Heart Rate ?

agartin

I ordered a HRM and it's supposed to come in soon, but I want to make sure I know how to use it to the best of my ability.

I'm very new to this so I googled (:laugh:) the subject and through the karvonen formula, I calculated my target heart rate zone for weight loss to be between 149 and 173.

So I understand if I'm below my target zone the workout I'm doing or the amount of work I'm doing may not be beneficial for my weight loss goals, but I believe I went above my zone today. Is there a negative affect going above my zone? I think I read something about burning carbs instead of calories if I go above, but I'm not sure. And if that's correct, I still don't know what it means. :huh:

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. :happy:

TaraMaria

The different ones are supposed to stand for different things as you mentioned. The first zone (60% to 70%) is usually the fat burning zone or weight loss zone (I hear about a zillion different names for these zones so bare with me!) An advantage to running in this zone is that while you are happily fat burning you may lose weight and you will be allowing your muscles to re-energise with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced workouts. Fit and unfit people burn fat differently. The more fit you are, the more effectively you use fat to maintain a healthy weight. On the other hand, perhaps you've been exercising vigorously, but not losing the weight you expected to. Could be you've been working too hard and need to drop back to this zone and exercise longer. To burn more total calories you'll need to exercise for more time in this zone.

The Aerobic Zone (70% to 80%) In this zone -- reached by running easily as an example -- you improve your functional capacity. The number and size of your blood vessels actually increase, you step up your lung capacity and respiratory rate, and your heart increases in size and strength so you can exercise longer before becoming fatigued. You're still metabolizing fats and carbohydrates at about a 50-50 rate which means both are burning at the same ratio.

The Anaerobic Threshold This zone is reached by going hard -- running faster. Here you get faster and fitter, increasing your heart rate as you cross from aerobic to anaerobic training. At this point, your heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to supply the exercising muscles fully so they respond by continuing to contract anaerobically.This is where you "feel the burn." You can stay in this zone for a limited amount of time, usually not more than an hour. That's because the muscle just cannot sustain working anaerobically (this means without sufficient oxygen) without fatiguing. The working muscles protect themselves from overwork by not being able to maintain the intensity level.

So I think the bottom line is: Where do YOU see results? As stated after the first zone, you almost need to see what happens. If you work out in Zone 2 and find that you aren't loosing weight quickly, maybe you need to knock it down a notch. I have a hard time doing this in running, my HR is always very high, occasionally in the red zone. However I can't help you with knowing if staying in certain zones helped ME personally loose weight because I got my HRM after I completely my weight loss journey. )

Have fun! I LOVE my HRM! Its made working out SO much fun! )

agartin

The different ones are supposed to stand for different things as you mentioned. The first zone (60% to 70%) is usually the fat burning zone or weight loss zone (I hear about a zillion different names for these zones so bare with me!) An advantage to running in this zone is that while you are happily fat burning you may lose weight and you will be allowing your muscles to re-energise with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced workouts. Fit and unfit people burn fat differently. The more fit you are, the more effectively you use fat to maintain a healthy weight. On the other hand, perhaps you've been exercising vigorously, but not losing the weight you expected to. Could be you've been working too hard and need to drop back to this zone and exercise longer. To burn more total calories you'll need to exercise for more time in this zone.

The Aerobic Zone (70% to 80%) In this zone -- reached by running easily as an example -- you improve your functional capacity. The number and size of your blood vessels actually increase, you step up your lung capacity and respiratory rate, and your heart increases in size and strength so you can exercise longer before becoming fatigued. You're still metabolizing fats and carbohydrates at about a 50-50 rate which means both are burning at the same ratio.

The Anaerobic Threshold This zone is reached by going hard -- running faster. Here you get faster and fitter, increasing your heart rate as you cross from aerobic to anaerobic training. At this point, your heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to supply the exercising muscles fully so they respond by continuing to contract anaerobically.This is where you "feel the burn." You can stay in this zone for a limited amount of time, usually not more than an hour. That's because the muscle just cannot sustain working anaerobically (this means without sufficient oxygen) without fatiguing. The working muscles protect themselves from overwork by not being able to maintain the intensity level.

So I think the bottom line is: Where do YOU see results? As stated after the first zone, you almost need to see what happens. If you work out in Zone 2 and find that you aren't loosing weight quickly, maybe you need to knock it down a notch. I have a hard time doing this in running, my HR is always very high, occasionally in the red zone. However I can't help you with knowing if staying in certain zones helped ME personally loose weight because I got my HRM after I completely my weight loss journey. )

Have fun! I LOVE my HRM! Its made working out SO much fun! )

Thank you!

I laughed at the hour part. I'm still struggling to make it to 30 minutes of cardio! :laugh: And I'm very excited about my HRM... I've been going to the gym and eating right just so that I can feel proud to enter it into my food diary.. I'm sure this will motivate me even more.

TaraMaria

What kind did you get dearie?? I love seeing how much I can get accomplished and push myself!!! )

agartin

What kind did you get dearie?? I love seeing how much I can get accomplished and push myself!!! )

This cheap one. LOL I've never had one before so I wasn't sure what to look for and $$ was a big factor.. so *shrug*

http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/oregon-se188.html

TaraMaria

Ooo! I like it! And girl? I'm the queen of cheap! My first one was from Walmart but it didn't have a chest strap. I have one with a strap now and love it! )

agartin

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Thanks!

And.. is that you in the 'shrinking' photos on the blog.. really really?! Awesome!

Goodness, I can't wait until I can look back at my "before" photos and say, "Wow!"