Heart Rate Zones?

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armaretta
armaretta Posts: 851 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a question about heart rate zone. I know my target range is supposed to be 120is-160ish, with the higher number being 85% of my max. I'm 26 years old. I regularly exercise with a HRM. I don't check it ever 5 minutes while I'm doing cardio/jogging/intervals, etc... I check it ever 10-20 minutes. By the end of my work out, I've spend most of my time above that zone.

I average around 177 bpm, range 154-180. I don't feel like I'm straining, in pain, exhausted, etc. In fact, usually stop a jog simply bc I get bored, or if I'm on the treadmill, the show/movie on netflix ends, lol. I can go like that for probably an hour or more and it wouldn't bother me other than the bored part.

My question is: If I'm not in pain and it feels right, should I really be slowing down out of that range? How is this affecting my fat burn?

My resting heart rate was 54-56 last time I checked, but I didn't check it first thing in the morning before moving around much. I checked it after being at work all day and just laying still for 15 minutes or so. Suggestions? Comments?

Replies

  • Jones115
    Jones115 Posts: 29 Member
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    bump
  • evilbanks
    evilbanks Posts: 166
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    You should go have a V02 max test done by a reputable fitness club. This test will tell you your exact heart rate zones and in which zone you most efficiently burn fat.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Ignore the different "zones", they're meaningless. Work out at as hard a rate as you can maintain for the time you plan to train.
  • KelieHerrera
    KelieHerrera Posts: 93
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    I have the same problem. The heart rate I'm supposed to maintain for fat burning is too slow of a pace for me.
  • 16mixingbowls
    16mixingbowls Posts: 205 Member
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    I wonder about this too. I can totally push myself at the gym, and particularily in spin class, and keep it up for an hour. But then I go home and get a migraine.

    PS I hydrate plenty.
  • snikles
    snikles Posts: 5 Member
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    Kick up your incline on the treadmill. At my gym they go up to 30% incline. When I can't get a good sweat going, that's what I do. I even saw one girl today at the gym going sideways on it. Working different muscles may get you what you want.
  • JCPruitt
    JCPruitt Posts: 53
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    you may find this helpful...http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=8231
  • zohars
    zohars Posts: 29
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    My heart rate does very similar things to yours. One thing to keep in mind is that the 220 - age is not completely accurate for everyone. Normally when I get into the 180s I will get a strange pressure in my ear that tells me to stop what I'm doing (so I do). I'd say as long as you're feeling good, it shouldn't be a problem. Also, there's something called "Cardiovascular drift" which could explain part of it if you exercise at the same intensity but find your heart rate inching upwards.

    Mostly since I'm young and in ok shape, I figure I probably won't have a heart attack. One of my goals is to improve my cardiovascular strength so that I stay at a more reasonable heart rate when active.

    As for what it means for weight loss, the higher your heart rate, the more calories you are burning. While people like to talk about heart rate zones, they don't actually mean anything (see http://www.freeweightlosscenter.com/article48.htm ).
  • evilbanks
    evilbanks Posts: 166
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    Ignore the different "zones", they're meaningless. Work out at as hard a rate as you can maintain for the time you plan to train.

    But they aren't meaningless. You burn fat more efficiently in certain zones than you do in others. If you bury yourself for an hour straight, you end up burning more sugar than you do fat.
  • armaretta
    armaretta Posts: 851 Member
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    Kick up your incline on the treadmill. At my gym they go up to 30% incline. When I can't get a good sweat going, that's what I do. I even saw one girl today at the gym going sideways on it. Working different muscles may get you what you want.

    I sweat plenty. It's not that I'm not getting a workout. It's that many information resources say that my heart is working too hard, (although it doesn't feel like it, thus why I asked the question). I do HIIT and supplement with some jogging, so I think I'm getting a pretty good overall body workout.

    Thanks for all your input. I think I'll just keep trucking on the way I have been. Feels good, so I see no reason to stop. I've been going at it like this for several months now without injury, so I think I'll be okay in regards to that as well. Even if I'm burning more sugar, I don't really see that as a bad thing since I go over my sugar every day :blushing:

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