate is 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate and you may have trouble talking, unless it is in short sentences.

Aerobic Zone: Your breathing will be very hard and you won't be able to talk with people in long sentences, but you can speak in short phrases. Your heart rate is 70%-80% of your maximum heart rate.

Anaerobic Zone: In this zone your heart rate is 80%-90% of your maximum heart rate and you should only be able to gasp out a word here and there because you will be breathing heavily.

Red Line Zone: You are in your maximum output zone and you will only be able to keep up the pace in this zone for a few minutes.

If you are looking for a workout routine that will help you lose weight, or reach your exercise goals sooner, consider heart rate training. To make your workout as efficient as possible, workout on a treadmill or other exercise machine, that has a heart rate monitor. Don't waste your time trying to judge and calculate your heart rate yourself. Let the machines do the monitoring so you can focus your time on your heart rate zones.

About the Author

The Sole F80 treadmill is one of the top selling folding treadmills with heart rate monitoring. Get the indepth review of this popular treadmill and other best rated treadmills here.

Reach Your Weight Loss Goals Faster with Heart Rate Training

About the Author

More Articles from: Weight Loss