using target heart rate zones

miasuperstar

I got a heart rate monitor about a month ago to more acuratley access my workouts in terms of exertion and calories burned. My max target heart rate is 188 and at 80-90% it's 150-169 bpm. I've read that the 80-90% zone can only be sustained for very short periods of time-like 30-60 sec. However, I find that I can often be in that zone for as long as 10 min. Something does not seem right here. Either my information is bad or my math is bad. I'm 32, so I got my max THR by subtracting my age from 220. Furthermore, ive read that the optimum fat burning heart rate is like 60% of the max THR and in this zone I really don't feel like i'm doing much work at all. Does anyone know what these zones should actually "feel" like. For instance at 60%of my THR I can carry on a conversation easily. Thanks for you input!

miasuperstar

I got a heart rate monitor about a month ago to more acuratley access my workouts in terms of exertion and calories burned. My max target heart rate is 188 and at 80-90% it's 150-169 bpm. I've read that the 80-90% zone can only be sustained for very short periods of time-like 30-60 sec. However, I find that I can often be in that zone for as long as 10 min. Something does not seem right here. Either my information is bad or my math is bad. I'm 32, so I got my max THR by subtracting my age from 220. Furthermore, ive read that the optimum fat burning heart rate is like 60% of the max THR and in this zone I really don't feel like i'm doing much work at all. Does anyone know what these zones should actually "feel" like. For instance at 60%of my THR I can carry on a conversation easily. Thanks for you input!

MisdemeanorM

What kind of HR monitor did you get? I know the Polar brand will figure out your target rate for you depending on a quick 5 minute warm up program which taylors it to your current fitness/energy that day. I havent used this feature yet though. I use the defaults set for my age.

I have only had mine about 2 weeks, but if it set it for "hard workout" it gives me the 80-90% range and I am to keep my heart rate in there the whole time. I do interval workouts so it goes back and forth between 155 and 178 durring the 40 mins usually with a max of 185 which is about 6 below my max heart rate. I can keep in this range for the full 40 mins, but i cannot keep on the 90% side of it the whole time. I can only keep right at 90% or higher for a min or two at a time "comfortably."

As for burning more % of fat at a lower level, yeah, my 60% level is an easy walk or housecleaning. You might burn more % fat but a high percent of a lower overall calorie burn count can be a lower # than a lower % higher overall calorie burn at a higher heart rate- ie 60% of 200 is 120 fat cals but 30% of 550 is 165 fat calories burned and a whole lot more overall calories, not to mention more muscle put on which burns more fat later... a rather deceptive / misleading belief out there about working out at a lower heart rate to burn more fat... It only works if you were to do a long time at a low rate vs a short time at a high rate.

miasuperstar

I got a polar 6 I think-it has the "own zone" calculator. which I use. It sounds like your experience has been similar. I generally bounce around quite a bit too because I like the interval type workouts but I think I'm averaging about 75-80% of myTHR which makes me feel like I had a great workout. "Comfortably" is key also since if i'm at 90% or above for over a a couple minutes I'm nearly spent. I agree with the low heart rate thing. Especially since if I were to workout at 60% I would probably have to be on the eliptical all night long!!! to meet my 500 calorie goal.